As of 4 p.m., Wednesday, February 6, 2008, the 29th day of the 2008 Regular Session, 1080 bills have been introduced in the House. Of those, 12 have passed the House this week and have gone to the Senate for its consideration. These include:
House Bill 2711 would allow fire officers to use adjacent properties to prevent fire from spreading.
House Bill 3122 would include those who served honorably in the National Guard and reserves to be defined as eligible veterans. Those persons would then be considered eligible for training programs that provide qualification for employment.
House Bill 4016 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 by bringing them into conformity with their meanings for federal income tax purposes.
House Bill 4017 would update the meaning of “federal taxable income” and certain other terms used but not defined in the West Virginia Corporation Net Income Tax Act by bringing them into conformity with their meanings for federal income tax purposes.
House Bill 4021 would revise mining safety equipment requirements by no longer requiring strobe lights be attached to certain self-rescue devices. The bill would also enhance penalties for crimes against mining property. It would be considered a felony with a punishment of a fine up to $50,000 or up to 5 years in prison if a person damages or destroys any property owned or operated by a mining company.
House Bill 4052 would establish an advisory council on maternal risk assessment within the Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health to develop a uniform maternal risk-screening tool to serve medical care providers in the assessment of high-risk pregnancies. This uniform screening tool would assist with better and more measurable data regarding at-risk and high-risk pregnancies.
House Bill 4053 would protect computer owners and users from unsolicited and fraudulent offers from unsolicited pop-up electronic mail known as spyware. People receiving these offers would be able to contact the attorney general to file complaints.
House Bill 4075 would provide for a video recording device monitoring system during Amber Alert periods. These video recording devices would be used for surveillance of vehicles to assist in the recovery of abducted children during an Amber Alert.
House Bill 4099 would allow vehicles designated by the Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety for emergency response by the Division of Corrections, Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority and Division of Juvenile Services to use red flashing lights.
House Bill 4125 would increase the faculty senate funds available to classroom teachers and librarians. Each teacher and librarian would be allotted $100 dollars for expenditures during the instructional year for academic materials and supplies.
House Bill 4328 would exclude the service of a poll worker from being considered a prohibited political activity. This bill amends West Virginia Code that relates to favoritism or discrimination because of political or religious opinions, affiliations or race and political activities.
House Bill 4344 would add minimum requirements relative to tethering or chaining animals, including the length and weight of chains or tethering devices and providing shelter to protect them from elements of weather that are intended to protect animals from cruel treatment. Any person who is found guilty of cruelly and intentionally mistreats an animal would be subject to fines and removal of the animal. This bill does not apply to acts of hunting, fishing, trapping or animal training or farm livestock, poultry, gaming fowl or wildlife kept in private or licensed game farms.
A Sampling of Bills Introduced In the House
House Bill 4346 would exempt schools that include grades kindergarten through grade 12 from paying consumer sales tax on items the school sells.
House Bill 4352 would allow teachers who graduated from colleges and universities that are not accredited by associations recognized in West Virginia, to obtain a teaching certificate based on their certification in another state.
House Bill 4368 would create a Bill of Rights and Responsibilities for Students and School Personnel, School Discipline Committee and a series of county-wide meetings. Chronically disrupted students would be placed and isolated in alterative learning centers that would be created through the county school boards. The county school boards would be responsible for creating committees to evaluate progress and action taken against disruptive students.
House Bill 4388 would authorize the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals to maintain a domestic violence database containing certified copies of protective orders entered by the courts.
House Bill 4393 would allow members of the State Teachers Retirement System to repay a maximum of three years worth of contribution back into the system. Any member who left the state for a teaching opportunity and subsequently returns to a teaching position within West Virginia, may purchase credited service for the time he or she was absent from the state.
House Bill 4408 would eliminate the use of light plastic bags in retail establishments. These establishments would be required to participate in a recycling program and provide compostable bags and recycling bins.
House Bill 4427 would qualify children of state employees and persons employed in West Virginia with an annual income of $25,000 a year or less for the West Virginia Children’s Health Insurance Program (WVCHIP).
House Bill 4435 would exempt vehicles in a funeral procession from paying a toll on the West Virginia Turnpike. The vehicles would have to be clearly identifiable as participants in the funeral procession.
House Bill 4443 would create the offense of carrying, using or possessing a firearm or other destructive device during the commission of a drug related crime. If a person were found carrying a weapon, they would be sentenced to up to five years in prison.
