As of 4 p.m., Thursday, January 16th, 2014, the 9th day of the 2nd session of the 81st Legislature, 827 bills have been introduced in the House. Amoung those introduced this week were:
House Bill 2982 would prohibit the student use of calculators for teaching purposes in grades kindergarten through eight. Calculators would be permitted for use by educators in furtherance of their instructional responsibilities.
House Bill 3102 would raise the West Virginia minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 an hour as of July 1, 2014.
House Bill 3143 would require an environmental awareness program in West Virginia schools to educate students about the benefits of recycling. Students would be taught how recycling and environmental awareness would benefit West Virginia’s economy, culture and future. There would also be lessons dedicated to environmental awareness in science classes.
House Bill 4005 would make it a felony for a parent, guardian or custodian to grossly neglect a child, in which the neglect creates a substantial risk of bodily injury. It would make it a misdemeanor for the child neglect to create substantial threat of bodily injury. First time offenders would be required to complete a parenting plan and a parenting education class. Penalties increase on the second offense, and those who offend three or more times are charged with a felony. A parent, guardian or custodian would not be required to register for abuse or neglect if charged with a misdemeanor.
House Bill 4009 would permit institutes of higher education to perform background checks on students wanting to reside in school dormitories. It would permit students to have background checks performed providing they pay for the checks. Background checks may only be used by the institution to evaluate current students or applicants who reside or apply to reside in on-campus housing. Records would be confidential and the information used would be destroyed after use.
