The Committee on Government Organization had its first meeting today. After organizational motions, House Bill 2412 was considered. The committee substitute amends code to declare November 14 a special memorial day in remembrance of the 75 individuals killed in the 1970 Marshall University plane crash.
The bill advances to the House floor.
Today is day six of the first session of the 86th Legislature. The House convened at 11 a.m.
House Bill 2526 was on first reading today. The committee substitute of House Bill 2526 provides for a gradual reduction in income tax rates. The bill also reduces the rate of tax on composite returns and the rate of withholding tax on nonresident income and the sale of real estate. The bill also reduces the rate of withholding on gambling winnings. If passed, the reduction would be retroactively applied to rates beginning January 1, 2023, with additional reductions on January 1, 2024 and January 1, 2025. The bill also requires all deposits of the surplus revenues into a personal income tax reserve fund.
Four bills were reported from committees.
House Bill 2506 establishes a national title clearinghouse for using the DMV title system.
House Bill 2017 requires the sheriff, instead of CPS personnel, to serve child abuse and neglect petitions without additional compensation.
House Bill 2029 requires the full involvement of law enforcement in the person-to-person presentation of an eviction notice.
House Bill 2018 ensures that managed care case coordinators are able to participate in multidisciplinary team meetings.
The House is adjourned until 11 a.m. tomorrow, January 17, 2023.
Committee Meetings, Today
Committee Meetings, Tomorrow Jan. 16
The Senate advanced one bill Monday morning during a very brief floor session.
Senate Bill 83 was read a first time today. The legislation would authorize tactical medical professionals to carry firearms. The bill is on schedule to be voted on by the full Senate on Wednesday.
Senate bills 223-249 were introduced today.
The Senate is adjourned until tomorrow, Jan. 17, at 11 a.m.
Afternoon Senate Meetings:
Transportation and Infrastructure at 1 p.m. in 451M
Agriculture at 2 p.m. in 208W
Finance at 3 p.m. in 451M
Judiciary at 3 p.m. in 208W.
Morning Senate Meetings for 1/17:
Education at 9 a.m. in 451M
Government Organization at 9 a.m. in 208W.
The Senate adopted two resolutions during a very brief floor session Friday morning.
Senate Resolution 4 honors the WV Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Senate Resolution 5 honors the public service of Dr. Richard Lechliter for Mineral County Day.
Senate Bills 163-222 were introduced today.
The Senate is adjourned until Monday, Jan. 16, at 11 a.m.
The House briefly convened to receive committee messages and Senate messages. Committee meetings were announced for Monday.
Committee Meetings, Monday Jan. 16
The House is adjourned until 11 a.m. Monday, January 16, 2023.
To follow along daily, view the House Calendar, House Bills introduced, and House Resolutions.
The Senate suspended the constitutional rules to pass two DNR bills during a brief floor session Thursday morning.
Senate Bill 161 would authorize the DNR to manage and dispose of property.
Senate Bill 162 would allow the director of DNR to lease state-owned pore spaces in certain areas for carbon sequestration.
These bills now head to the House of Delegates for consideration.
The Senate is adjourned until tomorrow, Jan. 13, at 9 a.m.
Thursday afternoon Committee Meetings:
Health at 1 p.m. in 451M
Finance at 3 p.m. in 451M
Judiciary at 3 p.m. in 208W
The House briefly convened this morning to introduce bills and resolutions. Committee meetings begin today.
Committee Meetings, Today
Committee Meetings, Tomorrow Jan. 13
The House is adjourned until tomorrow, Jan. 13, 2023 at 11 a.m.
The West Virginia Senate convened the 1st Session of the 86th Legislature today at Noon.
Sen. Donna Boley (R – Pleasants, 03) presided over the beginning of the floor session as the Senate’s longest continually serving member.
Following the presentation of certified election results by Secretary of State Mac Warner, and the swearing in of newly elected senators by West Virginia Supreme Court Justice C. Haley Bunn, members of the Senate nominated and reelected Sen. Craig Blair (R – Berkeley, 15) by acclamation to serve as President of the Senate.
Following the reelection of the President, Lee Cassis was reelected Senate Clerk, David Lavender was elected Senate Sergeant-at-Arms and Jeffrey Branham was reelected Doorkeeper. All were unanimously approved.
The Senate also adopted several resolutions relating to the Senate Rules and other organizational matters.
The Senate hit the ground running this afternoon, suspending constitutional rules and passing 23 bills on to the House of Delegates. The vast majority of today’s passed legislation was approved overwhelmingly by the Senate last year, but failed to complete legislative action in the House.
The first bill passed today, Senate Bill 126, would divide the Department of Health and Human Resources into three agencies: the Department of Health, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Health facilities, with each agency having its own cabinet secretary.
Last year, the bill received wide, bipartisan support in both chambers as the Legislature concluded that the state’s largest agency was simply too unwieldy to carry out its mission and have a firm handle on its finances. The total annual budget for the Department of Health and Human Resources is $7.5 billion. The agency is tasked with dealing with a wide range of health and societal issues.
The Governor vetoed the bill last year, preferring to study the agency prior to making a determination.
The Senate also passed a bill to clarify that declared emergencies end after six months unless the Governor sends written notice to the Legislature extend the declaration. A related bill approved today limits gubernatorial authority to spend “certain federal funds” without appropriation of the Legislature. These bills were in direct response to the Governor’s actions during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The body also unanimously approved legislation this afternoon that addresses financial issues in the Public Employees Insurance Agency.
This became necessary last week when Wheeling Hospital publicly announced it would no longer be accepting PEIA payments as of July 1, 2023. Hospital officials have long said that financial challenges are compounded by PEIA’s 59 percent reimbursement rate, which is set by the state.
The Senate unanimously passed a bill in the 2022 session that would have reimbursed state medical providers for PEIA at a rate of 110 percent the Medicare reimbursement rate. That bill would have cost the state roughly $40 million. The bill failed to complete action in the House last year. The bill passed today in the Senate has the same provisions.
The Senate is in recess until 6:45 p.m., 15 minutes prior to the Governor’s State of the State Address.
The House of Delegates convened today for the first session of the 86th Legislature.
Delegate Bill Anderson, the longest-serving member, presided over the beginning portion of the session. The House elected Delegate Roger Hanshaw of Clay County as the Speaker of the House for a third term. Speaker Hanshaw thanked the delegation for the honor but stated that the greatest honor is to be one of the 100 serving in the people’s House.
“The work we’ve done here has made it easier for people to choose West Virginia. We will have more opportunities to continue to do this,” Speaker Hanshaw said.
Once re-elected, Speaker Hanshaw took the podium and procedures continued. Stephen Harrison was elected to a fifth term as Clerk of the House of Delegates. Marshall Clay was elected to another term as Sergeant-at-Arms and Robert Stewart was elected as Doorkeeper.
House Concurrent Resolution 1 was adopted; it calls for a joint assembly to hear remarks from the Governor. The State of the State Address will take place at 7 p.m. tonight, January 11, 2023.
House Resolutions 1, 2, and 3 were adopted. Amendments were offered and rejected on House Resolution 1; therefore, all three resolutions were adopted in the introduced form.
After receiving messages from the Senate, the House adopted Senate Concurrent Resolutions 1 and 2.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 1 is the Joint Rules for the House and the Senate.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 2 authorizes the payment of expenses for the 86th Legislature.
The House is in recess until 6:45 p.m.
Committee Meetings, Today
Committee Meetings, Tomorrow Jan. 12
The Finance Committee will hold a budget hearing at 9 a.m. in Room 460. The House Finance Budget Hearing schedule can be found here.
The House reconvened for the Joint Assembly to hear the Governor’s Address.
The House is adjourned until 11 a.m. tomorrow, Jan. 12, 2023.
Officials from the West Virginia Department of Revenue briefed lawmakers Monday morning during a meeting of the Joint Committee on Finance.
Dave Hardy, cabinet secretary for the Department of Revenue, informed members that tax collections for the general revenue fund came in at $552.5 million, far higher than the $407 million estimate from the Department of Revenue, resulting in over $145 million in surplus tax revenue for the month.
That figure brings year-to-date tax collections for the first six months of fiscal year 2023 to $3.1 billion, nearly 38 percent percent higher than the $2.2 billion revenue estimate, giving the state more than $833 million in surplus tax revenue with six months remaining in the fiscal year.
State tax officials have calculated West Virginia could end the current fiscal year in June with approximately $1.8 billion in surplus revenue.
According to Hardy, state revenue growth for December 2022 was up 9 percent compared to December 2021. Year-to-date revenue growth is up over 20 percent compared to this point last year, with roughly 92 percent of that coming from the state’s personal income tax, the consumer sales and use tax, the corporate net income tax, and the severance tax on natural gas, coal and oil.
Much of that growth is attributed to higher natural gas prices in the last year, leading to higher severance tax collections.
