The Finance Committee met this afternoon.

House Bill 2145 would remove an annual fee for vendors doing business with the state.

House Bill 2159 provides for the assessment of interest on overpayments by the Bureau for Medical Services. The bill establishes an interest rate and method for accrual for those overpayments.

House Bill 3012 modifies the allocation of funding for lottery monies. The bill removes the requirement that the entire city must be within the county for revenue sharing.

House Bill 3152 declares the claims against the state which are moral obligations of the state and authorizes the payment of the following amounts: $926,461.63 from General Revenue, $199,652.78 from Special Revenue Funds, and $620,932.59 from the State Road Fund. The total owed in claims is $1,747,047.00.

House Bill 2351 increases panel attorney pay and requires the Public Defenders Service to provide an annual report on certain designated areas to help provide data on guardian ad litem/panel attorney performance.

House Bill 3155 changes the permit fee that limited video lottery licensees pay.

House Bill 3157 shortens the timeline for road condition claims.

House Bill 2456 permits agencies to receive funds from the Bureau of Public Health to pregnancy help organizations under the West Virginia Mothers and Babies Pregnancy Support Program to expand the purposes for which those funds may be received by the pregnancy help organizations.

The Senate passed two bills during Monday’s floor session.

Senate Bill 102 would modify the form of deeds while Senate Bill 449 would permit compressed air and rimfire shooting teams in public schools.

Those bills now head to the House of Delegates for consideration.

The Senate is adjourned until Tuesday, March 18, at 11 a.m.

Afternoon Meetings:

Transportation and Infrastructure at 1 p.m. in 451M

Workforce at 1 p.m. in 208W

Energy and 2 p.m. in 208W

Pensions at 2 p.m. in 451M

Judiciary at 3 p.m. in 208W

Finance at 3 p.m. in 451M

Morning Meetings for Tuesday, March 18:

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

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

The Finance Committee met this morning. It was the first meeting after weeks of budget hearings.

Committee Hearing

House Bill 2695 allows Raleigh County to levy a special district excise tax to benefit the Raleigh County Economic Opportunity Development District. A developer will come in and do a master development plan. A CPA will make financial projections on what sales taxes will be. Then, the sales taxes will stay in the district to pay off bonds. It’s a way to incentivize developers to come into the area. There is no fiscal note; the bill asks the state to allow the county to use the taxes collected in the district. The model would be based on The Highlands in Ohio County.

House Bill 2121 extends the disabled veteran real property exemption for widow spouses of disabled veterans. The widowed spouse must remain residence on the property. If the spouse moves from property, sells the property, remarries, or dies, then the exemption no longer applies.

House Bill 2012 removes the accelerated payment provisions for consumer sales from the code. The bill states that the due dates will be the same each month. Currently, taxpayers making over $100,000 a month pay a month and a half of sales and withholding tax in June. This would take effect in June 2025. In tax statute, it must be stated if the effective date is before the next year.

House Bill 2052 eliminates the requirement that the apprenticeship training tax credit base be limited to wages paid to apprentices in the construction trades.

House Bill 2146 exempts the processing of beef, pork, or lamb by a slaughterhouse for an individual owner of the product processed from the consumer sales and service tax. The bill promotes local production and consumption. It would also lower costs for consumers.

House Bill 2160 authorizes the application of the manufacturing investment tax credit and the manufacturing property tax adjustments credit against personal income tax.

House Bill 2161 changes the threshold job creation number from 300 to 50 each year for qualified, new, or expanding, warehouse or distribution facilities. The bill allows for an exemption for qualified purchases of computers, software, equipment, materials, and certain personal property to be incorporated into a qualified, new, or expanded warehouse or distribution facility.  

House Bill 2399 changes the managed timberland certification requirements to every five years for tax assessment purposes. The bill grants rulemaking authority to the Division of Forestry.

House Bill 2751 grants Mason County and the Town of Henderson special district excise taxes to define the Town of Henderson Economic Opportunity District. The 40 acres of land acquired needs to be raised out of the flood plain. Several hotels and restaurants are interested in building.

Another meeting will be held this afternoon at 1 p.m.

The Education Committee met this afternoon.

Markup & Passage

House Bill 2548 clarifies the state superintended regarding rule implementation at the state and county level.

House Bill 2755 allows the Board of Education to submit all legislative rules to LOCEA and the Legislative for review, approval, amendment, or rejection.

House Bill 2773 approves rules proposed by the Higher Education Policy Commission regarding the Accountability System and the Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars and Teacher Loan Repayment Program. The bill also authorizes a rule proposed by the Council for Community and Technical College Education regarding Employing and Evaluating Presidents.

House Bill 3024 provides for the creation of a comprehensive system for the transfer of credits between state public higher education institutions.

House Bill 3150 streamlines the requirements for the Medical Student Loan Program and the Health Sciences and Mental Health Provider loan repayment programs.

House Bill 3192 repeals obsolete, conflicting, and duplicative higher education provisions of code.

Committee Hearing

House Bill 2003 prohibits students from having cell phones in the classroom. The bill requires the state board of education to create rules to implement the prohibition. Exceptions are made for students who need cell phones for ADA, IEPS, or any medical needs. The state board will set guidelines for counties as a baseline for their cell phone policies.

House Bill 2760 establishes a partnership between Workforce West Virginia and the West Virginia Board of Education for the implementation of a STEM-based program, teaching chemistry concepts related to careers in the education system, at high schools and technical schools. This begins the first two years in just ten schools then after the first two years will open up to all high school students in the state.

House Bill 2897 requires the Legislative Auditor to conduct a performance of the WV Department of Education. It gives the Legislative Auditor the power and authority to conduct examinations and inspections. The bill requires the legislative auditor to protect the confidentiality, privacy, and security of protected information.

House Bill 3099 allows law enforcement to issue a citation when students are caught using nicotine products on school grounds.

House Bill 3125 allows teachers with 10 consecutive years teaching in the state of West Virginia, in good standing to apply for and receive a permanent teaching certificate in West Virginia without having to take any additional course work.

House Bill 3166 requires each county board of education to establish standardized school safety mapping data before September 1, 2025. The bill requires the school safety mapping data be provided to the state board of education, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and local first response agencies. 

House Bill 2499 was laid over until the next meeting.

The Senate completed legislative action Friday on a bill that would ban certain food dyes and additives in West Virginia.

House Bill 2354 would ban specific food additives and dyes found in processed food products sold in the state, such as red dye No. 3 and yellow dye No. 5, deemed to be unsafe. Other additives that would be prohibited include butylated hydroxyanisole, propylparaben, red dye No. 40, yellow dye No. 6, blue dye No. 1, blue dye No. 2, and green dye No. 3.

The Senate amended the bill last week to make Jan. 1, 2028, the effective date of the bill. However, restrictions in the legislation would prohibit the inclusion of these dyes and additives in meals served in schools, as part of nutrition programs, beginning Aug. 1. According to the bill, schools would still be able to sell non-compliant items for fundraising purposes if sold off-premises or after school hours.

Under the legislation, individuals who knowingly contaminate food items for sale containing the banned food dyes and additives without informing the buyer could be charged with a misdemeanor and face potential fines up to $500, spend up to one year in prison or both, while also covering the costs of analyzing the substance.

Supporters of the bill point to evidence of health concerns generally, as well as behavioral impacts in children that are associated with these dyes and additives.

Opponents of the bills say that replacing currently available food products with products without the dyes and additives would make those items more expensive and less available.

A House amendment to the bill yesterday, protects individuals in the state from criminal provisions in the bill as long as they sell less than $5,000 in aggregate food sales per month from products containing the banned food additives and dyes. The intention of that amendment was to protect mom and pop retailers.

The Senate agreed with that amendment on Friday and sent the bill to the Governor’s desk to await his signature.

The Senate is adjourned until Monday, March 17, at 11 a.m.

Morning Meetings for Monday, March 17:

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

Today, the House of Delegates passed five bills, committed a bill to the Rules Committee, and postponed action on another.

House Bill 2513 enhances training for county board of education members by increasing the number of training hours to 12, setting a training deadline, and updating the training material.

House Bill 2516 repeals antiquated and inoperative sections of the education code including Vision 2020, provisions related to Cedar Lakes, which is now within the Department of Agriculture, college and career readiness, statewide textbooks, and instructional material – now handled at the county level, School Innovation Zone Act, and obsolete language relating to vo-tech education.

House Bill 2635 requires classrooms to be split as evenly as possible with aide coverage when needed to ensure a better teacher/pupil ratio and provide students with one-on-one time with teachers and aides.

House Bill 2742 removes obsolete language and creates a certificate of public necessity waiver for projects reviewed and approved by the Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council.

House Bill 3017 requires the county clerk to inspect voting equipment a week before the election to ensure it is not connected to the internet. The bill also requires the Secretary of State to randomly check ten percent of equipment randomly throughout the state.

House Bill 2043 was committed to the Rules Committee. The bill would allow the use of drones for locating mortally wounded wildlife.

House Bill 2143 was postponed one day.

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

The House is adjourned until 11 a.m. Monday, March 17, 2025.

Committee Meetings, Today March 14

• The Subcommittee on Agriculture, Commerce, and Tourism will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 215E.
• The Subcommittee on Educational Choice will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 432M.
• The Subcommittee on Government Administration will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 215E
• The Committee on Education will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 432M.

Committee Meetings, Monday March 17

• The Finance Committee will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 460.
• The Judiciary Committee will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 410.
• The Finance Committee will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 460.
• The Committee on Education will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 432M.
• The Committee on Government Organization will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 215E.
• The Subcommittee on Energy and Public Works will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 410.
• The Committee on Health and Human Resources will meet at 3:30 p.m. in Room 215E.

The House Judiciary Committee met this morning.

Committee Hearing

House Bill 3082 requires any inmate found to have exhibited signs of drug addiction or abuse to participate in appropriate support services for a minimum of 60 days after release.

House Bill 2664 was committed to the Standing Committee of Judiciary. It was originally in the Subcommittee on Courts.

Markup & Passage

House Bill 3154 was reconsidered. The bill would remove restrictions on advertising for limited video lottery operators. It advanced to the floor with 14 in favor and 9 opposed.

House Bill 2056 addresses concurrent juvenile jurisdiction and allows the transfer of exclusive federal legislative jurisdiction back to the state with respect to juveniles.

House Bill 2397 prevents two immediate family members from acting in a fiduciary capacity for the same governmental authority.

House Bill 2679 provides guidelines for reinstating sheriff’s deputies to their former departments after retirement.

House Bill 3089 mandates using the Electronic Lien and Title System for lienholders with more than five liens.

House Bill 3190 expands the offense of public intoxication to persons intoxicated by controlled substances.

Senate Bill 336 is a rule bundle for Homeland Security. It includes 6 rules for the Governor’s Committee on Crime Delinquency and Correction, the Division of Protection Services, the State Emergency Response Commission, and the WV State Police.

The Health and Human Resources Committee met this afternoon.

Committee Hearing

House Bill 2776 requires positive results of alpha-gal syndrome to be reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some states already report alpha-gal to the CDC. Alpha-gal is caused by a tick, usually a Lone Star tick. The body develops antibodies against the alpha-gal. The alpha-gal can cause an allergy to a sugar molecule in red meat and other mammal products. Reporting will help track how widespread the disease is in the state.

House Bill 2598 requires parents and guardians to participate in programs for juveniles in an out-of-home placement.

House Bill 2349 requires licensed treatment programs to offer long-acting reversible contraception to female patients recovering from addition to new and current patients. The goal of providing this is to lower the number of children born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.

House Bill 2503 improves the foster care clothing allowance program by providing reloadable purchasing cards.

House Bill 2377 requires reports to centralized intake for child welfare to be retained for at least 12 months, including audio files. The bill also provides the Foster Care Ombudsman access to reports. The bill updates child welfare data reporting. It also creates the Critical Incident Review Team to review fatalities and near fatalities involving children in the child welfare system.

House Bill 2027 updates the circumstances when a child may be removed from foster care. The bill changes the time to be a permanent placement from 18 months to 6 months. The goal of this is to prevent children from bouncing from foster home to foster home before reunification or adoption.

House Bill 2880 defines a “parent resource navigator” in code. It is an individual established through the Court Improvement Program or the Public Defender Services assisting a parent or parents through the requirements to be unified or reunified with their child or children.

House Bill 2934 requires the Department of Human Services to prioritize housing applications for foster children who have turned 18 years of age and are transitioning from foster care.

The Senate passed one bill relating to the military, and completed action on another during Thursday’s floor session.

The completed bill, House Bill 2053, would include “United States Space Force” in the definition of “armed forces.” This bill now heads to the Governor’s desk to await his signature.

Senate Bill 658 would prohibit certain people from receiving compensation for advising or assisting with veterans’ benefits. The legislation creates the Safeguarding American Veteran Empowerment Act. The bill prohibits certain exorbitant fees from being charged for services related to certain veteran benefit claims. Private entities can still submit claims on behalf of a veteran under this proposed legislation, but they must do so while adhering to federal law. This bill now heads to the House of Delegates for consideration.

The Senate has adjourned until tomorrow, March 14, at 11 a.m.

Afternoon Meetings:

Energy at 12:30 p.m. in 208W

Health at 1 p.m. in 451M

Economic Development at 1 p.m. in 208W

Finance at 3 p.m. in 451M

Judiciary at 3 p.m. in 208W

Sub Comm on HB2129 following Judiciary in 208W

Today is the halfway point of the 2025 Legislative Session. For Day 30, the House concurred with an amendment on one bill, postponed action on another, rejected one bill, and passed 8 bills, two of which completed legislative action.

The amended House Bill 2354 was received during Senate messages. The bill bans butylated hydroxyanisole, propylparaben, Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2, Green No. 3, Red No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, and Yellow No. 6 from foods sold in West Virginia. The Senate amendment makes the bill effective starting in 2028. The bill also bans the foods from being provided in school lunches beginning in August 2025. The House further amended the bill to state it does not apply to persons selling food in the state making less than $5,000 per month. House Bill 2354 heads back to the Senate for concurrence.

House Bill 2719 was rejected with 41 in favor and 54 opposed. The bill would have allowed membership organizations and domestic corporations to make political contributions of up to $250 if the business’s name, address, and type were disclosed. The bill also allowed for a corporation or membership organization contribution to be used for the debt of a candidate committee. However, with over half of the body opposing the bill, it will not move forward.

Senate Bill 443 and Senate Bill 462 completed legislative action. Both bills require boards to conduct criminal background checks for compact privileges of practice. Senate Bill 443 addresses the Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. Senate Bill 462 addresses the Board of Occupational Therapy.

Senate Bill 291 extends the time frame for pharmacies to register with the Board of Pharmacy to biannually.

House Bill 2131 gives the Legislature legal standing against state officials or election officials who make unauthorized changes to election law.

House Bill 2164 allows public and private schools to employ school safety officers. SSOs are former law enforcement officers who maintain order and discipline, prevent crime, investigate violations of the policies, and reasonably detain any individual committing an offense that constitutes a breach of the peace. The bill does not give SSO arresting authority. They are expected to undergo training and are authorized to carry a firearm. The bill also includes the WV Guardian Program, which allows former law enforcement to contract independently with county boards of education to provide safety/security on school grounds.

House Bill 2165 allows disabled Purple Heart recipients to park for free at municipal metered parking. They must have the notation on their license plate.

House Bill 2387 repeals the class A1 Pistol stamp for hunting.

House Bill 2659 adds a special permit for a non-profit entity to be a qualified permit holder in a PODA.

House Bill 2043 was postponed one day.

Bills introduced can be found here.

The House is adjourned until 11 a.m. tomorrow, March 14, 2025.

Committee Meetings, Today March 13

• The Committee on Government Organization will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 215E.
• The Subcommittee on Educational Choice will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 432M.
• The Subcommittee on Higher Education will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 432M.
• The Subcommittee on Local Governments will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 215E.
• The Committee on Health and Human Resources will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 215E.
• The Subcommittee on Energy and Public Works will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 410.
• The Subcommittee on Banking and Insurance will meet at 3:30 p.m. in Room 460.
• The Subcommittee on Environment, Infrastructure, and Technology will meet immediately after EPW in Room 410.

Committee Meetings, tomorrow March 14

• The Appropriations Subcommittee will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 460.
• 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 Legal Services will meet at 9:45 a.m. in Room 410.
• The Rules Committee will meet at 10:45 a.m. in the Speaker’s Conference Room
• The Subcommittee on Agriculture, Commerce, and Tourism will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 215E.
• The Subcommittee on Educational Choice will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 432M.
• The Subcommittee on Government Administration will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 215E
• The Committee on Education will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 432M.