As of 4 p.m., Wednesday, February 28, 2007, the 50th day of the 2007 Regular Session, 1,276 bills have been introduced in the House of Delegates. Of those, 159 bills have been passed by the House and sent to the Senate for its consideration. Some of these bills include:
House Joint Resolution 14 would request a statewide vote to change the state’s constitution. The proposed amendment, called the Active Duty Armed Services Motor Vehicle Property Tax Amendment, would exempt active duty military personnel from paying the annual property tax on motor vehicles. In order to qualify for this exemption, a person would have to be a West Virginia resident who is serving out of the state on the day the tax is assessed.
House Bill 2027 would allow victims of identity theft to receive an award from the Crime Victims Compensation Fund. A person would have to file a police report and be a West Virginia resident to qualify. Also, as with other crimes eligible under the fund, a victim of identity theft would have to have a tangible economic loss.
House Bill 2059 would provide a salary increase for state conservation officers. It would bring these officers’ salaries in line with those of State Police officers. The raises would be phased in two stages, the first on July 1, 2007, and then on July 1, 2008.
House Bill 2181 would allow state agencies to file their annual reports in electronic form. The electronic reports would be considered as having satisfied the filing requirement; no print version would be necessary. The copy could be provided on CD-ROM or other media or be sent via the Internet. If a state entity does submit its report electronically, it would have to provide a copy to the legislative manager.
House Bill 2309 would make several changes to the tourism development tax credit. Under current law, certain tourism development projects qualify for this credit, in which the maximum amount of credit is equal to 25 percent of approved costs over a 10-year period. If the project is on or next to an abandoned coal mine, the maximum credit is increased to 50 percent. However, the total amount of credit provided by the state currently cannot exceed $1.5 million per fiscal year. The bill would remove this limit but lower the tax credit for former mines to 35 percent. It would also create a tourism development expansion tax credit for existing tourism projects, which would be capped at a statewide total of $1.5 million per year. The bill would also explicitly exclude parimutuel racetracks and limited video lotteries from either tax credit.
House Bill 2461 would provide all employees, both public and private, with the right to inspect their employee personnel file. An employee would also be allowed two copies of the file per calendar year, unless the employee has been fired or laid off, in which case the employee would be able to request another copy. The employer would be allowed to charge $0.10 per page per copy. The request for a copy must be made in writing.
House Bill 2558 would create a program allowing state agencies to donate used personal computers to public schools and low-income school children. The bill would require the state’s Chief Technical Officer to establish such a program. However, the refurbished computers would have to be four years old or less. These computers would not be subject to current laws dealing with state surplus equipment.
House Bill 2583 would expand the required number of tests performed on newborns to 29. In addition to the current four tests, newborns would have to be tested for congenital adrenal hyperplasia, cystic fibrosis and biotinidase deficiency starting in July 2007. Beginning July 1, 2008, several additional tests would be required, including ones for maple syrup urine disease and carnitine uptake deficiency. Positive results from any of these tests would have to be reported to the Bureau for Public Health.
House Bill 2709 would require the installation of fire hydrants at least once every 2,000 feet on all new water mains. This provision would not apply if there were no businesses within 1,000 feet of where the hydrant would otherwise be required. Existing water mains and ones constructed before July 1, 2007, would be exempted from this requirement.
House Bill 2764 would require applicants for insurance provider licenses to undergo a background check before receiving the license. The state Insurance Commissioner would be authorized to require fingerprints from applicants, which could then be sent to the FBI for processing and returning the criminal background check. Any records retrieved from this would be treated with strict confidentiality and could not be used in any civil law suit. Current license holders would not be subject to the check, except if applying for an additional line of authority.
House Bill 2775 would exempt new state residents from paying the motor vehicle privilege tax. This is a 5 percent tax paid on the value of a car at the time it is registered in the state. In order to apply for this exemption, a new resident would have to: prove he or she was not a West Virginia resident at the time the person got the car, present evidence the vehicle was titled in the person’s previous state, be able to show West Virginia residency, properly report the vehicle to the county assessor, and makes application for registration within 30 days of establishing residency. A three-month amnesty period would be established, as well, during which new residents would be able to transfer their titles to West Virginia without penalty. The bill would also eliminate the privilege tax altogether on July 1, 2008, at which time it would be replaced by a 5 percent sales tax.
House Bill 2796 would allow a tax deduction for donations to public colleges and universities in West Virginia. Donations to certain non-profit organizations that support these schools would also be deductible. The deduction would apply only to state personal income taxes, and the amount of the deduction would be capped at 50 percent of federal adjusted gross income.
House Bill 2842 would place restrictions on the sale of soft drinks at public schools. Soft drinks would be completely prohibited in elementary, middle and junior high schools. Only healthy drinks – defined as water, drinks with at least 20 percent real fruit or vegetable juice, and reduced or low-fat milk – would be allowed. High schools would be allowed to sell soft drinks during the school day except during breakfast and lunch hours. High schools would also have to provide at least the same amount of healthy beverages as they do soft drinks.
House Bill 2918 would allow county boards of education to pay up to $500 to a school service employee who announces his or her retirement or resignation. This is similar to an existing bonus available to classroom teachers. In order to be eligible, written notice of the employee’s intent would have to be given to the board on or before February 1st of the year he or she is leaving.
House Bill 2931 would pay tuition and fees for members of the Army or Air National Guard who are enrolled in graduate school. The bill would only cover the cost of obtaining a single Master’s degree. It would expand a current program providing tuition and fees for Guardsmen taking undergraduate courses.
House Bill 3093 would provide a combined form for medical power of attorney and living will. If there are any directions in the combined form that are found invalid, the rest of the form would still be considered valid and the two functions would be considered separable.
House Bill 3228 would prohibit home confinement officers from engaging in sexual acts with a person who is incarcerated. Violation of this provision would be a felony punishable by one to five years in jail or up to a $5,000 fine. Similar laws already apply to parole officers and correctional officers working in jails and prisons.
