The Committee on Government Organization met today and advanced five bills to the House floor.
House Bill 2633 creates the 2021 Farm Bill. It amends and updates several sections of code within Chapter 19, relating to agriculture. It authorizes the use of raw milk for non-human consumption. It changes the Livestock Care Advisory Board to be a board appointed by the Commissioner of Agriculture and now includes law enforcement. It updates the code relating to farmers markets. The bill creates the Agriculture Investment Program, which would provide grants or loans to expand agriculture in West Virginia.
House Bill 2742 provides the DMV the authority to renew or reissue driver’s license or ID cards online when an applicant needs to update the address. This authority in code would supersede the legislative rule to the contrary.
House Bill 2914 removes the president of the State Historical Society and the president of the State Historical Association from the Archives and History Commission. It also states that the Director of Archives and History Section shall serve as secretary of the commission. It states that each member shall be given notice of a meeting and that the secretary, or a majority of the commission’s members, may all a meeting.
House Bill 2823 exempts buildings or structures utilized exclusively for agriculture purposes from the provisions of the State Building Code and State Fire Commission.
House Bill 2174 prohibits the relocation, removal, alteration, renaming, rededication, or disturbance of any statue, monument memorial, nameplate, or plaque which is located on public property and has been erected for, or named, or dedicated in honor of certain historical military, civil rights, and Native American events, figures, and organization. The bill also prohibits any person from preventing the governmental entity measures to protect, preserve, care for, repair, or restore the items, structures, or areas. It establishes a process by which the West Virginia State History Preservation Office my grant exceptions.
