The Senate has completed legislation on a bill that would provide an increase in compensation for conservation officers.
The bill, SB 493, will now be sent to the governor for enaction.
The Senate also passed 36 bills to be sent to the House for further consideration.
SB 4 was sent to the House for concurrence with amendments made by the Senate. The bill would allow certain licensed professionals to donate their time to the care of the indigent and the needy and to allow them to gain credit for their time against continuing education requirements needed to maintain their license.
HB 2129 would state the legal right and authority of state or local law enforcement to enter public areas on or adjacent to any private club, or take other appropriate police action to enforce the underage drinking laws of this state.
HB 2195 would require county boards of education to implement comprehensive drug awareness and prevention programs for all student in grades K through 12.
HB 2348 would eliminate any requirement that class hours of students be consecutive when studying professions regulated by the board of Barbers and Cosmetologists.
HB 2402 would create a special procedure for a person in possession of an abandoned antique vehicle to apply for and receive title to the vehicle
HB 2494 would provide that statewide school report cards are only to be made available to custodial parents and guardians of students upon request instead of automatically being sent to the parents and guardians.
HB 2503 would update the rulemaking authority of the Board of Osteopathic Medicine.
HB 2555 would remove the requirement that programs be jointly administered by labor and management trustees in order to qualify for tax credits for apprenticeship training in construction trades.
HB 2579 would increase the penalties for transportation of narcotics and certain controlled substances into the state.
HB 2585 would create criminal offenses relating to money laundering.
HB 2589 would require county boards of education to permit students who are homeschooled or attend private schools to enroll and take classes at the county’s vocational school.
HB 2603 would allow municipal plans that are funded at 125% or more to stop paying certain costs while it is so funded.
HB 2628 would clarify and strengthen the duties and powers of the Board of Medicine and the Board of Osteopathic Medicine with regard to evidence of serious misconduct by licensees and applicants for license under their respective jurisdictions.
HB 2631 would prevent dismissal of complaints that exceed time standards for disposition when the accused causes delay that results in the time overage.
HB 2646 would terminate the Women’s Commission and discontinue its functions. Senators Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, and Sue Cline, R-Wyoming, both spoke in support of the bill’s passage.
HB 2691 would allow persons qualified by training to be a barber and a cosmetologist to elect to practice solely as a barber and maintain licensure by taking continuing education solely in subjects related to barbering.
HB 2709 would authorize the City of South Charleston to levy a special district excise tax for the benefit of the South Charleston Park Place Economic Opportunity Development District.
HB 2771 would provide for teaching certificates for teachers whose spouses are married to a member of the Armed Forces who is on active duty stationed in this state.
HB 2792 would require the Library Commission to survey libraries in this state in order to provide a report to the Governor and the Legislature regarding the status of libraries and to propose a ten-year maintenance and construction plan based on the needs of libraries in this state.
HB 2797 would clarify that there is statutory immunity for government agencies and officials from actions of third-parties using documents or records of governmental agencies for unlawful acts.
HB 2805 would declare certain claims against the state to be moral obligations of the state and to authorize payments from certain related funds.
HB 2815 would alter public education higher education governance and change the powers of the Higher Education Policy Commission, Council for Community and Technical College Education and other institutions of higher education.
HB 2833 would describe specific categories of information that must be included in the annual report of each professional licensing authority established in Chapter 30 of the West Virginia Code.
HB 2839 would update the schedules for legislative review of state departments and regulatory boards, and to outline the procedures and scope of reviews of departments, regulatory boards, agencies and programs.
HB 2869 would provide that certain state employees may be granted a leave of absence with pay while providing assistance as an essential member of an emergency aid provider during a declared state of emergency.
HB 2897 would raise the amount required for competitive bidding of construction contracts by the state and its subdivisions, public service districts, and sanitary boards to $50,000, and except public service districts from competitive bidding for emergency repairs.
HB 2941 would make clear that the DOH shall utilize the Attorney General for legal assistance and services.
HB 2961 would amend the procedure by which a charitable gaming licensee may appeal the Tax Commissioner’s sanctions against the licensee for violations of the charitable gaming laws, by allowing the licensee to petition the Office of Tax Appeals for an administrative hearing rather than the Tax Commissioner.
HB 2962 would enlarge the authority of the Tax Commissioner to perform background investigations of employees and contractors to make it possible for the Tax Commissioner to receive federal tax information for the Internal Revenue Service.
HB 2967 would remove the requirements for the State Tax Commissioner to administer the fiduciary supervisor/fiduciary commissioner qualifying test and annual training seminar, and transfer those responsibilities to the respective county commissions.
HB 2980 would add a $10 fee for each additional defendant plead in a civil action.
HB 3022 would require the reporting of fraud and misappropriation of funds to the Legislature’s Commission on Special Investigations.
HB 3037 would remove the Division of Energy as an independent agency and redesignate the Division of Energy as the Office of Energy within the Development Office of the Department of Commerce, and designate the Secretary of Commerce, or his or her designee, as Chair of the West Virginia Public Energy Authority Board.
HB 3048 would increase the cap mandated on the collection of Tier II fees for chemical inventories.
HB 3053 would clarify when a vehicle lighting unit is functional, permit additional lighting to be uncovered if such devices are dimmable and allow two auxiliary lights.
HB 3080 would institute a “Celebrate Freedom Week” for public schools and require the instruction in the study of the Declaration of Independence and other founding American historical documents, including the Bill of Rights, during this week.
Of those bills on third reading, SB 476 and HB 2702 were requested to lie over for one day.
Members of the Senate also adopted SR 71 to congratulate the St. Joseph’s Central High School girls’ basketball team for winning the 2017 Class A basketball championship, SR 72 to congratulate the Huntington High School girls’ basketball team for winning the 2017 Class AAA basketball championship and SR 73 to congratulate the Huntington High School boys’ basketball team for winning the 2017 Class AAA basketball championship.
Committee Meetings Today
Transportation and Infrastructure: 3 p.m. in 451M
Finance: 3:30 p.m. in 451M
The Senate is in recess until 4 p.m. this evening.
