The House passed 22 bills during today’s floor session and rejected one.
House Bill 3154 was rejected in a 45 to 52 vote. The bill would have allowed Limited Video Lottery owners to advertise as other gambling businesses do. Opponents of the bill felt that LVL gambling is different than other forms of gambling and could target the most vulnerable of the population. Proponents felt the funds from LVL could increase meaning more funding for other schools and other important issues in the state.
House Bill 2014 establishes the Certified Microgrid Program. The bill removes a restriction on the location of districts to state property, including its political subdivisions. The bill allows for more microgrids, but only if they consume internally 60% of the electricity generated when fully operational by one or more high-impact data centers. These microgrids are limited to selling 10% of the electricity generated to the wholesale market.
House Bill 2152 promotes payment to vendors of commodities and services to the state. The bill states that a state agency must pay any legitimate claim for payment within 45 days after the claim has been received. If the agency fails to pay the claim within the requisite 45 days, then the agency must report that failure to the State Auditor. Additionally, any vendor or grantee who does not receive payment within the requisite 45 days may report that violation to the State Auditor. The State Auditor is required to publish a list of non-compliant agencies on its website and update the list on at least a monthly basis.
House Bill 2777 transfers the requirement of keeping homeschool information from county school boards to the state department. The bill also removes the requirement that homeschool educators submit satisfactory evidence of a high school diploma or equivalent, a post-secondary degree or certificate, or from an institution of higher education that has been authorized to confer a post-secondary degree or certificate.
House Bill 3411 repeals code relating to expired legislative commissions including the Legislative Building Commission, the WV Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission and Fund, The Council of Finance and Administration, the Steering Committee for the WV Enterprise Resource Planning Board, the WV Sentencing Commission, the Toll Road Study Commission, the Select Committee on Outcomes-based Funding Models in Higher Education, Equal Pay Commission, Joint Legislative Oversight Commission on State Water Resources, Commission on Interstate Cooperation, and the Legislative Oversight Committee on WV Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority. Additionally, the bill removes legislative membership from the Employee Suggestion Award Board, the WV Forest Management Review Commission, the WV Economic Development Strategy, the WV Fusion Center, and the State Board of Risk and Insurance Management. Finally, the bill moves the duties of the Joint Commission of Government Operations duties to the Joint Committee on Government Organizations.
House Bill 3444 repeals the sections of code relating to the inflammation of the eyes of newborns. With the repeal, the mandate to apply antibiotic erythromycin is removed, the reporting requirements are removed, and penalties for not applying are removed.
The House is adjourned until 11 a.m. tomorrow, April 2, 2025.
Committee Meetings, Today April 1
- The Committee on Government Organization will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 215E.
Committee Meetings, Tomorrow, April 2
- The Judiciary Committee will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 410.
- The Finance Committee will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 460.
- The Rules Committee will meet at 10:45 a.m. in the Speaker’s Conference Room.
- The Committee on Government Organization will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 215E.
- The Committee on Education will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 432M.
- The Committee on Energy and Public Works will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 410.
- The Committee on Health and Human Resources will meet at 3:30 p.m. in Room 215E.
