Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Senate Legislation (03/26/21-04/01/21)

As of Friday, March 25, 2021, 721 bills have been introduced to the Senate. Of those bills, 187 have passed and advanced to the House.

Senate Bill 673 relates to the venue for bringing civil action or arbitration proceedings under construction contracts.

Senate Bill 587 makes contract consummation with the State of West Virginia more efficient, by clarifying that government officials are not permitted to enter certain contract terms.

Senate Bill 474 gives the Division of Highways an exemption from the Division of Purchasing, in order to have a competitive bid process for construction contracts.

Senate Bill 710 requires an impact statement for school closing and consolidations.

Senate Bill 680 allows the State Superintendent of Schools to define classroom teachers certified in special education for salary purposes.

Senate Bill 604 requires county commissions to create districts for towing services.

Senate Bill 601 establishes exceptions to the public employees’ grievance procedure.

Senate Bill 585 requires the board of education to create and provide a course in family and consumer sciences in secondary schools.

Senate Bill 534 permits the Economic Development Authority to make working capital loans from revolving loan fund capitalized with federal grant funds.

Senate Bill 521 extends licensure renewal term of certain private investigators, security guards, and associated firms.

Senate Bill 458 limits the power of government entities to prohibit firearms during a declared state of emergency.

Senate Bill 419 defines antique firearm and redefines firearm.

Senate Bill 713 clarifies inmates receive basic good time unless expressly excluded.

Senate Bill 660 provides for cooperation between civilian law enforcement and military authorities to facilitate objective independent investigations of possible offenses.

Senate Bill 634 requires that law enforcement and correction officers be trained in appropriate interactions with individuals with autism spectrum disorders. The bill would also require the Law Enforcement Professional Standards subcommittee to develop guidelines for law enforcement and correction officer response to individuals on the autism spectrum who are victims or witnesses to a crime or suspected or convicted of a crime.

Senate Bill 588 expands circumstances under which the State Board of School Finance can withhold payment of state aid from a county board.

Senate Bill 488 provides that a convention and visitor’s bureau shall satisfy certain requirements to receive funding from hotel occupancy taxes.

Senate Bill 401 relates to the Consumer Credit and Protection Act.

Senate Bill 715 creates the State Recovery and Hope Office.

Senate Bill 714 revises the Physician Assistants Practice Act.

Senate Bill 684 adds the Curator of the West Virginia Division of Arts, Culture, and History as an ex officio voting member of the State Library Commission.

Senate Bill 674 clarifies that unpaid restitution need not preclude a person from obtaining a valid driver’s license. The bill establishes procedures to obtain a lien against a person who owes restitution.

Senate Bill 671 requiring that the Office of Emergency Medical Services director be appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources.

Senate Bill 668 allows psychologists to practice across state lines via telemedicine.

Senate Bill 657 relates to protected expressive activities on state institution of higher education campuses.

Senate Bill 655 reschedules the review of Public Service Commission rules regarding recovering, hauling, and storing wrecked or disabled vehicles and changes a sunset requirement on those rules.

Senate Bill 641 provides for the use of severance funds for litter programs.

Senate Bill 543 establishes the Chuck Yeager Mountain State Medal of Excellence and provides an annual process for a West Virginia who demonstrates exceptional leadership or innovation to be awarded.

Senate Bill 530 provides means of notice for revocation, cancellation, or suspension of business registration certificates.

Senate Bill 508 increases the funds in the Public Records and Preservation Revenue Account for grants to counties for records management, access, and preservation purposes by increasing the fees for copies of public records.

Senate Bill 492 requires the owners of wind generation facilities and solar generation facilities to notify and provide certain information to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), including dates when operations began and plans with cost estimates for decommissioning facilities.

Senate Bill 486 renames the Chief Technology Officer to the Chief Information Officer and updates definitions relating to the Office of Technology.

Senate Bill 470 creates Daniel’s Law, which works to increase safety and security of certain public officials in the justice system, including judicial officers, prosecutors, and law enforcement, as well as jurors, and any family members of these individuals.

Senate Bill 360 authorizes poll clerks to work and be compensated for both full and half days of work during an election.

Senate Bill 307 provides that nonresident members of a reservice unit in West Virginia qualify as residents for the purposes of tuition rates. The bill also removes the requirement that members of the National Guard participate in the National Guard education services program.

Senate Bill 718 provides a rebate of severance tax when capital investment made in new machinery and equipment directly used in severance of coal, or in co preparation and processing plants.

Senate Bill 717, a supplemental appropriation bill, decreases appropriation to the West Virginia Council for Community and 4 Technical College Education for fiscal year 2021.

Senate Bill 711 changes the minimum enrollment to 1,200 in each county.

Senate Bill 702 allows initial forensic evaluation of a defendant at a state mental health facility or state hospital under certain circumstances.

Senate Bill 695 provides procedures for decreasing corporate limits or increasing corporate limits by annexation and annexation by minor boundary adjustments.

Senate Bill 677 updates provisions of the code related to miners’ safety, health, and training standards.

Senate Bill 663 provides for a fee for the processing of criminal bonds and the bail piece and requires all collected fees to be deposited in the Courthouse Facilities Improvement Fund.

Senate Bill 661 permits retailers to assume or absorb any sales or use tax assessed on tangible personal property.

Senate Bill 642 requires State Auditor to establish public notice database on website centralizing access to all state and state agency postings of legal advertisements required by law

Senate Bill 635 requires the State Fire Commission to propose rules relating specifically to sprinkler protection for basements exceeding 2500 square feet in new buildings.

Senate Bill 622 increases compensation for certain elected county officials

Senate Bill 613 adds the classification and base salaries of certain civilian 3 employees of the West Virginia State Police Forensic Laboratory as Evidence Custodians 4 I-IV, Forensic Technicians I-III, Forensic Scientists I-VI, and Forensic Scientist 5 Supervisors I-IV.

Senate Bill 550 provides counties with authority to impose a county sale and use tax of one percent under certain circumstances and clarifies that a county sales and use tax does not apply to incorporated areas of the county.

Senate Bill 542 requires that all public electric utilities maintain a contract for a 30-day aggregate fuel supply for the remainder of the life of existing coal-fired plants and requires that public electric utilities provide advance notice of retirement, shutdown, or sale of electricity-generating units.

Senate Bill 485 creates the offense of possessing a firearm on one’s person during the commission of certain qualifying felony offenses.

Senate Bill 464 provides a safe process for organic waste composting and require the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to promulgate related rules related to implementing organic waste composting.

Senate Bill 424 creates a fixed income credit for low-income senior citizens.

Senate Bill 335 modifies the eligibility cost for which grants from the West Virginia Invests Grant Program may be used.

Senate Bill 231 authorizes the Commissioner of the Bureau for Public Health to approve additions to the forms of lawful medical cannabis which may be used and the conditions for which medical cannabis use is authorized pursuant to recommendations of the Medical Cannabis Advisory Board.

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