The House of Delegates convened at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 27 on the 50th day of the legislative session. Most notably, this was the final day for bills originating in the House of Delegates to be considered in the House. On this day, a number of bills were passed on third reading, including a bill to increase cannabis industry in the state and a bill to issue a severance tax break for steam and thermal coal.
House Bill 2079 would increase the maximum number of cannabis grower, processor and dispensary permits. The bill would also remove the requirements that licenses be limited in regions of the state. It would increase the increase the maximum number of cannabis dispensers to 165 in the state. Additionally, the bill would allow for vertical integration due to an amendment that was passed yesterday that allows one entity to own ten dispensaries in the state. This bill passed through the House unanimously.
On this day, House Bill 3142 was also passed 88-11 after a lengthy discussion regarding fiscal allocations that the bill would require. This bill would reduce the severance tax on thermal or steam coal to two percent cumulatively over the course of two fiscal years and eliminate some of the restrictions on counties and municipalities expending and reporting the expenditure of the county and municipality portion of the severance tax.
House Bill 2397 also passed. This bill would increase the ratio for licensed psychologists to students in a given WV classroom. The bill would increase the ratio of these licensed professionals by 2021 to be 1 psychologist to every 500 students.
The House of Delegates also voted to reinstate a revised version of the film investment tax credit after a lengthy floor debate. House Bill 2941, an altered version of the film investment tax credit that was repealed by the Legislature last year, passed through the House. This bill would create a refundable tax credit for direct production expenditures and post production expenditures incurred in West Virginia that are directly attributable to the production in West Virginia of a feature length theatrical or direct-to-video motion picture, a made-for-television motion picture, a commercial, music video or television show.
Opponents of House Bill 2941 were concerned about the lack of return on investment that previous versions of the film investment tax credit have brought to the state, but in the end, the prevailing side’s argument for innovation won.
House Bill 3127 was rejected after a lengthy floor debate in a close vote of 52-46. This bill would allow homeschooled and private school students to participate in public school extracurricular activities that are within their district. Delegates who voted to defeat the bill argued that House Bill 3127 was underdeveloped, and that the allowance of homeschooled students to participate in public school extracurricular activities was unfair to students in WV public schools.
As of 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 27, the House of Delegates has passed 15 bills on third reading. All of these bills can be viewed in the Calendar.
The House plans to reconvene to consider the buzzworthy House Bill 2519, the Campus Self-Defense Act. The fate of the bill was in the air temporarily due to the bill being moved off of the House Special Calendar, which is the active calendar, to the Inactive House Calendar by the House Rules Committee this morning. However, after a House Rules Committee meeting occurring at approximately 4:00 p.m., House Bill 2915 was voted to be placed back onto the House Special Calendar.
House Bill 2519 will be up for passage, along with other remaining bills on third reading, when the House of Delegates reconvenes.
Bills that have been moved to the Inactive House Calendar and will not be considered include House Bill 3105, House Bill 3137, House Bill 2729, and House Bill 2931. Additionally, as of the 4:00 p.m. House Rules Committee meeting, House Bill 3136 was moved to the Inactive House Calendar.
The movement of these bills means that the legislation is effectively dead for the 2019 Legislative Session.
The House of Delegates is in recess until 7:00 p.m. tonight, Feb. 27. House Bill 2519 will be up for passage, as will House Bill 3146, House Bill 3148, and House Bill 3149. The House will also consider bills on second reading.
Committees Meeting Before the 7 p.m. Floor Session:
-The House Committee on the Judiciary will meet at 4:30 p.m. in 418-M.
-The House Education Committee will meet at 5:00 p.m. in 434-M.
-The House Finance Committee will meet at 5:30 p.m. in 460-M.
Committees Meeting Before Floor Session Tomorrow:
-The House Committee on Banking and Insurance will meet at 10 a.m. in 215-E.
