Wrap-Up As of 4 p.m., Friday, February 26, 2016, the 45th day of the second session of the 82nd Legislature, 1182 bills have been introduced in the House. Of those, 122 have passed and have been sent to the Senate for further consideration, and 11 have completed legislation. Among those:
House Bill 4310 (Relating to the West Virginia University Institute of Technology) would work to help ensure the continuing viability and vitality of West Virginia University Institute of Technology by providing flexibility to West Virginia University and the West Virginia University Institute of Technology to relocate the West Virginia Institute of Technology, and to facilitate collaboration between four-year institutions serving southern West Virginia. The West Virginia Institute of Technology will be relocated from Montgomery, West Virginia to Beckley, West Virginia. The bill will now be sent to the Senate for further consideration.
House Bill 2605 (Removing the limitation on actions against the perpetrator of sexual assault or sexual abuse upon a minor) would work to remove the time limitation for a plaintiff to bring a suit or personal action against a defendant who committed sexual assault or sexual abuse on the plaintiff when the plaintiff was a minor. House Bill 2605 has been communicated to the Senate for their consideration.
House Bill 4157 (Supplementing, amending, and increasing items of the existing appropriations from the State Road Fund to the Department of Transportation, Division of Highways) would work to supplement, amend, and increase items of appropriation from the State Road Fund to the Department of Transportation, Division of Highways, fund 9017 for expenditure during fiscal year 2016. This bill will now be sent to the Senate for further consideration.
House Bill 4197 (Allowing required HIV and hepatitis testing for the protection of law-enforcement officers who may have been exposed) would work to allow required HIV and hepatitis testing for the protection of law-enforcement officers who may have been exposed to the infection during the performance of their duties and others. Passage has been communicated to the Senate.
House Bill 4322 (Expanding the Learn and Earn Program) would work to change the Learn and Earn Program to allow more students to participate in the program by eliminating the authorization to use program funding for equipment purchases and eliminating the exception to dollar-to-dollar matching requirement that would allow and employer to participate by matching one dollar for every three dollars of state grant funding. The House action of passage will now be sent to the Senate.
House Bill 4489 (Relating Generally to human trafficking) would work to eliminate criminal offense and penalties for human trafficking. The bill creates felony offenses and penalties for trafficking an individual. This bill works to create felony offenses penalties for using an individual in forced labor. The bill is now being communicated to the senate.
House Bill 4001 (Relating to candidates or candidate committees for legislative office disclosing contributions) would work to require members of the Legislature to disclose contributions and fund-raising events while the Legislature is in session. The bill requires the information to be provided within 5 days of the event or receipt of contribution, and requires the Secretary of State to publish such information on the Secretary of State’s website within 1 day.
House Bill 4175 (Relating generally to home schooling) work to clarify that a student who is home schooled may not be classified as habitually absent. The bill changes the annual requirement that a parent of a child who is to be home schooled notify the county superintendent of intent to home school to a one time notification. The bill removes the requirement that the person providing the home schooling instruction have a high school diploma. The bill removes the requirement that the person providing the home schooling instruction have an outline of a plan for the home schooling instruction for the ensuing year. The bill removes the requirement that a county superintendent be given two weeks’ notice before a student enrolled in a public school may receive home instruction. The bill permits a parent to administer the required nationally normed standardized test. The bill provides that a student has made acceptable academic progress if it is within or above the fourth stanine, or if below that stanine then the student must show improvement from the previous year. The bill requires a certified teacher to review a student’s progress and submit a written narrative. The bill requires academic assessments be kept for three years. The bill provides that a county board of education may only provide information about the availability of special education services only if the parent requests it. This bill has completed legislation.
House Bill 2794 (Making changes to the definition of contractor for purposes of the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Act) would work to raise the threshold amount required for a construction job to be performed by someone with a contractor’s license from $2,500 to $4,000.
House Bill 4388 (Relating to stroke centers) would require the Bureau of Public Health to designate certain hospitals as stroke centers and require the Office of Emergency Medical Services to establish protocols to treat and transport stroke patients. This bill is now awaiting Senate action.
House Bill 4145 (Relating to carry or use of a handgun or deadly weapon) would allow West Virginia citizens over the age of 21 to conceal a handgun or deadly weapon. Additionally, citizens age 18 to 20 would be permitted to obtain a concealed carry permit. The bill would also provide a $50 tax credit for those that choose to obtain a permit or participate in concealed weapon safety training. This bill completed legislation on Wednesday and now awaits a response from Governor Tomblin.
House Bill 2823 (Eliminating the street and interurban and electric railways tax) relates to eliminating a tax on persons engaging or continuing within the state in the service or business of street and interurban and electric railways. The Senate Finance is currently considering the bill.
House Bill 2897 (Young Entrepreneur Reinvestment Act) would waive certain fees for individuals under thirty creating certain business organizations and expire the waiver of those fees. The Senate Economic Development Committee is currently considering the bill.
House Bill 4171 (Relating to the public school calendar) would ensure that school instructional terms for students begin no earlier than the day after Labor Day and end no later than the second Friday in June. The bill would provide that in the event instructional days need to be cancelled the county boards of education must provide for ten technology days whereby assigned classwork may be completed. The Senate Education Committee is currently considering the bill.
House Bill 4295 (Relating to the School Innovation Zones Act) relates to Innovation in Education Schools and Innovation Zone; terminating funding for Innovation Zones and Local Solution Dropout Prevention and Recovery Innovation Zones; defining innovation in education school. The bill would authorize soliciting, accepting and expending gifts, donations and grants with certain limits to remain for use in school accounts. The bill would create the Innovation in Education Fund; authorize expenditures from Innovation in Education Fund; and authorize investment of Innovation in Education Fund moneys. The Senate Education Committee is currently considering the bill.
House Bill 4365 (Relating to the certificate of need process) would provide a process for updating the certificate of need process as well as a rulemaking authority. The bill would also provide health services that require a certificate of need as well as provide exemptions to the certificate of need requirement. The bill is currently under consideration by the Senate Health and Human Resources Committee.
House Bill 4572 (Excepting specialized contract instructors from the definition of teacher) would except specialized contract instructors from the definition of teacher; and defining that term. The Senate Education Committee is considering the bill.
House Bill 4594 (Relating to predoctoral psychology internship qualifications) would make a requirement that to be eligible for a license to engage in the practice of psychology, an applicant with a doctor of philosophy degree or its equivalent must have at least one thousand eight hundred hours from a doctoral internship. The Senate Health and Human Resources Committee is currently considering the bill.
House Bill 4617 (Authorizing legislative rules of the Higher Education Policy Commission regarding the Underwood-Smith Teacher Scholarship Program and Nursing Scholarship Program) would authorize legislative rules of the Higher Education Policy Commission regarding the Underwood-Smith Teacher Scholarship Program and Nursing Scholarship Program.
House Bill 4651 (Relating to professional examination requirements for hearing-aid dealers and fitters) require applicants for professional licensure to pass the International Licensing Examination for Hearing Healthcare Professionals or an equivalent examination; to require applicants for professional licensure to pass a nationally recognized practical examination, or a practical examination designed by the West Virginia Board of Hearing-Aid Dealers to test certain demonstrated skills and techniques; to require applicants to pass an examination, designed by the board, to test knowledge of certain local laws and practices; to eliminate the requirement that the board provide applicants with certain details pertaining to an applicant’s failure of an examination; and to authorize emergency and legislative rulemaking.
