As of 4 p.m., Wednesday, March 3, 2010, the 50th day of the 79th Legislature’s 2nd Regular Session, 1377 bills have been introduced in the House. Of those, 137 passed and have been sent to the Senate for consideration. The bills passed include:
House Bill 2542, the Jason Flatt Act of 2010, would require teachers, principals and school service personnel having direct contact with student to successfully complete at least two hours of suicide prevention education every school year.
House Bill 4161 would create an Office of Minority Affairs within the governor’s office. This office would be a forum to discuss issues and make recommendations regarding programs and services for West Virginia’s minorities. It would also award grants, loans and loan guaranties for minority affair programs and activities in the state.
House Bill 4177 would give five percent of coal severance tax to the county in which the coal originated. The money generated could be used by the county commissions for economic development, infrastructure, job creation and road repair.
House Bill 4207 would make it illegal to send obscene, anonymous, harassing and threatening communications by digital means. The first and second offenses would be misdemeanors and the third offense would be a felony. Upon conviction, the felony would be punishable by up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
House Bill 4387 would establish the Flexible Leave Act. Under this act, employees would be able to use paid sick leave to care for ill members of their immediate families. It would prevent employers from giving disciplinary action when employees must stay home to take care of immediate family members.
House Bill 4521 would create a gun and ammunition tax holiday for the first weekend of October. The holiday would be known as “The Second Amendment Appreciation Act” and would exempt all firearms from sales tax throughout that particular weekend.
House Bill 4534 would increase the criminal penalty for failing to stop and assist after a motor vehicle accident. This legislation, called “Erin’s Law,” would create a mandatory one to three year imprisonment as well as a fine up to $5,000 upon conviction.
House Bill 4557 would require the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resource Accountability to review Department of Health and Human Resources’ requests for proposals and change orders valued at $500,000 or more.
House Bill 4646 would require corporations to allow their shareholders to vote on financial decisions regarding political expenditures. It would also require that all expenditures be clearly reported to all shareholders.
