October 1st, 2024 by WCBC Radio
The West Virginia Legislature is currently in its second Special Session of 2024, convened by Governor Justice. What makes this session unusual is that it was called outside the Interim meetings already scheduled for the week of October 6th. Typically, special sessions are held during Interim meetings to reduce costs and save taxpayer money. There are 28 bills on the agenda for this session.
We took up for immediate consideration several bills. All but one of these were supplemental appropriations that we planned to fund in the budget, but we held back on because the state feared some of the Federal monies would be clawed back. HB201 allocated funds to the State Department of Education which continue programs like therapy dogs in schools that was funded through covid money. HB202 increased the spending authority of the State Road Fund for Division of Highways funds we had already allocated for increased road maintenance, while HB203 directed funds to the Department of Veterans’ Assistance, Veterans’ Home for upgrades to the buildings. HB204 provided additional funding to the West Virginia State Police to improve communications and HB205 allocated funds to the West Virginia National Guard for facilities improvements and recruiting efforts. HB206 provided $2 million in funding to West Virginia as match to bring down Federal monies for groundbreaking research on reducing PTSD and obesity. The final appropriations bill was HB207 directed funds to the State Board of Education to fund pay raises at the WV School for the Deaf and Blind that were inadvertently left out of last sessions pay raise.
The final bill taken up on Monday was HB 208 would have West Virginia join an agreement with the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission that 41 other states have already joined allowing us to regulate in state low level nuclear items. Nearly all of these low-level nuclear items are found in medical equipment and the inspections will be done within the Department of Health. By doing this the inspections fees will go to the state of West Virginia instead of the Federal Government. All of the bills passed with a strong majority vote.
The remaining 20 bills were assigned to committees for further review, with many referred to the Finance Committee, on which I serve. After the floor session, the Finance Committee convened to address some of the supplemental appropriations bills. HB211 provides additional funding to the Governor’s Civil Contingent Fund to match Congressional earmarks for local projects. HB214 allocates funds to the Department of Health, Office of the Inspector General, to help track waste, fraud, and abuse in government-funded healthcare. HB215 provides funding to the Division of Environmental Protection for a 10% match of federal funds to clean up a contaminated site in Raleigh County. HB219 funds the Public Defender Services, and the final bill, HB224, grants spending authority to the Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority for deferred maintenance projects. All these bills passed out of committee and will be reported to the full House when we reconvene.
To save the taxpayers money, the House adjourned until Sunday October 6th, when more bills will be taken up. By waiting until the 6th, we will overlap with the previously scheduled interims causing no additional cost to the taxpayers. Finance will be before session on the same day to vet additional bills. As always, if you have any questions, need assistance with a state agency, or have ideas to improve the state, please reach out to me. You can contact me at Gary.Howell@WVHouse.gov or by phone at (304) 340-3191.
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