The West Virginia House of Delegates advanced several bills, including the following:
Third Reading
Senate Bill 402 would create the Workforce Readiness and Opportunity Act. This act includes programs to expand the apprenticeship training tax credit, allow independent contractors to have portable benefits, provide tax treatment for those benefits, and eliminate barriers to licensure for military-trained applicants.
Senate Bill 703 would establish the Social Work Licensure Compact. This bill would allow for reciprocity between states for social workers to improve public access to social work services. The Compact will be regulated by the State to protect public health and safety through the current licensing system.
Second Reading
Senate Bill 200 would increase criminal penalties and fines for assault on public service workers, law enforcement, and police animals.
Senate Bill 531 would establish the First Amendment Preservation Act. This act would prohibit state agencies or any kind of organization receiving state funding from entering into a contract or agreement with a media reliability bias monitor. A media reliability bias monitor is any private entity why is rating news organizations on some kind of criteria, whether it be political leanings, misinformation, or disinformation, etc. An example provided in committee was an organization such as NewsGuard. After being amended on the floor
Senate Bill 645 would prohibit out-of-network emergency medical services agencies from balance billing a covered enrollee in a health insurance plan for ground ambulance services. The bill establishes a minimum payment an insurer must make to an out-of-network emergency medical services agency for ambulance services.
On the floor, an amendment was proposed to change the reimbursement rate of ambulance services from 400% to 150%. This amendment was rejected.
47 bills were advanced to third reading today from second reading.
In addition to the passage of bills and the advancement of bills, Senate Bill 4 was debated on second reading.
Senate Bill 4 would require bystanders to stand 30 feet back from first responders engaged in their duties if they are trying to threaten or harass first responders. If bystanders violate this bill, they are guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined at least $50 but no more than $500 or confined in jail for not more than one year. Upon a judge’s discretion, a person could be both fined and confined.
Delegate Sean Hornbuckle (D – Cabell, 25) proposed an amendment that would change the 30ft requirement to a 15ft requirement. This amendment was rejected with a vote of 8 to 83.
Delegate JB Akers (R – Kanawha, 55) spoke in opposition to the amendment after citing sources regarding an attacker’s ability to run 21ft in less than 1.5 seconds, this being the average time it takes an officer to draw their weapon and assess a threat.
Delegate Evan Hansen (D – Monongalia, 79) spoke in support of the amendment. Hansen said he had a lot of concerns about the bill as drafted due to recent instances of violence across the United States. Hansen said if bystanders were not able to film law enforcement, then the truth may not have come out.
Committee Meetings, Tomorrow, March 12
- Rules at 8:45 a.m. in the Speaker’s Conference Room
The House is adjourned until 9 a.m. Thursday, March 12.
