As of 4 p.m., Wednesday, January 27th, 2010, the fifteenth day of the 79th Legislature’s 2nd Regular Session, 914 bills have been introduced in the House of Delegates. Of those, 5 have passed and have been sent to the Senate for consideration. The Bills passed were:

House Bill 4016 strengthens the State Ethics Act to include information relating to the spouse of public servants. The bill also requires the reporting of business interests in the state that provide employment or services to public servants. Additionally, the bill requires the Ethics Commission to publish all financial disclosure statements on the Internet.

House Bill 4026 requires the Higher Education Policy Commission and WV Council for Community and Technical College Education to evaluate and set standards for governing boards requests for capital projects and ensure that they manage the capital projects and facilities effectively.

House Bill 4138 requires the Board of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy to work with the West Virginia Board of Medicine to determine the scope of practice, education and training for Radiologist Assistants.

House Bill 4144 updates the law governing the practice of veterinary medicine.

A Sampling of Bills Introduced In the House

House Bill 4148 would prohibit members of the news media from being compelled to testify in any civil, criminal or grand jury proceedings in the state of West Virginia. Under this bill, members of the news media would not be compelled to divulge any source of information obtained while gathering, receiving and processing information for any news media communication to the public, published or unpublished, without the consent of that source.

House Bill 4149 would authorize incentives, such as the recovery of capital and operating costs, for energy conservation by electric utilities through installation of voltage regulation devices.

House Bill 4152 would make it a misdemeanor to make more than three separate calls to 911 for non-emergency health concerns. Additionally, any person found guilty of the misdemeanor would be fined $50.

House Bill 4156 describes the policies and procedures for recall elections, such as grounds for recall and application for a recall petition, of elected and appointed federal officers not serving life terms.

House Bill 4158 would create the neighborhood crime watch program. This bill would also create penalties for harassing officials of the program and a policy to ensure informants anonymity.

House Bill 4159 would require all insurers to notify their policyholders of all rate increases 30 days prior to them taking effect. The notification should include the old and new rate as well as the reason for the rate increase.

House Bill 4160 would provide a tax incentive for dental practitioners who provide dental services to West Virginia patients that have no dental insurance and whose income is 150 percent or more below the federal poverty level.

House Bill 4161 would create the Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs. The bill also establishes the powers and duties of this office in addition to creating a Minority Affairs Fund.

House Bill 4163 would permit governing boards of state institutions of higher education the option to participate in the West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency, another third party insurance carrier or to self-insure.

House Bill 4164 would create a pilot program for children ages four through ten who are entering the foster care system. Among other things, the bill requires that each child be assigned an independent advocate and provide a long and short-term plan for each child.

House Bill 4188 would create the Anti-Criminal Street Gang Act. This bill prohibits the participation and recruitment of individuals in criminal street gangs and provides for the forfeiture of property used in connection with criminal street gangs.

House Bill 4192 would create the West Virginia Ski Resort Industry Commission to encourage and foster the continued development of the state’s ski resort industry. This bill is designed to capitalize on the potential of the state’s eastern mountains to produce a first class ski product.

House Bill 4196 would require the State Athletic Commission to authorize mixed martial arts in addition to reorganizing the commission.

House Bill 4200 would create the West Virginia Community Empowerment Transportation Act. Among other things, this bill authorizes county commissions to impose user fees for the construction and maintenance of roads and transportation projects.

House Bill 4201 would create the Livestock Care Standards Board. Additionally, the bill describes the purpose and duties of the board.

House Bill 4202 would redistrict the House of Delegates into 100 single member districts. This bill seeks to improve accountability and representation as well as aid in the implementation of campaign finance reform.