Senate Bill 6
Senate Bill 6 would help to control the increase in cost of liability insurance and maintain access to affordable healthcare for residents of West Virginia. It would provide a mechanism to help increase the limitation on civil damages for medical malpractice suits based on inflation. The bill also provides new limitations on the type of evidence that is allowed to be presented as well as requiring appellate courts to review de novo certain decisions made by circuit courts.
Senate Bill 7
Senate Bill 7 would change the requirements of CPR and First Aid training for children in grades six through twelve. This bill would require that care for conscious choking be added to the first aid teaching requirements and after July 1, 2016 that a minimum of thirty minutes of instruction be required prior to graduation. This instruction must be based on guidelines from the American Red Cross or other recognized institute. The instruction may be given by other community organizations aside from the school if desired.
Senate Bill 8
Senate Bill 8 provides for a performance and efficiency audit of the Division of Highways. The audit will help determine areas of inefficiency, better allocation of funds, better practices, method of saving funds, and identify unused funds. The auditing agency’s contract must not exceed $500,000 and must not be performed by an agency that is currently auditing the Division of Highways or up to five years prior to the bidding process.
Senate Bill 106
Senate Bill 106 would provide that a sanitary board is no longer required to have a professional licensed engineer on the board if the board is supervising a project with a contracted engineer involved in the project. The bill aims to no longer have the redundancy of multiple professional engineers when others are present. It also aims to reduce costs by no longer having to pay funds required in the hiring of an engineer by the sanitary board.
Senate Bill 175
Senate Bill 175 would authorize the Department of Health and Human Resources to promulgate a legislative rule relating to public water systems.
Senate Bill 237
Senate Bill 237 is the Captive Cervids Farming Act. This would allow a legal agricultural industry regarding the farming of deer, elk, moose, caribou, reindeer and other members of the Cervidae family of mammals. This would allow cervidae to be treated like other livestock and face similar licensing and regulation. Such livestock would be able to be sold commercially for their meat and other uses. The bill gives the Department of Agriculture the power to assess such facilities, provides for an application process, and ability to address noncompliance with criminal penalties.
Senate Bill 284
Senate Bill 284 relates to chief law-enforcement officer’s requirement to certify transfer or making of certain firearms. The bill states the procedure for when an officer is required to certify the transfer and making of firearms. The bill includes definitions and right of appeal if a request for certification of the transfer or making of certain firearms is denied. This facilitates gun rights as a whole.
Senate Bill 249
Senate Bill 249 would prevent voting by straight party ticket. In all public elections, voters would be prevented from just choosing a party and having their votes go towards all members of that party. The bill would not prevent people from choosing each individual candidate of the same party. They would just no longer have the ability to voter for a party and not chose for each individual public office that was on the ballot.
Senate Bill 312
Senate Bill 312 relates to the disqualification of general election candidates in regards to failing to file campaign finance statements. The bill would set a deadline by which candidates must file their finance statements or be disqualified. Such a statement must be filed prior to eighty-four days before a primary election. Failure to do by such a deadline or someone who files intentionally or grossly incomplete paperwork may possibly face a fine or jail time.
Senate Bill 318
Senate Bill 318 would amend the Wage Payment and Collection Act relating to the number of pay periods required per month. This would require businesses, firms, and other employment bodies to pay employees at least twice per month unless there is a special agreement. This changes from the previous standard of only paying employees once every two weeks. The bill is aimed at creating a more stabilized paying period so that employees can make better financial decisions.
Senate Bill 322
Senate Bill 322 would get rid of the requirement of an electronic recount of ballots in recounts. The bill is aimed at getting rid of an unnecessary practice as recounts are already done multiple times by hand. This is aimed at saving the state money as well as cutting electronic recounts would be less expensive.
Senate Bill 323
Senate Bill 323 would extend municipal home rule to Class I, II, III, and allow Class IV municipalities to participate. Each class municipality would have the ability to participate in Municipal Home Rule Pilot Program. This would West Virginia to use home rule on any of the municipalities for the state.
Senate Bill 326
Senate Bill 326 would eliminate the campaign finance reporting requirement for candidates for delegate to a national convention. Members of the political parties would no longer be required to report finances when they run to represent West Virginia in the national party conventions. Those who run to represent West Virginia in national party conventions would not be required to report the funding for campaigns.
Senate Bill 335
Senate Bill 335 would allow initial responders to an opiate-related overdose to administer opioid antagonists and treat them. This bill would also ensure that antagonists are available to those who are at risk of overdose. Friends and family members of those at risk would also be able to own antagonists and be able to report cases of overdose without penalty in certain situations. The bill would establish responsibilities for licensed health care providers who provide such antagonists.
Senate Bill 341
Senate Bill 341 would grant the Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture to approve and submit all rules submitted by the Livestock Care Standards Board. The board has the ability to create rules establishing standards of care for livestock, maintain food safety, encourage locally grown and raised food, and protect West Virginia farms and families. This bill would give the commissioner the ultimate authority to approve any of these rules and submit them.
