Senate Amends SB 150 Budget Bill into HB 2020 Budget Bill

The Senate Body reconvened Tuesday evening to finish the proposed amendments to Senate Bill 150, Budget Bill.

Five proposed amendments were adopted and incorporated into SB 150. The amendments include the following:

• Senator Baldwin (D – Greenbrier, 10) and Senator Jefferies (D – Putnam, 8) Amendment
  • Early flood warning system maintenance
    • $400,000 of surplus added
  • Veteran’s Nursing Home in Southern West Virginia
    • $5,000,000 of surplus added
•  Senator Woelfel (D – Cabell, 5) and Senator Plymale (D – Wayne, 5)
  • Sexual Assault Intervention and Prevention
    • $125,000 of surplus added
•  Senator Stollings (D – Boone, 7) and Senator Prezioso (D – Marion, 13)
  • Center for End of Life
    • $350,000 added
  • Cardiac Project
    • $250,000 added
• Prezioso (D – Marion, 13) Amendment
  • Center of Excellence in Women’s Health
    • $250,000 added
• Senator Stollings (D – Boone, 7) Amendment
  • $30,000 of surplus to be added to the Capitol Dispensary

The Senate then lied the bill over, and immediately amended House Bill 2020, the Budget Bill. The Senate adopted a strike and insert amendment to the bill, which took out everything within the original language to House Bill 2020 and inserted the language of Senate Bill 150.

The amended House Budget Bill reduces the Governor’s Budget by $100 Million, and improves the Governor’s budget, totaling $137,048,000. Potential improvements to the budget would go towards numerous bills that have been proposed during the session. These bills include:

• Senate Bill 238: Intended to increase certain penalties for passing stopped school bus, received a proposed improvement of $833,301 to add forward and backward facing cameras on all state school buses.
• Senate Bill 522: Would create a special road repair fund through a $110,000,000 improvement that would be operated by the Division of Highways (DOH).
• Senate Bill 544: Would increase salaries for members of West Virginia State Police over a three-year period. An improvement of $834,000 was added to the bill.

According House Bill 2020, $15,890,000 would be collected through a reduction of general revenue of the following Senate bills:

• Senate Bill 30: Eliminating tax on annuity considerations collected by life insurer
• Senate Bill 36: Allowing adjustment of gross income for calculating personal income liability for certain retirees
• Senate Bill 106: Alleviating double taxation on foreign income at state level
• Senate Bill 117: Relating to incentives for consolidating local governments
• Senate Bill 333: Exempting automobiles 25 years or older from personal property taxes
• Senate Bill 502: Exempting sales of investment metal bullion and coins

The total appropriation of the amended House Bill 2020 is $13,729,074,601. Following the adoption of the amendment, the bill was advanced to third reading.

Following the adoption of the amendment, the bill was advanced to third reading.

The Senate is adjourned until tomorrow at 11 a.m.

The following committees will meet today:

Finance 15 minutes after the floor session in 451M

Judiciary 15 minutes after the floor session in 208W

The following committees will meet tomorrow:

Transportation at 9 a.m. in 451M

Gov. Org. at 10 a.m. in 208W

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