As of 4 p.m., Wednesday, February 1, the 22nd day of the 2006 Regular Session, 993 bills have been introduced in the House of Delegates. Of these 26 bills have been passed by the House and sent to the Senate for its consideration. The following nine bills were passed by the House since Thursday, January 26:
House Bill 2328 would give precedential application to written advisory opinions issued by the Ethics Commission’s Committee on Open Governmental Meetings. This bill would provide reliance on a written opinion of the West Virginia Ethics Commission Committee, making it an absolute defense to certain criminal actions.
House Bill 2424 would prohibit persons from impersonating a public official by copying or imitating the markings of a public agency or official on a motor vehicle. In the bill, the term “impersonate” includes, but is not limited to, falsely representing oneself as a public official or employee while operating a motor vehicle that displays a copy, imitation or reproduction of any official emblem, image, inscription, seal, sign, symbol, logogram or other official marking, connoting government sponsorship. Furthermore, the bill includes motor vehicles equipped with any flashing light, siren or other penetrating warning sound, or other apparatus or equipment generally recognized as being a device commonly associated with an official vehicle used by public officials or employees.
House Bill 4006 would add the counties of Mercer and Raleigh to the counties that participate in the Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreational Authority. Currently, the participating counties are Boone, Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Mingo, Wayne and Wyoming.
House Bill 4032 relates to authorizing the Consolidated Public Retirement Board to recover the payment and a fee, from a participating employer who fails to timely pay amounts due. Delinquency surcharges approximating interest or earnings lost as a result of late payment would be assessed.
House Bill 4034 would remove the requirement that a no longer disabled employee must return to his or her former job. It also would permit administrative hearings before disability retirement termination; clarify procedures for re-application by disability retirants whose benefits were terminated for economic causes; clarify that the reinstatement interest factors would be used in error correction matters; and, specify that the board may terminate not only early retirement benefits, but also regular or disability retirement benefits of someone who has fraudulently obtained them. Current code establishes that such fraud is a misdemeanor with jail and monetary penalties.
House Bill 4047 relates to part-time prosecuting attorneys. The bill would make it so that a Class VI county that becomes reclassified as a Class V county, before July 1, 2010, would be able to maintain a part-time prosecuting attorney with the approval of the prosecuting attorney and the county commission. If the prosecuting attorney remains part-time, then the attorney would be paid at the Class VI county level.
House Bill 4052 would provide that alleged victims of domestic violence or abuse have the right to have a person of their choosing present when they are interviewed by law-enforcement officers or by the prosecuting attorney.
House Bill 4068 would limit the eligibility of a person for parole if the person has violated the terms and conditions of probation or home incarceration. The person would not be eligible for consideration for release upon parole until the person has served a minimum of one full year imprisonment or until they are otherwise parole eligible, whichever is longer.
House Bill 4329 would continue the Division of Unemployment Compensation, until July 1, 2010, pursuant to the West Virginia Sunset Law. The Division of Unemployment Compensation provides temporary compensation to those unemployed workers meeting the eligibility requirements of West Virginia law.
A Sampling of Bills Introduced in the House
House Bill 4113 relates to the issuance of a special registration plate for veteran recipients of the United States Armed Forces Air Medal. This amendment is proposed in order to recognize and honor veterans who have earned a United States Armed Forces Air Medal.
House Bill 4122 would make owners and caretakers of a gravesite or cemetery not liable for accidents or injuries to others visiting a gravesite or cemetery. This proposed law would not apply to accidents or injuries that result from acts or omissions involving gross negligence or intentional acts by owners and caretakers.
House Bill 4070 would require property owners to disclose the previous existence on the property of a crystal methamphetamine lab. Failure to do so would render the sale, or the lease of the land voidable at the volition of the buyer, grantee, or lessee.
House Bill 4241 would prohibit a merchant from soliciting a customer’s telephone number during a purchase unless the information is required for a legitimate purpose.
House Bill 4277 would provide a process for public funding of elections for the Governor, Attorney General, Auditor, Commissioner of Agriculture, Secretary of State, Treasurer and members of the Legislature. The bill would establish the “Clean Elections Act,” which would create a voluntary system of public funding to qualified political candidates who agree to accept spending limits and do no other private fund raising. The State Election Commission would be responsible for administering the program. Both civil and criminal penalties would be provided for violations of the Act.
