As of 4 p.m., Wednesday February 22, 2012, the 43rd day of the 80th Legislature’s 2nd Regular Session, 674 bills have been introduced in the Senate. Of those bills, 38 have passed this week and have been sent to the House for consideration. The bills passed by the Senate this week include:
Senate Bill 73 would require parental consent for minors between the ages of 14 and 17 to use tanning devices. The bill would also require parental accompaniment for minors using tanning beds under the age of 14.
Senate Bill 204 would provide a clear zone for stopped vehicles along a highway as well as the cut off the traffic flow in emergency situations.
Senate Bill 336 would eliminate exemptions from licensing a mortgage lender that may be available to subsidiaries of banks.
Senate Bill 341 would create the Restroom Access Act. It would require access to employee-only restrooms for individuals with certain medical conditions. The bill also would require people with medical conditions to present a valid medical alert restroom access card provided by National Foundation for Clinical Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Senate Bill 353 would exempt individuals with a valid Concealed Carry Permit from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, also known as NICS, when purchasing a firearm.
Senate Bill 373 would allow the Superintendent of the State Police to provide other law-enforcement officers’ entry level training with a fee-free training but would allow a fee for advanced level training. The bill would also create a special revenue account titled the Academy Training and Professional Development Fund, which would be available to pay for the entry-level training and various other training costs.
Senate Bill 410 would align West Virginia law to federal law regarding withholding of personal income tax on gambling winnings. The bill would require proceeds of more than $5,000 from any lottery prize to be subject to withholding.
Senate Bill 471 would authorize the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals to establish reasonable fees of compensation for mental hygiene services instead of a circuit court. The bill would also establish a payment procedure for the compensation, which must be submitted to the administrative director of the courts for payment.
Senate Bill 477 would prohibit the possession of wild and exotic animals. The bill would provide for a permit for those possessing exotic animals prior to effective dates of the bill. Additionally, the bill would remove animals if they are being kept in violation of the bill.
Senate Bill 510 would change the process for analyzing votes after an election or after a requested re-count. Currently, five percent of all precincts are randomly selected for ballots to be hand-counted to confirm the machine counts. The bill would require the hand count would be of one contest or ballot issue per randomly selected precinct instead of hand counting every single contest in an election.
Senate Bill 518 would prohibit certain persons from being elected or appointed to positions under the laws of the State of West Virginia. The bill states no person under conviction for treason, a felony, perjury or bribery in an election may be elected or appointed to any elective office. If any person holding office under the new law is convicted of such crimes then they would be vacated from office.
Senate Bill 603 would authorize the Adjutant General to establish an entity to operate morale, welfare and recreation facilities for military families within the state.
