[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6277837,"mediaKeyId","2646152-473aef3f68ea68b6daaadc62238a099a","parentId",2646152,"title","Amendment to expand pharmacist prescribing authority rejected after floor debate; bill advances","audioSeconds",2751,"startMs",4413000,"endMs",7164000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2646152-473aef3f68ea68b6daaadc62238a099a&start=4413&end=7164","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2646152-473aef3f68ea68b6daaadc62238a099a/thumbnail_4413000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6277837/West-Virginia/Amendment-to-expand-pharmacist-prescribing-authority-rejected-after-floor-debate-bill-advances","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6277837-73b724c2c7aa7a86fee704b0f330da93/orig.mp4?Expires=1776090344&Signature=gXyuKWVoNM-8wk82xqcnpkyQvZp9kNo9lR~IN3CfV0YcvkPL~r0-CKZlYOjvhFGzJlgutfMJAY1mQnk0lLFp8En-IYx0MDL~idZhzAiHP6Maqvup0vSvCWXX8qc8BBgPY1-YYLmSYKkvxCjKRF4xwi2fhwCmvHEQQbduU2C8PbzTdkIslEWbdqsFDkS8UBO43I9Hr5CxYVQaqcAqd99r5Y3qGoHb68iyh-auH0r-0ea9RXM9Y9BOpbV4uhBjiVP5A8qVOd8x1Csphy5WQKA2N-8z3VpPjWPm9T6LWg1iWyDpRKG8XseIMXZegKj8qx6U~QxuSVyGd0o5OfenqAEDPw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","West Virginia Legislature","date","2025-03-14T00:00:00Z","article","The West Virginia Senate debated a committee substitute for Senate Bill 526, the pharmacist prescribing authority act, with extended floor discussion about the scope of tests pharmacists may use, emergency dispensing and communication requirements with primary care providers.

Senators described competing goals: expanding timely access to basic diagnostics and treatments at pharmacies, and ensuring safeguards for patient safety and continuity of care.

The senior senator from the seventeenth introduced a strike-and-insert amendment intended to clarify the bill\u000027s language on testing, diagnosis and notification requirements. She said the amendment would \"authorize pharmacist to practice the full extent of their education and training and prescribe low risk medication to patients\" while ensuring pharmacists administer CLIA-waived tests, complete a medication history and notify the patient\u000027s primary care provider within 72 hours.

The senator from Ohio opposed the amendment, saying \"The strike and insert, guts the bill.\" She said the original committee substitute was narrowly written to allow pharmacists to administer waived tests (for example, flu or COVID), prescribe limited medications guided by those tests, and provide emergency dispensing when a patient cannot obtain a timely refill or during disasters. She warned the amendment would eliminate emergency dispensing authority except for limited cases and impose arbitrary time-limits that would delay care.

Several senators described access barriers that motivated the underlying bill. The senator from Mingo said many constituents lack timely access to doctors or reliable internet for telehealth and would benefit from expanded pharmacy-based testing and treatment.

During debate the senior senator from the seventeenth read an email from the Board of Pharmacy stating the board and its members supported the amendments and that the board would present the proposed language to the Senate.

A roll-call vote was then demanded and sustained on the amendment. The clerk reported 14 yeas, 17 nays, 3 absent; the amendment failed. The presiding officer announced the amendment rejected and the bill will be engrossed and advanced toward third reading in its prior committee-substitute form.

Key points in floor debate included whether pharmacists should be required to administer the CLIA-waived test themselves, the requirement to notify a primary care provider within 72 hours, and the scope of emergency dispensing (including whether epinephrine refills should be permitted without an active prescription).

Votes
Roll-call on amendment to committee substitute for Senate Bill 526 (strike-and-insert): 14 yeas, 17 nays, 3 absent; outcome: amendment rejected. Bill advanced for engrossment.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate in Session Friday, Mar 14, 2025 09:57 - 12:14","oneSentenceSummary","The West Virginia Senate debated a committee substitute for Senate Bill 526, the pharmacist prescribing authority act, and rejected a floor amendment that would have substantially rewritten the bill.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature WV, West Virginia","taxId",77714,"location","West Virginia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6277841,"Senate passes bill to narrow inspections under Above Ground Storage Tank law after heated debate",671,3289000,3960000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2646152-473aef3f68ea68b6daaadc62238a099a&start=3289&end=3960","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2646152-473aef3f68ea68b6daaadc62238a099a/thumbnail_3289000.jpg","/articles/6277841/West-Virginia/Senate-passes-bill-to-narrow-inspections-under-Above-Ground-Storage-Tank-law-after-heated-debate","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6277841-90c842436cd77673e698462eb38ef6f7/orig.mp4?Expires=1776090344&Signature=Ek5yWgQVkmmHPAakFEtFwarGvDNp2V5UQF9wFkJ-EfEoqzwJDXUr0kOHn1xTlE-A523sVQBvq8kELYYzqasYmW8uf9ZDyXMxGWN20-iMe74Q0NOjKRI3uIch0IntTIY82YIckln--oje1iOKJdvQLN1K7hlm7EdufEVDYQDxYglzL1Kbcxln9cQL94665nVVADXsdb-2YuCeLlZc4ITUvpWR5rzBVTPYxZt~Y-zUxJfEz~Jf-qqDLssN0~V0NpT4MiJlKSanY9dEsUXwWnjicUdFsEbYRfsliGnArHO1kMlNn~EZj71wlx-Cju9-lpsJKnaAUFi8KQ0i7AgwBBQr6Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The West Virginia Senate on Friday passed an engrossed committee substitute for Senate Bill 592, changing how the state regulates certain above-ground storage tanks and limiting the number of DEP inspections in some cases.

Supporters said the bill rolls back what they described as an overbroad regulatory response and relieves smaller producers and some industry operators of inspection requirements. Opponents said the changes reduce protections for drinking-water sources by removing many tanks from the law\u000027s inspection and oversight provisions.

Senator from Upshur said the committee substitute \"scales back the authority of the above ground storage tank act by setting limits on the number of inspections that can be required by the DEP in certain circumstances.\" He also described how the bill removes categories of tanks from certified-professional inspections, replacing them with owner self-inspection and reporting.

The debate focused on the 2014 law that established statewide AST regulation after a chemical spill. \"The AST Act, which is better called the Tank Act, passed in 02/2014,\" the Upshur senator said, and recounted current regulatory coverage: \"Originally regulated 42,047 above ground storage tanks. Since that time \u000027...currently the tank Act\u000027 regulates 4,566 tanks. That represents 10.8% of the tanks in the state.\" He warned the substitute would remove 866 tanks located in drinking-water critical zones and an additional 219 tanks from regulation, leaving roughly 8.3% of tanks regulated under the act as amended.

Senator for Marion recalled the 2014 water contamination episode and the legislative response that followed. \"I remember a licorice smell in the air \u000027...the water basically being cut off,\" she said, describing the session that produced statewide regulation. She argued the bill would weaken protections created after that event.

Senator from Cattle urged colleagues to \"protect their drinking water,\" saying West Virginians expect the Legislature to shield public water supplies from contamination. The junior senator from second, who explained the committee substitute during third reading, urged passage and framed the bill as correcting an overreaction to the 2014 incident, and as easing regulatory burden on industry.

After floor debate the question was put to a recorded vote. The clerk reported the result as 25 yeas, 7 nays, 2 absent; the president declared the bill passed and directed the clerk to communicate the action to the House.

The bill amends the AST regulatory scheme by narrowing the tanks that must be inspected by certified professionals and instituting self-inspection or registration-only requirements for the excluded categories. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle framed the choice as one between regulatory burden on producers and protection of drinking-water sources.

The passage triggers referral or implementation tasks for the Department of Environmental Protection and for any agencies responsible for updating guidance or compliance forms; the bill text (committee substitute) will determine specific compliance, registration, and reporting deadlines.

Votes
Senate final passage (third reading) of engrossed committee substitute for Senate Bill 592: 25 yeas, 7 nays, 2 absent; outcome: approved.

Sources: West Virginia Senate floor proceedings (third reading and debate).","The West Virginia Senate on Friday passed an engrossed committee substitute for Senate Bill 592, changing how the state regulates certain above-ground storage tanks and limiting the number of DEP inspections in some cases.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6277832,"Votes at a glance: key Senate actions March 14, 2025",6198,1362000,7560000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2646152-473aef3f68ea68b6daaadc62238a099a&start=1362&end=7560","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2646152-473aef3f68ea68b6daaadc62238a099a/thumbnail_1362000.jpg","/articles/6277832/West-Virginia/Votes-at-a-glance-key-Senate-actions-March-14-2025","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6277832-9987ec6c1156d595debc30f52f8dd656/orig.mp4?Expires=1776090344&Signature=EbNw-mMAP45gprHxH3oAhgDaIHi-Cd7uoUxsXFTKUecuoK4RWphtA19sIJIWpJNrzjMmd8mVNHSpxjaaPU53jfWo1AUu9Geylfon89mYk4lZ2A7G1lgAGZuC0f2jf1Mk6ekIBqmknNKTJPx3d~Bz54S9CSP6OuK6tI-5OWoi-leYrQlG6O39-N4nvDHK4kUWWzjgK6f0yRe8HZRjlQUP57MLKZOE79a9z-r~DMmn-o5SMgFFNk0qVN54NoXBvZEZelaaNp6S3-tE5a9Muh10OBVl3F~6p2c4d6YsfvP6hc5H9Ru~DFfuMbad1XowNQGUFwpQrigE-ofYzvbvyfi-Fw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The West Virginia Senate took a series of formal actions on March 14, 2025. Below are the key floor votes recorded in the session and their outcomes.

- Senate concurred with House amendments to Senate Bill 138 (enhancing penalties for fleeing an officer). Passage recorded: 31 yays, 0 nays, 3 absent; outcome: concurred and bill passed.

- Senate concurred with House amendments to Senate Bill 240 (extortion-related revisions). Passage recorded: 31 yays, 0 nays, 3 absent; outcome: concurred and bill passed.

- Senate concurred with House amendments to Senate Bill 291. Outcome on the floor: concurred and the bill passed; the transcript does not list the machine tally for the final passage on the record (not specified).

- Committee substitute for House Bill 2354 (banning certain products from food) passed the Senate. Recorded machine result: 26 yeas, 4 nays, 4 absent; the Senate also voted to make the bill effective from passage by the same recorded tally and declared it effective from passage.

- Engrossed Senate Bill 592 (above ground storage tanks) passed third reading after debate. Recorded: 25 yeas, 7 nays, 2 absent; outcome: passed.

- Engrossed Senate Bill 712 (retirement provisions managed by CPRB) passed third reading. Recorded: 31 yays, 0 nays, 2 absent; outcome: passed.

- Senate Bill 715 (exempting retirement system personal records from FOIA) passed. Recorded: 32 yays, 0 nays, 2 absent; outcome: passed.

- Senate Bill 716 (failure to pay required contributions following transfers between retirement systems) passed. Recorded: 31 yays, 0 nays, 2 absent, 1 excused; outcome: passed.

- Engrossed committee substitute for House Bill 2042 (allowing a guardian ad litem to request appointment of a court-appointed special advocate) passed. Recorded: 32 yays, 0 nays, 2 absent; outcome: passed.

Procedural notes: some committee reports, first readings and references to secondary committee review were announced but did not include floor votes. Where the transcript does not provide a machine tally for a specific action, the entry is marked \"not specified.\" All recorded tallies above are verbatim from the session transcript.

Actions listed here were recorded by the Senate clerk and the presiding officer and reflected on the Senate floor during the March 14 session.","The West Virginia Senate dealt with a series of concurrence motions, resolution adoptions and bill passages on March 14, 2025. This roundup lists major bills acted on the floor, their outcomes and the vote tallies recorded on the transcript.","actionData","errors"]

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Amendment to expand pharmacist prescribing authority rejected after floor debate; bill advances

Senate passes bill to narrow inspections under Above Ground Storage Tank law after heated debate

Votes at a glance: key Senate actions March 14, 2025