Today, the House adopted two resolutions, passed eight bills, amended one, and postponed action on three bills.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 16 urges the US Congress to enact reforms to federal permitting policies to accelerate the deployment of energy infrastructure.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 17 reaffirms the support of the WV Legislature for the State of Israel and the Jewish people.

Three of the eight bills were House Bills 4666, 4683, and 4793.

House Bill 4793 permits the manufacture of moonshine for personal or family use. The bill limits the amount manufacture of 25 gallons in a household with one person over 21 years of age and 50 gallons in a household with two or more persons over 21 years of age. After a bit of debate, the bill passed 49 to 48.

House Bill 4683 requires parents, custodians, and guardians to participate in the child’s out-of-home placement programs, such as family therapy as long it does not cause undue hardship on them and is in the best interest of the child.

House Bill 4666 increases penalties for human trafficking and restricts eligibility for parole. The bill sets the penalties as follows:

• Human trafficking of an adult
  • Determinate sentence of 15 to 40 years
• Human Trafficking of a Child
  • Determinate sentence of 25 to 100 years
• Use of adult for forced labor
  • Determinate sentence of 15 to 40 years
• Use of a child for forced labor
  • Determinate sentence of 25 to 100 years
• Use of adult or child for debt bondage
  • Determinate sentence of 15 to 40 years
• Sexual Servitude of an adult
  • Determinate sentence of at least 25 years
• Sexual Servitude of a Child
  • Determinate sentence of at least 50 years
• Patronizing a victim of sexual servitude
  • Determinate sentence of 25 to 100 years
• Patronizing a child victim of sexual servitude
  • Determinate sentence of at least 50 years

If convicted of any of these offenses against an adult, the individual must serve at least 50 percent of the sentence before being eligible for parole. If convicted of any of these offenses against a child, the individual is not eligible for parole.

House Bill 4756 creates the Alzheimer’s Plan Task Force. The amended bill requires the council to submit the State Alzheimer’s Plan to the Joint Committee on Health and the Governor within 24 months.

House Bills 4315, 4777, and 4860 were postponed one day.

The House is adjourned until tomorrow, January 25, 2023, at 11 a.m.

Committee Meetings, today Jan. 24
The Finance Committee will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 460.
The Committee on Government Organization will meet at 2:30 p.m. in Room 215E.
The Committee on Education will meet at 2:45 p.m. om Room 434.

Committee Meetings, tomorrow Jan. 25
The Committee on Seniors, Children, and Family Issues will meet at 9:15 a.m. in Room 215E.
The Committee on Fire Department and EMS will meet at 9:30 a.m. in Room 434.
The Rules Committee will meet at 10:45 a.m. behind the House Chamber.
The Committee on Economic Development and Tourism will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 410.
The Committee on Health and Human Resources will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 215E.
The Committee on Technology and Infrastructure will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 434.

This morning, the House of Delegates passed three bills, amended two, and postponed action by one day on four bills.  

House Bill 4431 allows the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to cremate unidentified remains after 30 days if any data helpful for future identification is preserved within the database. Identified, but unclaimed remains after 30 days may be placed in a cemetery for a final resting place, unless moved by family.

House Bill 4432 allows LPNAs to provide anesthesia in cooperation with physicians, podiatrists, and dentists instead of under the supervision of physicians, podiatrists, and dentists. It also allows physician assistants to have an ownership stake in a practice.

House Bill 4594 extends the managed care and foster care contract.

The House amended House Bill 4683 and House Bill 4769.

The amended House Bill 4683 requires parents, guardians, and custodians to participate in out-of-home programs the children are in as long as it is in the best interest of the child and does not cause the parent any undue hardship.

House Bill 4769 clarifies the role of a school counselor while providing a definition of the school counselor. The amendment was what the bill was intended to be introduced as and what was discussed in the committee.  

Action was postponed one day on House Bills 4595, 4627, 4756, and 4620.

During the House Rules meeting this morning, the committee advanced Senate Concurrent Resolution 16 and Senate Concurrent Resolution 17. The Committee also moved from the (active) Special Calendar to the (inactive) House Calendar House Bills 4795, 4878, 4881, 4429, and 4621.

Bills introduced today can be found here.
Resolutions introduced today can be found here.

The House is adjourned until tomorrow, January 24, 2023, at 11 a.m.

Committee Meetings, today Jan. 23

The Committee on Energy and Manufacturing will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 410.
 The Committee on Technology and Infrastructure will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 434.
 The Committee on Health and Human Resources will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 215E.

Committee Meetings, tomorrow Jan. 24

The Committee on the Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 215E.
 The Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources will meet at 9:15 a.m. in Room 460.
The Rules Committee will meet at 10:45 a.m. behind the House Chamber.
The Finance Committee will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 460 for Budget Hearings with a meeting following. Jan. | Feb.
The Judiciary Committee will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 410.
The Committee on Government Organization will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 215E.
The Education Committee will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 434.

The Judiciary Committee is holding a Public Hearing on Wednesday, January 24 at 8:30 a.m. for HB 4654 -Removing bona fide schools, public libraries, and museums from the list of exemptions from criminal liability relating to distribution and display to minor of obscene matter.

Today, the House of Delegates completed action on one bill, passed three bills, amended one bill, and rejected an amendment on another.

House Bill 4274 completed legislative action today and heads to the Governor’s office. The bill renames the Department of Health and Human Resources as the Department of Human Services, the Department of Health, and the Department of Health facilities through various sections of code to reflect the reorganization into three separate departments. The bill also makes changes to reflect any bureau name changes made through the reorganization.

House Bill 4302 modifies the criminal penalties imposed on a parent, guardian, custodian, or person in a position of trust to a child for child abuse resulting in injury or child abuse or neglect creating a risk of injury. The penalties in the bill are as follows:

• Abuse resulting in injury
  • Felony
  • 2 to 10 years in a state correctional facility or fined $100 to $1,000
• Abuse resulting in serious bodily harm
  • Felony
  • 5 to 15 years in a state correctional facility or fined $1,000 to $5,000
• Abuse with a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury
  • Felony
  • 2 to 10 years in a state correctional facility or fined up to $3,000, or both
• First-time conviction under any state or federal law relating to abuse with substantial risk to bodily injury
  • Misdemeanor
  • Up to 6 months in jail or fined $100 to $1,000, or both
• A second or subsequent felony offense under any state or federal law relating to abuse with substantial risk to bodily injury
  • Felony
  • Imprisoned for up to twice the term otherwise authorized, fined twice the amount authorized, or both.

The bill clarifies this does not preclude a parent, guardian, or custodian from providing reasonable discipline to a child. The bill also adds “person in a position of trust in relation to the child” to the neglect section of the code. The bill passed to the Senate.

House Bill 4428 requires candidates to live in the state or local election district for the office in which they are seeking to be elected. The bill passed to the Senate.

House Bill 4552 requires the immediate electronic verification of partisan election candidates’ party affiliation. The bill passed to the Senate.

An amendment was offered to House Bill 4432 and rejected. The bill permits physician assistants to own a practice and establishes grounds for discipline or denial of a license shareholder eligibility for medical corporations. The bill also removes the requirement that a certified registered nurse anesthetist be under the supervision of a physician or dentist to administer anesthesia. Instead, the CRNA would work in cooperation with the physician, podiatrist, or dentist. The amendment would strike the section relating to CRNAs. It failed 31-65.

House Bill 4620 removes the expiration date of food handlers’ permits and makes all training uniform. The bill was amended to remove the requirement of the permit or card being obtained in 30 days if the person serves at a non-profit food prep or distribution site 12 or fewer times in one year, as long as another individual with a food handlers card is present.  

Bills introduced today can be found here.
Resolutions introduced today can be found here.

The House is adjourned until tomorrow, January 23, 2023, at 11 a.m.

Committee Meetings, today Jan. 22
The Finance Committee will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 460 for Budget Hearings with a meeting following. Jan. | Feb.
The Education Committee will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 434.
The Judiciary Committee will meet at 2:30 p.m. in Room 410.

Committee Meetings, tomorrow Jan. 23
The Committee on Banking and Insurance will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 410.
The Committee on Pensions and Retirement will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 460.
The Committee on Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security will meet at 9:15 a.m. in Room 215E.
The Committee on Political Subdivisions will meet at 10 a.m. in Room 434.
The Rules Committee will meet at 10:45 a.m. behind the House Chamber.
The Committee on Energy and Manufacturing will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 410.
The Committee on Technology and Infrastructure will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 434.
The Committee on Health and Human Resources will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 215E.

The Judiciary Committee is holding a Public Hearing on Wednesday, January 24 at 8:30 a.m. for HB 4654 -Removing bona fide schools, public libraries, and museums from the list of exemptions from criminal liability relating to distribution and display to minor of obscene matter.