The House of Delegates met this morning. With no bills on third reading, amendments were offered on a couple of bills, and action was delayed on one bill.

House Bill 2007 prohibits irreversible gender reassignment surgery and hormonal therapy for persons under 18 years of age. Two amendments were offered. One would allow for surgeries with parental consent. The other would prohibit all cosmetic surgeries on children. Both amendments failed.

House Bill 2380 removes or changes obsolete or outdated provisions of code relating to the School Building Authority. An amendment was offered and adopted, that allows the School Building Authority to request $23 million for appropriation to the agency’s General Revenue Fund to be transferred to the School Construction Fund.

Action on House Bill 2832 was delayed one day. The bill clarifies the appropriate and inappropriate duties for school counselors.

The House is adjourned until 9 a.m. tomorrow, February 3, 2023.

Committee Meetings, Today

• The Committee on Technology and Infrastructure will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 434.
• The Committee on Energy and Manufacturing will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 410.
• The Committee on Economic Development and Tourism will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 460.
• The Committee on Health and Human Resources will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 215E.

The Finance Committee will hold a public hearing on House Bill 2883 – Making a supplemental appropriation from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund – at 2 p.m. in the House Chamber.

Committee Meetings, tomorrow, Feb. 3

• The Finance Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. in Room 460.

Today, the House of Delegates passed five bills and two resolutions

House Concurrent Resolution 11 urges Marshall University and West Virginia University to lead an education consortium with the support of the HEPC and private industry representatives to assist the State to develop policies and programs to facilitate nuclear energy developments.

House Concurrent Resolution 13 makes the second week of February every year a week of recognition of the Boy Scouts of America.

Senate Bill 207 removes the maximum state allocation allowed to each eligible regional council.

House Bill 2596 clarifies the circumstances in which a county board of education shall permit the transfer of resident and nonresident students. The bill requires county boards and the State Department of Education to report annually on the number of transfer approvals and denials made under open enrollment policies.

House Bill 2613 allows certified registered nurse anesthetists to work in cooperation with a physician, podiatrist, or dentist instead of being supervised by one. This removes the liability from the doctor who may not be trained in anesthesia administering.

House Bill 2380 removes obsolete or outdated provisions of code relating to the School Building Authority.

House Bill 3061 updates the authority of the foster care ombudsman.

The House is adjourned until 11 a.m. tomorrow, February 2, 2023.

Committee Meetings, Today

• The Finance Committee will meet at 1:15 p.m. in Room 460.
• The Judiciary Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. in Room 410.
• The Education Committee will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 434.
• The Committee on Government Organization will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 215E.
• The Committee on Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security will meet at 4 p.m. in 215E.

Committee Meetings, tomorrow, Feb. 2

• The Committee on Jails and Prisons will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 410.
• The Committee on Workforce Development will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 215E.
• The Committee on Senior, Children, and Family Issues will meet at 10 a.m. in Room 460.
• The Committee on Technology and Infrastructure will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 434.
• The Committee on Energy and Manufacturing will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 410.
• The Committee on Health and Human Resources will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 215E

Public Hearings, Thursday, Feb. 2

• The Judiciary Committee will hold a public hearing on House Bill 2007 – Prohibiting certain medical practices – at 9 a.m. in the House Chamber.
• The Finance Committee will hold a public hearing on House Bill 2883 – Making a supplemental appropriation from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund – at 2 p.m. in the House Chamber.

The House of Delegates convened today, advancing eight bills.

Senate Bill 83 creates a new training program for emergency services personnel to become certified as a tactical medical professionals. A tactical medical professional is a medical professional who carries firearms while on duty in the same manner that a law-enforcement officer would while serving. A tactical medical professional must receive a certificate from the Law Enforcement Professional Standards Subcommittee of the Governor’s Committee on Crime, Delinquency, and Correction. The certificate attests to the satisfactory completion of the law-enforcement training program.

Senate Bill 132 clarifies that stalking and harassment are separate criminal offenses.

House Bill 2436 creates the Patient Safety and Transparency Act.

House Bill 2509 creates the Uniform Premarital Agreement Act. This act allows parties to a marriage to contract prior to marriage with respect to property rights, actions to be taken upon dissolution of the marriage, rights to insurance proceeds upon the death of either party, choice of controlling law, and any other matters not in violation of criminal statutes or public policy. The bill was amended to clarify no one under the age of 18 can enter into said contract.

House Bill 2569 establishes the Motorsport Responsibility Act, which sets forth the liabilities and duties of motorsport participants and motorsport operators.

House Bill 2835 removes outdated provisions of code relating to the WV Graduate College and Marshall University.

House Bill 2850 clarifies general education teachers’ entitlements for the general education classroom that provides academic support for students identified as having an exceptionality whose least restrictive environment remains the general education classroom.

House Bill 2890 modifies the authority of teachers and other school personnel to discipline students that requires the removal of a student from the classroom. It requires each county school board to implement a tier system policy, with teacher input, to provide a framework for student behaviors and punishments. Five amendments were offered and rejected. The amendments can be viewed on the bill’s status page.

The House Rules Committee moved House Bill 2017 and House Bill 2510 from the House Special Calendar (active) to the House Calendar (inactive).

Two bills on the second reading were amended.

House Bill 2596 clarifies the reasons the county boards of education may deny transfers to other schools. The amendment removes ten total unexcused absences and suspension of level three or four offenses as a reason a nonresident student can be denied transfer to another county.

House Bill 3061 updates the authority of the foster care ombudsman. The amendment adopted states that the foster care ombudsman may protect staff anonymity through official foster care investigations, relating to work notes, products, and case files. However, the ombudsman may not exercise this authority over other types of investigations relating to employment.

The House is adjourned until 11 a.m. tomorrow, February 1, 2023.

Committee Meetings, Today

• The Technology and Infrastructure Committee will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 434.
• The Committee on Economic Development and Tourism will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 460.
• The Committee on Health and Human Resources will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 215E.

Committee Meetings, tomorrow, Feb. 1

• The Committee on Volunteer Fire Department and EMS will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 215E.
• The Political Subdivision Committee will meet at 9:15 a.m. in Room 410.
• The Committee on Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security  will meet at 10 a.m. in Room 460.
• The Finance Committee will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 460.
• The Judiciary Committee will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 410.
• The Education Committee will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 434.
• The Committee on Government Organization will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 215E.

Public Hearings, Thursday, Feb. 2

• The Judiciary Committee will hold a public hearing on House Bill 2007 – Prohibiting certain medical practices – at 9 a.m. in the House Chamber.
• The Finance Committee will hold a public hearing on House Bill 2883 – Making a supplemental appropriation from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund – at 2 p.m. in the House Chamber.