The Judiciary Committee met this morning.
Markup & Passage
House Bill 2702 authorizes the Governor to appoint an acting official to perform the duties of the constitutional officer until the office is filled by appointment by the Governor.
Senate Bill 8 allows for additional safe newborn surrender sites to be installed at fire departments, EMS facilities, police departments, or sheriff’s detachments.
Senate Bill 487 changes the period of voting inactivity before system purging. It also removes some obsolete language.
Committee Hearing
House Bill 2369 limits the number of improvement periods a parent may have per child or actions in abuse and neglect proceedings to three.
The Department of Human Services does see some issues with the bill, as some child welfare laws come down from federal regulations. Also, there are different types of improvement periods. The sponsor of the bill mentioned the continued improvement periods, which endanger children. He asked, “How much is a child’s life worth?”
House Bill 2035 creates a 3-year pilot program for a Public Guardian ad Litem Service in three circuits.
House Bill 2802 provides a one-to-one exchange for up to 8 hours of in-service training for law enforcement who engage in on-site participation in a school safety program.
Senate Bill 486 clarifies who can vote in West Virginia.
The Subcommittee on Courts met this morning.
Markup & Passage
House Bill 3078 creates childcare speed zones of 15 miles per hour near a licensed childcare zone.
House Bill 3162 amends part of the WV Consumer Credit and Protection Act.
Committee Hearing
House Bill 2056 addresses concurrent juvenile jurisdiction and allows the transfer of exclusive federal legislative jurisdictions back to the state regarding children.
House Bill 3190 expands the offense of public intoxication to persons intoxicated by controlled substances.
The Subcommittee on Legal Services met this morning.
Markup & Passage
House Bill 2689 creates liability for publishers and distributors of sexual material harmful to minors.
House Bill 3089 mandates the use of the DMV electronic lien and title system for all entities that report more than five liens per year.
Committee Hearing
House Bill 2397 prevents two immediate family members from acting in a fiduciary capacity for the same governmental authority.
