The Senate laid over Senate Bill 460 on Wednesday, the bill that would allow parents and guardians to object to the requirements of the state’s program for compulsory immunization of public and private school children by citing a religious or philosophical belief.

The bill retains its place on the calendar tomorrow with no change. According to Health and Human Resources chairwoman Laura Wakim Chapman (R-Ohio), the plan is to lay the bill over again tomorrow and then have it voted on by the full Senate on Friday.

The Senate also read three bills a first time on Wednesday while introducing bills 522-544.

The Senate is adjourned until tomorrow, Feb. 20, at 11 a.m.

Afternoon Meetings:

Finance at 3 p.m. in 451M

Judiciary at 3 p.m. in 208W

Morning Meetings for Feb. 20:

Education at 9:30 a.m. in 451M

Gov. Org. at 9:30 a.m. in 208W

The House convened this morning for Day 8 of Session. The new committee process is in full swing with several meetings announced daily.

Bills introduced can be found here.

Resolutions introduced can be found here.

The House is adjourned until 11 a.m. Tomorrow, February 20, 2025.

Committee Meetings, Today February 19

• The Subcommittee on Government Administration will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 215E.
• The Subcommittee on Education Choice will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 434.
• The Subcommittee on Higher Education will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 434.
• The Subcommittee on Local Governments will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 215E.
• The Subcommittee on Energy and Manufacturing will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 410.
• The Subcommittee on Environment, Infrastructure, and Technology will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 460.
• The Subcommittee on Healthcare Regulations will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 215E.
• The Subcommittee on Human Services will meet at 4 p.m. in Room 215E.

Committee Meetings, Tomorrow February 20

• The Finance Committee meet at 9 a.m. in Room 460 for a budget hearing.
• The Judiciary Committee will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 410.
• The Subcommittee on Courts will meet at 9:30 a.m. in Room 410.
• The Subcommittee on Homeland Security will meet at 10 a.m. in Room 410.
• The Subcommittee on Legal Services will meet at 10:30 a.m. in Room 410.
• The Subcommittee on Public Education will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 434.
• The Subcommittee on Agriculture, Commerce, and Tourism will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 215E.
• The Subcommittee on Education Choice will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 434.
• The Subcommittee on Energy and Public Works will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 460.
• The Subcommittee on Public Health will meet at 3p.m. in Room 215E.
• The Committee on Health and Human Resources will meet at 4 p.m. in Room 215E.

The Finance Committee met this morning to hear about several rule bills.

The following bills authorize the Alcohol Beverage Control Commissioner to create update or create rules.

• House Bill 2261 authorizes changes to Rule 175 CSR 02 by updating definitions for private clubs and vendors, adding licenses, and updating operations and sales, including dual licensing, and PODA, which were changes made in past legislation. The rule also extends the sunset date to 2035.
• House Bill 2262 authorizes changes to Rule 175 CSR 04 by adding hard cider into the rule and updating definitions for the sale, supply, and distribution of wine, hard cider, and non-intoxicating beer. It adds a definition for PODA and extends the sunset date to 2035.
• House Bill 2263 authorizes changes to Rule 175 CRS 09 which relates to cigarette vending machines. The machines must be in a line of sight for Class A licensees to prevent underage access. It makes changes to the rule, which has been passed in previous legislation such age increase to 21, the definition of electronic smoking devices, and sets penalties for violations or sale to those under 21. The sunset date was extended to 2034.
• House Bill 2264 authorizes changes to Rule 175 CSR 10 by adding definitions to the distilleries, mini-distilleries, and micro-distilleries relating to sampling, fairs/festivals, private clubs, licensing, and signage. The sunset date was extended to 2035
• House Bill 2265 authorizes a new rule, 175 CSR 11, which addresses the ABC’s role in the enforcement of hemp and kratom sales. The rule sunsets in 2030. Several definitions relating to hemp and kratom are addressed. The ABC will receive lists of those permitted to sell hemp and kratom in WV. The retailers are not to sell to minors and the ABC will be doing checks to verify compliance. Any retailer not in compliance will be cited. The rule does state a MOU can be entered into by the Agriculture Commissioner, the Tax Commissioner, and WVABCA to facilitate enforcement under this rule.
• House Bill 2266 authorizes changes to Rule 176 CSR 01, which relates to nonintoxicating beer. Definitions were updated and the sunset was extended to 2035.

In House Bill 2267, the Insurance Commissioner is authorized to update Rule 114 CSR 24 relating to Medicare Supplement Insurance. The rule extends the sunset to 2035.

In House Bill 2268, the Lottery Commission updates Rule 179 CSR 09 to include four new sections: criteria for exclusion and placement on the exclusion list, procedure for entry of names on the exclusion list, distribution, availability, and accountability relating to the exclusion list, and petition for removal from exclusion list.

The following bills authorize the State Tax Department to make changes to rules.

• House Bill 2269 authorizes changes to Rule 110 CSR 10F to extend the sunset date to 2030.
• House Bill 2270 authorizes changes to Rule 110 CSR 10G to amend definitions and extend the sunset to 2035.
• House Bill 2271 authorizes changes to Rule 110 CSR 15C to amend definitions and extend the sunset to 2030.
• House Bill 2272 authorizes changes to Rule 110 CSR 50C to amend definitions and extend the sunset to 2030.

The House Subcommittee on Revenue heard from the Parkways Authority this morning.

The Executive Director of Parkways started his presentation by warning of a phishing scam that has been going around since last year. People are texted about tolls and asked for payments. He stated to report them to the FBI. As of last April, there were already 2,000 FBI complaints.

He noted the accomplishments on the turnpike. In the last several years, upgrades have been seen to toll plazas, travel plazas, and bridges. New options for toll payments are or will be available. The payment options will be EZ pass, cash, credit card (soon), apps using EZpass, and pay by plate. There are two options for pay-by-plate. First, an individual can be sent a bill and then pay within 30 days or individuals can create a pay-by-plate account and put a card on file to pay. The safest and most effective way to pay is still EZpass.

The Senate Health and Human Resources Committee approved Senate Bill 299 on Tuesday, which would modify state regulations on pubertal modulation, hormonal therapy, and gender reassignment.

The legislation would restrict gender affirming care for minors. The bill amends existing codes to prohibit physicians, physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses from providing gender reassignment surgeries and gender-altering medications to minors, with very limited exceptions for certain medical conditions.

The Legislature passed a near-total ban on medication-based gender affirming care in West Virginia in 2023. This bill would remove a previous exception from two years ago that currently allows hormonal therapy for severe gender dysphoria under specific conditions, such as multiple mental health and medical professional opinions, along with parental consent.

The legislation stipulates that violation of the law by medical professionals would constitute unprofessional conduct, subject to disciplinary actions by licensing boards. The bill would allow individuals to pursue legal recourse for actual or threatened violations, including compensatory damages and injunctive relief. The legislation also empowers the Attorney General to enforce compliance.

Supporters of this bill argue it is a way of protecting children from potentially harmful and irreversible procedures, while opponents are concerned about the potential for increased suicide and self-harm risk among transgender youth if access to care is abolished.

If the bill completes legislative action it would take effect on Aug. 1. There is currently no grandfather provision in the legislation for individuals that are already receiving treatment when the law takes effect.

The bill now heads to the Senate Judiciary committee for further consideration.

The Senate advanced SB460, which would allow religious and philosophical exemptions to the state’s school vaccination requirements, to third reading without amendment on Tuesday.

There were four amendments to the bill offered on Tuesday:

Senator Ryan Weld (R-Brooke) attempted to amend the bill twice, with both amendments centered around allowing private and parochial schools to continue to have compulsory vaccination requirements or allowing them to set their own policies if they chose to do so.

Senator Joey Garcia (D-Marion) attempted to amend the bill to require schools and childcare centers to create and maintain records on the number of exempt students.

Senator Mike Woelfel (D-Cabell) attempted to amend the bill so that the polio vaccine would be the lone vaccine that remained mandatory.

All amendments failed with some bipartisan support.

The bill is up for a vote in the Senate tomorrow. An explanation of the bill in its current form can be found here.

The Senate also introduced bills 511-521.

The Senate is adjourned until tomorrow, Feb. 19, at 11 a.m.

Afternoon Meetings:

Health at 1 p.m. in 451M

Finance at 3 p.m. in 451M

Judiciary at 3 p.m. in 208W

Morning Meetings for Feb. 19:

Natural Resources at 9:30 a.m. in 208W

The House Subcommittee on Agriculture, Commerce, and Tourism met this afternoon to discuss two bills.

House Bill 2043 allows trackers to use drones to locate mortally wounded wildlife. If tracking is not on one’s property, an individual must be a licensed drone pilot. This is for finding, not hunting. The hunter cannot just track another person’s property without permission; this would remain the same with drone tracking. Other states around WV allow tracking with drones. The drones are commercial and expensive. Presenters aren’t concerned about hunters using the drone to “skirt the system” and use it for hunting instead of locating. The bill also changes to allow only one leashed dog per handler to be tracked. Individuals have been advertising themselves as trackers and release dogs, so they aren’t leashed. This was never the intent of tracking in West Virginia. One handler with one dog allows the handler to read the dog and work with the hunter.

House Bill 2060 creates a tax exemption for agriculture cooperative associations. The bill adds and clarifies definitions for the exemption.

The House met this morning and adopted House Concurrent Resolution 49, which requests the Maryland General Assembly to reject any legislation changing the stream designation of the North Branch part of the Potomac River from a “Warm Water Aquatic Life” use to a “Cold Water Aquatic Life” use. The resolution states that a change in designation will add unnecessary costs to industries in West Virginia. The resolution heads to the Senate for its consideration.

The House is adjourned until 11 a.m. Tomorrow, February 19, 2025.

Committee Meetings, Today February 18

• The Committee on Education will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 434.
• The Committee on Government Organization will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 215E.
• The Subcommittee on Agriculture, Commerce, and Tourism will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 215E.
• The Subcommittee on Higher Education will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 434.
• The Subcommittee on Public Health at 3 p.m. in Room 215E.
• The Committee on Health and Human Resources will meet at 4 p.m. in Room 215E.

Committee Meetings, Tomorrow February 19

• The Subcommittee on Revenue will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 460 for a budget hearing, with the Finance Committee meeting immediately following.
• The Judiciary Committee will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 410.
• The Subcommittee on Legal Services will meet at 9:30 a.m. in Room 410.
• The Subcommittee on Courts will meet at 10 a.m. in Room 410.
• The Subcommittee on Government Administration will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 215E.
• The Subcommittee on Education Choice will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 434.
• The Subcommittee on Higher Education will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 434.
• The Subcommittee on Local Government will meet at 2:15 p.m. in Room 215E.
• The Subcommittee on Energy and Manufacturing will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 410.
• The Subcommittee on Environment, Infrastructure, and Technology will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 460.
• The Subcommittee on Healthcare Regulations will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 215E.
• The Subcommittee on Human Services will meet at 4 p.m. in Room 215E.

Committee Meetings, Thursday, February 20

• The Finance Committee will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 460 for a budget hearing.
• The Committee on Energy and Public Works will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 460.

The House Subcommittee on Courts met this morning.

House Bill 2042 allows guardian ad litem to request the appointment of a court appointed special advocate (CASAs) in cases of child neglect or abuse. CASAs have limited caseload and are submitted to rigorous screening to become a CASA. The bill amends current process where only court can appoint CASA by allowing guardian ad litem to make requests. Several counties have CASA programs, but not all. The bill heads to the full Judiciary Committee.

House Bill 2066 creates a felony offense for damaging, destroying, or stealing equipment used by emergency responders. The bill states that the action must create substantial risk of bodily injury to another person, result in loss of property or interrupt services of emergency responders. The felony conviction can result in up to a $5,000 fine and/or imprisonment for one to three years. The bill was added to make some clarification to definitions. The bill heads to the full Judiciary Committee.

The Senate Workforce committee recommended a bill Monday to add additional work requirements to the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The body recommended Senate Bill 249 for passage. The legislation would require all able-bodied adults without dependents between the ages of 18 and 59 to participate in an Employment and Training program, with some exemptions. The current maximum age limit for the Employment and Training program is 54.

Exemptions under the bill would  include individuals subject to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) work requirements, those caring for children under the age of 6 or incapacitated persons, students, those in drug/alcohol addiction programs, those employed a minimum of 30 hours per week, and those not heads of household.

Currently, SNAP recipients are exempt from time limits on SNAP benefits as long as the able-bodied recipient is employed or complying with the requirements of a work, education, or volunteer program for at least 20 hours per week, or 80 hours per month. This legislation would increase the hours per week required to maintain eligibility to 30 hours per week, or 120 hours per month.

West Virginia for years has had the lowest workforce participation rate in the nation. Senator Rollan Roberts (R-Raleigh) chairman of the committee, made it clear his intent is to nudge able-bodied people into workforce participation.

“There is compassion. There is a resource to it that will help them be able to get involved in the community with volunteering or working or doing some sort of education and training,” Roberts said. “So it’s something to give an encouragement, an incentive, to get people involved.”

Jeremiah Samples, a former legislative analyst who is now working as a lobbyist for a conservative think tank, agreed.

“I don’t view this as punitive. Work gives individuals dignity. Employment gives an individual community. We’re talking about giving people hope and an opportunity to better their lives,” Samples said.

The Senate passed a very similar bill last year, but it failed to get through the House of Delegates after a late fiscal note from the House had the cost of the legislation at $7 million. The question of cost of implementation will no doubt come up again, particularly as the state faces a projected $400 million budget shortfall.

The Department of Human Services is still working to develop a fiscal note for the bill this year.

The legislation now heads to the Senate Finance committee for further consideration.