The Senate has passed 15 bills to be sent to the House for further consideration.
SB 339 would create a legislative coalition to study and report to the Legislature on chronic pain management in the state.
SB 362 would permit the redirection of the deposit of revenues collected from certain surcharges and assessments on workers’ compensation insurance policies and derived from net terminal income funds by the Governor through executive order to the General Revenue Fund.
SB 414 would create the Division of Multimodal Transportation under the Secretary of Transportation and to combine the employees, equipment, assets, liabilities and duties previously executed by the Public Port Authority, the state Aeronautics Commission and the West Virginia State Rail Authority.
SB 461 would exempt the West Virginia State Police from state purchasing requirements.
SB 467 would increase the maximum bet permitted for limited video lottery terminals, remove restrictions on bill denominations accepted by limited video lottery terminals and fix the state share of gross profits from limited video lottery revenues at 50% beginning July 1, 2017.
SB 472 would permit bear hunting with guides.
SB 479 would allow sales of liquor by retail licensees after one o’clock p.m. on Sundays and transfer the authority to set the maximum wholesale markup percentage of all liquor, other than wine, from the commissioner to the Legislature.
SB 499 would create the Debt Resolution Services Division within the Auditor’s office administered by the existing employees of the Auditor’s office.
SB 523 would make statutory changes related to converting to a biweekly pay cycle from a monthly or semimonthly cycle for state employees. This bill would be effective from passage.
SB 533 would provide that no wine or liquor excise tax will be collected on purchases of wine or intoxicating liquors in the original sealed package for resale, if the final purchase of the wine or intoxicating liquor is subject to the excise tax.
SB 572 would require that elections for county surveyors be conducted on a nonpartisan basis and provide for the appointment and election of a new county surveyor if the office is vacated.
SB 585 would strike the code section regarding locomotive power units and helper units.
SB 595 would allow portions of otherwise exempt property that are being used for nonexempt purposes to be separately assessed and taxed for property tax purposes.
SB 684 would correct existing incorrect references in the two sections relating to the West Virginia State Police. This bill would be effective from passage.
Members of the Senate also adopted SR 50 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the national and state ChalleNGe Program.
Senate Bills 18, 61, 76, 183, 419, 464, 486, 504, 535 and 538 were advanced from second reading.
Of those bills advanced, Senator Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, made an amendment to SB 18 to make a provision requiring legislative oversight of the actions of state boards of education. Senator Mike Romano, D-Harrison, moved to amend the amendment to include home-schooled students under the provisions of the bill. His motion was rejected.
Another advanced bill, SB 535, was amended by Senator Charles Trump, R-Morgan, to allocate any bonds not issued or sold for the improvement of certain state parks nu January 1, 2018, to the General Revenue Fund.
Committee Meetings Today
Energy, Industry and Mining: 2:15 p.m. in 208W
Health and Human Resources: 2:15 p.m. in 451M
Government Organization: 3:15 p.m. in 208W
Education: 3:15 p.m. in 451M
Judiciary: 4:15 p.m. in 208W
Finance: 4:15 p.m. in 451M
Education: 6:15 p.m. in 451M (if needed)
Judiciary: 8:15 p.m. in 208W (if needed)
Committee Meetings Tomorrow
Health and Human Resources: 10 a.m. in 451M
Tax Reform: 1 p.m. in 451M
Judiciary: 2 p.m. in 208W
The Senate is adjourned until 11 a.m. tomorrow.
