As of 4 p.m., Friday, March 3, 2017, the 24th day of the regular session of the 83rd Legislature, 516 bills have been introduced in the West Virginia Senate. Of those bills, 22 have passed this week and have been sent to the House for further consideration. Among those:
Senate Bill 4 would allow certain licensed professionals to donate their time to the care of the indigent and the needy and to allow them to gain credit for their time against continuing education requirements needed to maintain their license.
Senate Bill 5 would provide that an offense and conviction of driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance committed before January 1, 1990, or before the initial issuance of a commercial instructional permit by any state may not be considered an offense for lifetime disqualification of a commercial driver’s license.
Senate Bill 9 would regulate unmanned aircraft systems (drones) and provide criminal penalties for unauthorized operation of those systems.
Senate Bill 80 would equalize the criminal penalty for entering without breaking regardless of the time of day.
Senate Bill 125 would authorize the Health Care Authority to promulgate a legislative rule relating to the Hospital Assistance Grant Program.
Senate Bill 164 would change special load limits on traffic regulations to make it easier for trucks to carry telephone poles and not need special permits to do so.
Senate Bill 180 would prohibit the Public Service Commission from exercising jurisdiction over Internet protocol-enabled service or voice over Internet protocol-enabled service and transactions involving telephone company entities under common ownership.
Senate Bill 204 would require that persons appointed to fill a vacancy by the Governor have the same qualifications for the vacated office and receive same compensation and expenses for the office otherwise provided by law.
Senate Bill 214 would adopt the Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act to preserve and protect certain legal material in official electronic records that may be unavailable in physical form.
Senate Bill 231 would allow the State Board of Education to delegate its Medicaid provider status and subsequent reimbursement to regional education service agencies or county boards, subject to the county board determining that there is a net benefit and no detraction from the educational program of the county.
Senate Bill 225 would permit magistrates to conduct a proceeding for a temporary emergency protective order dealing with a temporary custody order entered by a family court.
Senate Bill 261 would increase the salary or wages of a judgment debtor, that may be exempt from execution by a judgment creditor, who is an employee of state, a state agency, or any political subdivision of the state, from 30 to 50 times the federal minimum hourly wage (then in effect).
Senate Bill 321 would provide minimum reporting requirements for employee information to the Consolidated Public Retirement Board.
Senate Bill 330 would make technical corrections to the definitions of the West Virginia Workplace Freedom Act, as well as repeal provisions relating to the statutory construction of the act.
Senate Bill 337 would allow the Division of Corrections to hire a person as a Correctional Officer no matter their placement on the correctional officer register.
Senate Bill 345 would allow hunting and trapping throughout the state on Sundays.
Senate Bill 346 would exempt any motor vehicles which are engaged exclusively in the nonemergency medical transportation of Medicaid members from the jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission.
Senate Bill 347 would modernize the Physician Assistants Practice Act by altering the make-up of the Board of Medicine to include a second physician assistant, allowing physician assistants to prescribe Schedule II and Schedule III drugs in certain circumstances, eliminating the need for a recertification exam once the physician assistant is board certified and allowing physician assistants to be reimbursed at the same rate as physicians and advance practice registered nurses.
Senate Bill 349 would repeal outdated code related to the Department of Corrections.
Senate Bill 410 would permit the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources identification tag to be used to identify a trap.
Senate Bill 426 would repeal the Division of Natural Resources’ legislative rule relating to the Litter Control Grant Program.
Senate Bill 439 would clarify that because Salem Correctional Center lies in two counties, and the Courts of both Counties have expressed concern regarding venue, that venue shall lie in Harrison County for all actions.
Additional Senate Bills
Senate Bill 6 would create the Tim Tebow Act to permit students instructed at home, by a private tutor or enrolled in a private, parochial or church school or a school operated by a religious order, who do not attend a school that is a member of the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission to participate in extracurricular athletic or other extracurricular activities at a school that is a member of the commission.
Senate Bill 16 would repeal a tax credit provided for wind power projects.
Senate Bill 27 would permit home-based, micro-processing foods to be sold at farmers markets. The bill establishes permit requirements and limitations, inspection standards and permits fees.
Senate Bill 47 would exempt employers that have as one of their primary purposes or objectives to discourage the use of tobacco products by the general public or whose principal business is the operation of a health care facility that provide treatment to patients with life threatening illnesses caused by or related to the use of tobacco products from discriminating against tobacco users.
Senate Bill 70 would change human trafficking from a criminal offense to a felony offense and provide new penalties for certain actions.
Senate Bill 175 would permit the practice of direct primary care that is sought outside of an insurance plan, or outside of the Medicaid or Medicare program.
Senate Bill 186 would adjust the date upon which children become eligible for certain school programs and school attendance requirements.
Senate Bill 208 would modify the crime of fleeing the scene of an accident involving injuries. It also increases criminal penalties when there is a death proximately resulting from the accident.
Senate Bill 227 would allow a person to carry a firearm for self-defense in woods and in state parks, state forests, wildlife management areas and on state rail trails in general, but with limitations for rifles and shotguns in certain areas.
Senate Bill 251 would create a pilot program to establish school-based mental and behavioral health services for students and families as an alternative to the standard disciplinary measures.
Senate Bill 293 would provide a $2,008 increase in the annual salary of employees of the Division of Corrections.
Senate Bill 348 would prohibit local authorities from allowing parking along U.S. or primary state highways when doing so reduces flow of traffic to less than one lane of traffic moving in each direction.
Senate Bill 380 would create a two-year pilot program permitting recreational vehicles on designated roads and trails in Cabwaylingo State Forest after purchase of special permits.
Senate Bill 410 would permit the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources identification tag to be used to identify a trap.
Senate Bill 423 would allow group homes in West Virginia with greater than four members to continue to offer services to up to eight current residents by seeking either a waiver to allow these services or a state plan amendment.
Senate Bill 445 would amend the definition of an “abused child” to include children conceived as a result of a sexual assault.
Senate Bill 485 would provide loan insurance for commercial loans used for the expansion of broadband service to unserved or underserved areas.
Senate Bill 493 would provide an increase in compensation for conservation officers.
Senate Bill 499 would dedicate half of the annual severance tax on Marcellus and Utica natural gas to retired public employees.
Senate Bill 503 would create a Library Facilities Improvement Fund to support construction, maintenance and improvement projects for library facilities.
