The House Finance Committee met again this afternoon to discuss three bills.
House Bill 3048 relates to collection of Tier II fees for chemical inventories. The fees collected would be increased to a maximum of $2,500 from $100.
Delegate Westfall (R-Jackson) asked if this was a one-time fee. Council informed the committee that the fees would be taken up over time.
The jump for the fees are to pay for training of employees and maintenance of the facilities that house the chemicals. The manufacturers of the chemicals are also in favor of the bill.
The bill was reported to the floor of the House with the recommendation that it pass.
House Bill 2720 would allow the School Building Authority to transfer funds allocated into the School Construction Fund. The bill as introduced would allow transfer of funds to a school construction funds. The bill was reported to the floor with the recommendation that it pass.
House Bill 3102 relates to selling Hopemont Hospital. The bill ensures that a replacement facility be constructed that can hold at least 60 beds for the patients in the hospital. The bill was amended by Delegate Longstreth (D-Marion) to ensure the beds built would be given to those at Hopemont first.
Delegate Longstreth said, “I was trying to make it more clear that this would be a replacement facility for the patients and not replacing Hopemont itself.”
Delegate Walters (R-Kanawha) asked, “If a patient can receive better service at another facility, are we now restricting them to this facility?”
Council responded that the bill would not force them to go to the certain replacement facility for long term care.
Delegate Householder (R-Berkeley) urged rejection of the amendment. He said the language was duplicative and places an unneeded burden on those selling the hospital.
The amendment was adopted. The bill was then reported to the floor with the recommendation that it pass.
