The House Government Organization Committee met today and referred five bills out of the committee.
House Bill 2446 would require state agencies to maintain a website with their contact information, frequently asked questions, office hours, rules that govern the agency, and other information. All of the agencies already have websites and this bill would only require this certain information to be on them and for it to be updated. There was no fiscal note included in the bill. For those agencies that wouldn’t comply, they would be audited.
Delegate Hamrick (R-Harrison) said he was in favor of the bill as some of the state agencies haven’t updated their websites since 2005.
The bill was reported to the House floor with the recommendation that it pass.
House Bill 2427 would require that the state phone directory be updated with correct contact information. The timeframe for updates would be within 30 days of an employment change. This bill was drafted due to the state phone directory not being updated and having people who had passed away on it and new employees not being updated.
Delegate Lynch (D-Webster) confirmed that only their office contact information would be included.
The bill was reported to the House floor with the recommendation that it pass.
House Bill 2767 would allow undeliverable mail by the Secretary of State to be able to be emailed to circuit clerks. This bill’s purpose is to speed up technical issues regarding lawsuits.
The bill was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary with the recommendation that it pass.
House Bill 2792 would require the Library Commission to do a survey of the libraries in the state and report back to Governor Justice and the Legislature regarding repairs and the status of the libraries, in order to make a plan of updating them. There was no fiscal not attached.
Delegate Caputo (D-Marion) amended the bill to allow the commission more time to do the survey. The amendment was adopted.
The bill was referred to the House floor with the recommendation that it pass.
House Bill 2344 would transfer the assets of the Library Commission relating to the Library Television Network to the Educational Broadcasting Authority. This bill would improve the product of the Library Television Network from standard definition videos, bad quality, and minimal views on the internet to what West Virginia Public Broadcasting can give them. After discussion about the employment of the employees currently working at the Library Television Network the bill was referred to the Committee on Finance with the recommendation that it pass.
