As of 4 p.m., Wednesday, January 24, 2007 the 15th day of the 78th Legislature, 525 bills have been introduced in the House of Delegates. Of these, a total of seven have passed the House and will go to the Senate for its consideration. Some of the bills passed this week include:
House Bill 2141 would raise the age at which a person may request to be excused from jury duty from 65 to 70. This is an attempt to put jury duty practices up with our sexagenarian population’s increased vitality and our state’s aging populace.
House Bill 2285 would update the meaning of “federal adjusted gross income” and certain other terms used but not defined in the West Virginia Personal Income Tax Act. It would also establish that the term “taxable trust” does not include a medical savings account.
House Bill 2314 would update the meaning of “federal taxable income” and certain other terms dealing with the Internal Revenue Code and that relate to the calculation of a person’s income for federal income tax purposes.
House Bill 2315 would expand the types of crimes included for the preparation of a “Parole Hearing Notification Form.” This would also call for the parole board to notify the prosecuting attorney, among others, of the time and place at which a parole hearing will be held 45 days before that date.
A Sampling of Bills Introduced In the House
House Bill 2294 would require a certified expert to examine underground mines for hot spots which may have been discovered after any cutting and /or welding that has been performed in and around the area of an underground mine.
House Bill 2300 would allow the release of the name and identification of a juvenile adjudicated or convicted of a crime to the victim of that crime.
House Bill 2307 would authorize county commissions to use certain monies to fund the building and operation of libraries and to administer and provide affordable housing for individuals or families of low or moderate income.
House Bill 2311 would allow the Executive Director of the West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority to establish a work program for qualified inmates sentenced to a regional jail facility. This would also allow provisions to provide that inmates be gainfully employed with local businesses as part of this job program within each jail.
House Bill 2380 would exempt the purchase of certain drugs, durable medical goods, mobility enhancing equipment and prosthetic devices intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in humans from the consumers sales and service tax.
House Bill 2383 would allow a school service mechanic to have experience training and certifications considered toward his or her pay. Also considered in a mechanic’s pay rate will be the years of experience, any special training as a mechanic or any specific certifications held by the mechanic.
House Bill 2390 relates to the definition of domestic animals and livestock, the purpose being to allow owners of nontraditional livestock such as deer, ostrich, llama, etc., to recover damages against the owner of any dog that kills or wounds such livestock.
House Bill 2392 would provide for the reexamination of drivers holding valid drivers licenses who are observed by police officers violating traffic laws or who appear to have caused accidents as the result of negligence or inadequate driving skill.
House Bill 2398 would amend certain provisions involving dental hygienists to allow them to perform their duties without direct supervision in the following locations: hospitals, schools, prisons, community clinics, long-term care facilities, nursing homes, home health agencies, group homes, state institutions under the Department of Health and Human Resources, public health facilities, and accredited dental hygiene education programs.
House Bill 2412 would create the Indigent Defense Commission to assist Public Defender Services with regard to the general operations of the agency, and to provide additional oversight of the costs and administration of the public defender corporations. This would also allow, among its provisions, public defender corporations to work with private attorneys to provide direct representation to eligible clients in the event that the corporation cannot provide representation themselves.
House Bill 2417 would require a mandatory alert when natural gas or other petroleum product pipeline facilities are observed to be in a damaged state that may endanger life, cause serious bodily harm or do damage to property during commercial activities in the area of pipeline facilities. The proposed legislation, additionally, provides civil and criminal penalties for violators.
House Bill 2422 would provide cost saving measures for the medical care for regional jail inmates. This bill would limit payments to outside medical service providers to amounts no greater than the reimbursement rate at issue under the Department of Health and Human Resources Medicaid Program.
House Bill 2434 would implement public employee acceptable use standards for the use of the Internet. It is designed to prohibit, among other things, public employees’ use of computer equipment and communications services that are the property of the state and for private business purposes, as well as for political purposes of a partisan nature including campaign purposes.
House Bill 2444 would allow police officers and Public Service Commission employees to issue citations of $250 to owners of railroad cars or equipment for blocking a public highway railroad grade crossing for twenty-five minutes or more, except when due to mechanical failure or accident.
