Today, the House passed four bills, amended two bills, and postponed action on two bills.

Senate Bill 269 removes all test strips from deadly drugs from the definition of drug paraphernalia.

House Bill 4205 gives the Legislature legal standing against election officials. It allows the Legislature to intervene in any lawsuit against state agencies, departments, and officials. The bill is effective January 1, 2025.

House Bill 4759 requires any employer with 15 employees or more to confirm employee can be legally employed in the U.S. status using e-verify. The process of e-verifying is entering information from the employee’s I-9 into the verification system. Required information is name, email, phone, and social security number. The employee must hire a third party to e-verify or train a designated employee. The designated employee must study the manual and take a mastery test to become certified to do the e-verifying. A third-party verifier costs about $100 annually plus $11.50 per employee verified. Results of employment status are instant once information is entered. The bill does preclude existing employees from being e-verified. All new hires must be e-verified. One can do a self-check on e-verify, but one cannot e-verify oneself unless certified to summit verifications.

Two competing amendments were offered to House Bill 4759. The first amendment would have removed the e-verify process completely. The intent of the amendment was to go after the businesses not abiding by immigration law. The amendment offered two penalties. Businesses that do not keep records and provide I-9 forms would suffer a 10-day business license unless it is rectified in those 10 days. This allows errors to be corrected and penalties to be lifted. The second penalty goes after those who are knowingly and willfully hiring illegal immigrants or fraudulently filling out documents to hire and employ illegal immigrants. The penalty for a first offense would have been a 180 suspension of business licenses. On the second offense, the penalty would be a permanent loss of licenses. This amendment failed.

The second amendment adds back a section that had been removed by the bill. The removed section requires all regardless of employment size to keep a record of I-9 forms. This amendment was adopted.

House Bill 4814 extends the reporting and sunset date for the State Advisory Council on Postsecondary Attainment Goals to December 31, 2027.

The amended House Bill 4783 updates the practice of optometry by allowing all licensees, who are trained and taught at an accredited school of optometry to perform any procedure taught to them. The bill also extends the prescription of glasses from 18 months to 24 months.

House Bill 4776 and House Bill 4777 had action postponed one day.

House Bill 4313 was recommitted to the Committee on Seniors, Children, and Family Issues.

Bills introduced today can be found here.

Resolutions introduced today can be found here.

The House is adjourned until Monday, January 29, 2023 at 11 a.m.

Committee Meetings, Monday, Jan. 29
The Rules Committee will meet at 10:45 p.m. behind the House Chamber.
The Committee on Government Organization will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 215E.
The Committee on Finance will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 460. Budget hearings to follow the meeting. 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.

Today, the House of Delegates rejected one bill, passed two, amended one, and advanced one with amendments pending.

The House rejected House Bill 4627 on a 66 opposed and 30 in favor. The bill would have required the collection of DNA at the point of arrest for qualified arrestees. Proponents felt it was “another tool in the toolbox” for law enforcement to help find criminals who had gotten away with one crime but committed another. Opponents felt the bill was a violation of rights. People get arrested without being found guilty. Some opponents liked the concept of the bill but felt there was too much confusion to pass it.

House Bill 4595 updates LOCHHRA’s authority to enter executive session for special circumstances to hear investigation details relating to child abuse, nursing home abuse, CPS cases, APS cases, etc.

House Bill 4756 creates the Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementia Advisory Council. The bill requires the council to submit a report within 24 months. The bill terminates the council on July 31, 2026.

House Bill 4205 was amended. The amended bill recognizes the Legislature as having legal standing to intervene in any lawsuit seeking declaratory or injunctive relief regarding the legality or constitutionality of any law, regulation, or involving any illegal or unauthorized changes/attempted changes to any state election law or regulation, by or against any state agency department or state government official.

House Bill 4759 was advanced to third with the right to amend. The bill requires companies to use E-Verify to confirm the legal employment status of all persons who come into their employ and report their employment to the appropriate governmental agencies.

House Bills 4776, 4777, and 4860 were postponed one day.

Bills introduced today can be found here.

Resolutions introduced today can be found here.

A motion was made to reconsider House Bill 4793, which passed the House yesterday. Another motion was made to table the reconsideration. The tabling motion was adopted; therefore, the bill will not be reconsidered by the House.

The House is adjourned until tomorrow, January 26, 2023, at 11 a.m.

Committee Meetings, today Jan. 25
The Committee on Economic Development and Tourism will meet at 1:35 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 3:30 p.m. in Room 434.

Committee Meetings, tomorrow Jan. 25
The Finance Committee will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 460 for Budget Hearings. Jan. | Feb.
The Judiciary Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. in Room 410.
The Education Committee will meet at 10 a.m. in Room 434.
The Rules Committee will meet at 10:45 a.m. behind the House Chamber.

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.