The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved one concurrent resolution and one bill to be reported to the full Senate with the recommendation that they pass.
The concurrent resolution, SCR 3, would urge Congress to call a convention of states to impose fiscal restraints on federal government.
For the resolution to be accepted at the federal level, 33 other states would have to pass a similar resolution.
Any amendments to the U.S. Constitution suggested in the convention would have to be approved by 38 states.
West Virginia has two pending resolutions for a convention of states that have yet to be taken up by Congress.
Former U.S. Senator for Oklahoma Dr. Tom Coburn spoke in support of the resolution.
Coburn said the Founding Fathers intended for states to be extensively involved with the federal level of government, and he said the federal bureaucracy has not followed through with this expectation.
Senator Mike Romano (D – Harrison) said the resolution would make the U.S. Constitution vulnerable to potentially irrational amendments by the states that would not help the country overall.
Senator Patricia Rucker (R – Jefferson) said, however, the resolution would wake up the federal government to issues that multiple states are willing to agree on.
Senator Charles Clements (R – Wetzel) said passage of the resolution would “rattle the cage” and help bring change to the state.
The committee then voted in favor of HB 2099, which would define the act of leaving the scene of a crash involving death or serious bodily injury as a felony.
The bill also establishes the act of leaving the scene of a crash that does not proximately cause death or injury as a misdemeanor and defines bodily injury and serious bodily injury.
Senate Bills 219, 396, 490, 492 and 496 were on the agenda, but the committee was unable to address them within the meeting time constraints and will look over them later this evening.
The committee will meet again tonight at 6 p.m. in 208W.
