The Senate passed its version of Budget Bill for fiscal year 2023 during Friday morning’s floor session.

Senate Bill 250 maintains the $4.645 billion figure set by Governor Jim Justice in the budget he presented to the Legislature at the beginning of the 2022 Regular Session. The figure is a 1.4 percent increase from a revised revenue estimate of $4.579 billion for the current fiscal year ending in June.

The increase is due to a proposed 5 percent pay raise for state employees, teachers and school service personnel, at a cost of approximately $120 million. Another $41 million is required for inmate medical care due to court mandates and healthcare inflation.

The Senate’s budget now heads to the House of Delegates for consideration.

Also on Friday, the Senate memorialized the life of former Senator Sue Cline with the adoption of Senate Resolution 49 

Cline was appointed to the Senate in 2016 and served the people of the 9th District until 2020. She was a lifelong resident of Wyoming County. Cline passed on Dec. 29, 2021. She was 75.

UPDATE

The Senate reconvened briefly Friday afternoon to receive House messages and committee reports.

The body adopted HCR31, urging the Congress of the United States to call a convention of states.

The Senate is adjourned until Monday, March 7, at 11 a.m.

Judiciary is meeting at 1:50 p.m. in 208W

Monday Morning Meetings:

Judiciary at 9 a.m. in 208W.

Pensions at 10 a.m. in 451M.

The Senate adopted SR47 on Thursday afternoon, a resolution memorializing life of the Honorable Joseph Michael Minard.

Minard was a member of the Senate, representing the 12th district from 1990 until 1994, and again from 1998 until 2013. He was also a Delegate in the House of Delegates from his appointment in 1983 through 1990. Minard was also the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

Minard passed away at his home on Jan. 17. He was 90 years old.

Also on Thursday, the Senate read the Budget Bill a second time. It will be up for a passage vote on Friday. The Senate also suspended the constitutional rules to pass 10 supplemental appropriation bills and advanced 14 bills from first reading.

The Senate reconvened briefly at 5 p.m. to take up committee reports.

The Senate is adjourned until tomorrow, March 4, at 9 a.m.

The Senate passed a bill Wednesday evening that would absorb Pierpont Community and Technical College into Fairmont State University.

Senate Bill 653 would reunify Pierpont and Fairmont State, making Pierpont into a “division of Fairmont State.” If the bill completes in the House, Pierpont will become the Fairmont State University Pierpont College of Community and Technical Education.

The bill, and subsequent merger, would add three new members to Fairmont State’s Board of Governors, including two faculty members – at least one of whom would be elected to the position by Pierpont’s faculty – and one new member, appointed by Governor Jim Justice, “who has knowledge and practical experience in community and technical education.”

Also under the bill, the Dean of the Pierpont College of Community and Technical College will be appointed by Fairmont State’s president, and an advisory board on matters related to community and technical college would be appointed by the chairman of the Fairmont State Board of Governors. The chair of the advisory board would also be a voting member of Fairmont State’s Board of Governors.

If the bill completes action, at the time of the unification, all Pierpont employees would become employees of Fairmont State University.

The legislation now moves to the House of Delegates for consideration.

This concludes Crossover Day. The Senate will only consider House bills from this point forward.

The Senate is adjourned until tomorrow at 11 a.m.

Judiciary will continue its meeting from earlier today at 6:30 p.m. in 208W

Education will meet tomorrow at 10 a.m. in 451M.

The Senate passed the “Anti-Racism Act” during the first of two floor sessions on Crossover Day.

Today is the last day each body can consider bills in their house of origin. A similar bill in the House of Delegates ran out of time on a deadline to advance from committee last Friday.

The bill is in response to the national discussion on the roles of race, gender and ethnicity in America, and specifically, with regard to education.

The Senate version, SB498, would include public, charter and private schools in K-12 education as well as higher education. The legislation does not include curriculum transparency requirements. The Senate bill would allow for the presentation of critical race theory concepts in a university setting, as long as alternative theories can also be presented.

The legislation would forbid instruction that one gender, race or ethnicity is superior to another. It also would prohibit teaching that some groups are inherently racist, sexist or oppressive based on their race, ethnicity or sex. The bill also forbids instruction that morality or character are tied to any of those factors.

Finally, the legislation prohibits instructing students that they should feel discomfort, guilt or anguish because of their race, ethnicity or sex.

The legislation contains a complaint procedure in grades K-12 for noncompliance. There is a reporting procedure at the university level.

The legislation passed on a 21-12 vote and now heads to the House of Delegates for consideration.

The Senate is in recess until 4 p.m.

Afternoon Meetings:

Economic Development at 1 p.m. in 451M.

Pensions at 2 p.m. in 451M.

Judiciary at 3 p.m. in 208W.

The Senate passed a bill Tuesday evening that would offer tax credits to private businesses that provide child care facilities for their employees.

Senate Bill 656 would provide qualifying small businesses, corporations and nonprofits that offer child care services certain tax breaks. A for-profit business would be eligible for relief on its state corporate net income tax and nonprofits could receive payroll tax credits under the bill.

These tax credits would be offered to businesses and nonprofits that already have these facilities, as well as ones that want to create a childcare facility for their employees.

In most cases the childcare facility would have to be on the business’ premises but there are exceptions in the bill where it can be “a reasonable distance” from the business if the state Tax Commissioner deems the on-site location unsuitable for the care of children.

There are provisions in the bill where the state can recapture some of the money if the employer ends its child care services after receiving the credit. The state would get 100 percent of the money back if the childcare facility closes within 5 years. The percentage that goes back to the state lowers by 10 percent with each year, until year 14, where the recapture amount would be zero.

The Senate is adjourned until tomorrow, March 2, at 9 a.m.