As of 5 p.m., on Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011, the 50th day of the 80th Legislature’s Regular Session, 1,271 bills have been introduced and 160 have passed in the House of Delegates. Of those, 79 passed this week and have been sent to the Senate for further consideration. The bills passed by the House this week include:
House Bill 2096 would allow for the creation of arts, entertainment and enterprise districts within municipalities or political subdivisions and would provide for the application process to be followed by the political subdivisions, as determined the Secretary of Commerce. Furthermore, the bill would permit that the Secretary of Commerce to designate arts, entertainment and enterprise districts from among the applicants. Finally, the bill would further provide for tax breaks for qualifying artists, property tax credits, and exemptions from the admissions or amusement tax.
House Bill 2159 would protect members of the news media from being forced to give testimony in any West Virginia court relating to the source of information in a public communication. Testimony could be given with the consent of the person or persons providing the information.
House Bill 2362 would increase the penalties for the financial exploitation of elderly persons and incapacitated adults.
House Bill 2437 would require cutter heads, long wall shears, and other mining machines to automatically shut-off when the methane level reaches one percent for the purpose of protecting the health and well-being of West Virginia coal miners.
House Bill 2500 would continue the bonus eligibility of a class room teacher who holds a valid renewal certificate and accepts employment as a principal or in another school. The renewal certificate must be issued by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards.
House Bill 2524 would rewrite the article governing the practice of speech-language pathology and audiology. This bill would update the standards and conform to current drafting conventions.
House Bill 2532 would provide for the regulation of the zipline industry by the Division of Labor. This bill would require permits and inspections of certain equipment. Furthermore, the bill would provide for more training of zipline operators.
House Bill 2732 would create a system for public funding of election campaigns. This funding would be provided to candidates for the state Senate and House of Delegates. Each candidate must agree to and abide by restrictions for campaign contributions.
House Bill 2763 would prohibit the Executive Director of Workforce West Virginia from billing a reimbursable employer under unemployment compensation laws for overpaid amounts. The bill also would call for the Executive Director to reimburse an employer who has been billed for benefits considered to be an overpayment.
House Bill 2879 would provide a one-time supplemental salary increase for state employees. These employees would include: teachers, service personnel, members of the West Virginia State Police and conservation officers.
House Bill 2946 would require any medicine containing active ingredients to make methamphetamine to be made available by prescription only. This would include any drugs containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine.
House Bill 3202 would create uniformity in the way landlords return security deposits to tenants. This bill would provide for penalties for any landlord not in compliance with the regulations.
House Bill 3225 would expand the definition of harassment, intimidation and bullying. The definition was expanded to include bullying, harassment and intimidation by way of electronic devices. The bill also applies to incidents outside school grounds if it in any way interferes with the orderly operation of the school.
