As of 4 p.m., Wednesday, March 11th, 2009, the 29th day of the 79th Legislature’s 1st Regular Session, 1,080 bills have been introduced in the House of Delegates. Of those, 27 have passed and have been sent to the Senate for its consideration. Some of those bills passed were:
House Bill 2412 would allow a County Commission with a planning commission the same power and authority to make ordinances regarding the location of businesses offering exotic entertainment as currently exists in counties that have no planning commission.
House Bill 2421 would require that inoperable fire hydrants be painted black and be immediately reported to emergency dispatch centers. The owner or operator of any fire hydrants could also place a black tarp over the hydrant, instead of painting it, for no more than two weeks after contacting a dispatch center.
House Bill 2474 would exempt land-based finfish aquiculture facilities from regulation under the Solid Waste Management Act sludge requirements.
House Bill 2701 would clarify criminal penalties for escaping from the custody of the director of juvenile services. The bill would make the escape from community-based staff secure facilities a misdemeanor offense and escape from hardware-secure detention centers and juvenile correctional facilities a felony. If the person escaping were under the age of 18, the court of original jurisdiction would retain jurisdiction.
House Bill 2719 would amend the definition of “non-intoxicating beer” to allow beer distributors to carry “craft beer,” which are specialty beers and other products which include higher alcohol content by natural fermentation techniques.
Sampling of Bills Introduced in the House
House Bill 2955 would remove West Virginia University Institute of Technology from the merger with West Virginia University and return it to its former status as a singular state institution of higher education.
House Bill 2960 would require the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to develop specific standards to control levels of total dissolved solids in the state’s rivers and streams. This would include carrying out the purposes and requirements of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
House Bill 2974 would abolish automatic one-vote straight ticket voting in all general and special elections within West Virginia.
House Bill 2980 would establish the “West Virginia Energy Efficiency Act.” The bill would provide the Public Service Commission (PSC) with the authority to require electric and gas utilities to develop and implement plans for the efficient use, conservation and reduction of energy usage.
The bill would require electric utilities to submit plans for reaching certain goals, provide for revenue sharing and the opportunity for financial incentives for gas and electric utilities to establish energy saving programs. The bill would require the PSC to file usage reports and the results of studies concerning the feasibility of additional demand reduction targets beyond 2015 with the Legislature.
House Bill 2984 would give county school superintendents more flexibility and ease in placing service personnel workers in positions of need on a day-to-day basis.
House Bill 2985 would require county boards of education to provide parents or guardians of children diagnosed with a visual or auditory impairment with information about the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, as the academic curriculum may be a more suitable option for the child.
House Bill 2995 would prohibit drivers from using a handheld cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant or similar device to send a text message while driving a car. Convicted violators would be guilty of a misdemeanor and would be fined from $100 to $500.
House Bill 2996 would require bank transactions involving savings and checking accounts to be posted at the time of the transaction.
House Bill 3002 would establish the Health Care Freedom Act. It would give people the right to enter into private contracts with health care providers for services and to purchase private health care coverage. The bill would not require any person to participate in any health care system or plan, nor would it impose a penalty or fine of any type, for people choosing to obtain or decline health care coverage or for participation in any particular health care system or plan.
House Bill 3031 would protect educators employed by West Virginia public higher education institutions from being disciplined, denied employment or denied tenure based upon the content of his or her speech, research or writing related to his or her academic employment. This bill does not limit an institution’s rights to set and enforce standards for academic scholarship, research methods and practices.
House Bill 3064 would allow people 65 years of age or older to be admitted to athletic and other extracurricular activities of secondary schools without payment of admission fees if there is space available at the event or activity.
