The House subcommittee on Environment, Infrastructure, and Technology advanced four bills this afternoon.
House Bill 4615 would create the Public Water Supply Reform Act of 2026. This act would require public water systems to provide quarterly operational and financial reports to the appointed board members of the public service district, participate in the Open Checkbooks program, and, when receiving enough complaints about a water system, a forensic audit must be conducted. This act would also require water storage tanks to be equipped with a device to collect data from the water system. This bill was reported to the committee on Energy and Public Works.
House Bill 4563 would require an EZ Pass transponder to be registered to a person rather than a vehicle. This bill was reported to the committee on Energy and Public Works.
House Bill 4471 would require approved sewage systems for all rental properties. This bill was reported to the committee on Energy and Public Works.
House Bill 4537 would require municipalities and public service districts to determine the cost of adding potential customers to the water service and apply for funding through the West Virginia Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council. This service will be extended to customers who have made the required deposits and extend the service to possible customers, if the fees have been covered by a grant(s) for the extension. This bill was reported to the committee on Energy and Public Works.
