Health and Human Resources
House Bill 2046 relates to the treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. It would allow a healthcare professional to prescribe an antibiotic for the sexual partner or partners of a patient they are treating for a sexually transmitted disease without first having to conduct an examination of the partner or partners in cases where the patient presents with a sexually transmitted disease.
Government Organization
House Bill 2008 relates to auditing the Division of Highways. The bill would require the Joint Committee on Government and Finance to order a performance audit of the Division of Highways by each individual district by May 1, 2015. The performance audit would cover the preceding three fiscal years and a final report would be submitted to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance with a copy to the Governor on or before December 31, 2015. The bill would also require that the firm selected to do the audit be chosen through a competitive bid based upon price and qualifications. The principal may not be currently auditing any agency of the State of West Virginia and may not have audited any state agency for the five years preceding the submission of the bids.
House Bill 2015 would require the Legislative Auditor to conduct performance reviews and audits for every government spending unit, including all members of the Board of Public Works and the Legislature. The bill would eliminate the current seven year schedule and replace it with a four year schedule. It would also add seven agencies to the current list of agencies to be reviewed. The new agencies would include: Office of the Governor, Secretary of State’s Office, State Auditor’s Office, State Treasurer’s Office, Attorney General’s Office, the Senate, and the House of Delegates.
House Bill 2028 relates generally to purchasing. The bill would prohibit the award of or the renewal of state contracts over $2 million to vendors owned, in whole or part, by state officials or by family members of state officials. The bill would define state official, family member of state official, state office and vendor. The bill would also require an affidavit of compliance to accompany bids, contract proposals and contracts with the state. The bill also provides that, upon request, the Ethics Commission may review and approve exceptions to this prohibition.
House Bill 2103 relates generally to boards of examination and registration and would require every chapter 30 board to provide public access through a website regarding the disposition of complaints. If the board is unable to pay for this service, the Attorney General would provide a link to this information and a link to all boards subject to Chapter 30 on the Consumer Protection Division website. The bill also would require the West Virginia Board of Medicine, the West Virginia Board of Dentistry, the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy, the West Virginia State Board of Examiners for Licensed Practical Nurses, the West Virginia Board of Osteopathy, the West Virginia Board of Examiners for Registered Professional Nurses, the State Board of Examiners of Psychologists, and the West Virginia Board of Accountancy to order a criminal background check.
Judiciary
House Bill 2002 would predicate the actions for damages upon principles of comparative fault and establishes the comparative fault standard. The bill also would establish how to consider the fault of non-parties as well as how to consider the fault of, and the amounts paid by, settling parties.
House Bill 2025 would add an additional restriction upon certain convicted sexual offenders during a period of supervised release. Specifically, individuals deemed sexually violent offenders or who have been convicted of certain sexual offenses would be prohibited from loitering within a 1,000 feet of a school, child care facility, or residence of a victim.
House Bill 2201 would require the Public Service Commission to adopt certain net metering and interconnection rules and standards. It would require they adopt a rule requiring that all electric utilities provide a rebate or discount at fair value, to be determined by the commission, to customer-generators for any electricity generation that is delivered to the utility under a net metering arrangement; to, further, consider adopting, by rule, a requirement that all sellers of electricity offer net metering rebates or discounts to customer-generators, and to institute a general investigation for the purpose of adopting rules pertaining to net metering.
