West Virginia Senate receives committee reports, advances multiple bills to first reading

The West Virginia Senate received committee reports and advanced a slate of bills to first reading during a floor session, with several measures sent for additional committee review.

Committee chairs reported recommendations that committee substitutes “do pass” on a range of bills, and senators used unanimous-consent procedures to place many items on immediate consideration for first reading. Several measures carry an ‘‘original double committee reference’’ and were directed first to the Finance Committee or the Judiciary Committee for additional review.

Why it matters: the bills touch on a broad set of policy areas — from special-issue license plates and changes to school instruction rules to energy and mineral protections, elections, and public-safety provisions — and the Finance Committee will receive multiple measures for fiscal review.

Key committee reports and floor actions

- Committee on Finance (Jason Barrett, chair) reported a committee substitute for Senate Bill 464, creating a license plate for recipients of the Medal of Valor; the bill was placed on immediate consideration and read for the first time, and the clerk advanced the bill.

- A committee substitute for Senate Bill 474 (ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs) was reported and read for the first time and advanced.

- The Committee on Energy, Industry and Mining (Christopher A. Rose, chair) reported on Senate Bill 505, the “Ensuring Reliable and Affordable Electricity Act,” recommending the committee substitute do pass but noting the bill carried an original double committee reference and should first be referred to the Committee on Government Organization. On the floor, a senator requested that the second committee reference to Government Organization be dispensed with; the request was granted without recorded objection.

- The Committee on Rules (Randy E. Smith, chair ex officio) reported amendments to the engrossed committee substitute for Senate Bill 526, the “Pharmacist Prescribing Authority Act,” and recommended passage as amended.

- The Committee on Pensions (Michael A. Oliverio) reported committee action on Senate Bill 589 and later the floor granted unanimous consent to re-refer SB 589 to the Committee on Finance.

- The Committee on the Judiciary (Mike Stewart, chair) reported committee substitutes for bills including Senate Bill 617 (discouraging gang activity) and Senate Bill 864 (clarifying inference of criminal intent and burglary prosecution); those bills were placed on first reading and advanced.

- The Committee on Education (Amy Engrady, chair) reported a committee substitute for Senate Bill 755 (establishing the West Virginia secondary school athletic trainer and career technical education program act) recommending passage but, under original double committee reference, first be referred to Finance.

- The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (Mark R. Maynard, chair) reported on measures including Senate Bill 722 (West Virginia Short Line Railroad Modernization Act) and Senate Bill 794 (designating certain roads as permitting high-clearance 4x4 vehicles only); both reports recommended passage but directed an initial referral to Finance under the original double committee reference.

- The Committee on Energy, Industry and Mining also reported on Senate Bill 730 (establishing a forest carbon registry) and Senate Bill 899 (protecting coal and gas minerals from carbon capture practices); SB 730 was reported with an instruction that it first be referred to Finance.

- The floor received a committee report concerning display of the status of early ballots and absent voter ballots to voters; the committee substitute was reported to do pass but, under original double committee reference, the measure was to be referred first to the Judiciary Committee (bill number not specified in the transcript).

- Other bills reported and advanced to first reading included measures on increasing nontraditional instruction days for West Virginia teachers (Senate Bill 646), expanding cardiac-arrest provisions applicable to elementary schools (Senate Bill 652), and Senate Bill 725 relating to unlawful expenditures by local fiscal bodies.

Votes at a glance (procedural outcomes recorded in the transcript)

- SB 464 (creating Medal of Valor license plate): committee recommended do pass; unanimous consent granted to take up and read first time; advanced (committee report: Jason Barrett).

- SB 474 (ending DEI programs): committee recommended do pass; taken up and read first time; advanced.

- SB 505 (Ensuring Reliable and Affordable Electricity Act): committee recommended do pass; original double committee reference noted; request to dispense with second committee reference to Government Organization was granted.

- SB 526 (Pharmacist Prescribing Authority Act): Rules Committee amended and reported the bill do pass as amended (Randy E. Smith, chair ex officio).

- SB 589 (pensions-related): committee reported do pass; floor granted unanimous consent to re-refer to the Committee on Finance (Michael A. Oliverio, Committee on Pensions).

- SB 617 (discouraging gang activity): Committee on the Judiciary recommended do pass; first reading and advanced (Mike Stewart, chair).

- SB 646 (nontraditional instruction days): committee recommended do pass; first reading and advanced.

- SB 652 (expanding cardiac-arrest provisions to elementary schools): committee recommended do pass; first reading and advanced.

- SB 722 (WV Short Line Railroad Modernization Act): Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure recommended do pass but directed initial referral to Finance (Mark R. Maynard, chair).

- SB 725 (unlawful expenditures by local fiscal bodies): committee recommended do pass; first reading and advanced.

- SB 730 (forest carbon registry): Committee on Energy, Industry and Mining recommended do pass but directed initial referral to Finance (Christopher A. Rose, chair).

- SB 755 (secondary school athletic trainer & CTE program): Committee on Education recommended do pass but directed initial referral to Finance (Amy Engrady, chair).

- SB 794 (road designation for high-clearance 4x4 vehicles): Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure recommended do pass but directed initial referral to Finance.

- Election-related bill (displays status of early ballots and absent voter ballots): committee recommended do pass but directed initial referral to the Judiciary Committee (chair: Patricia Puertas Rucker); bill number not specified in transcript.

- SB 864 (clarifying inference of criminal intent and burglary prosecution): Committee on the Judiciary recommended do pass; first reading and advanced.

- SB 874 (permitting current home confinement officers to participate in EMS retirement system): Committee on Pensions recommended do pass but directed initial referral to Finance.

- SB 899 (protecting coal and gas minerals from carbon capture practices): Committee on Energy, Industry and Mining recommended do pass; first reading and advanced.

What the transcript shows — and what it does not: the record consists chiefly of committee reports recommending passage, unanimous-consent requests to take bills up for immediate consideration and first readings, and several instructions to refer bills to other committees (most commonly the Finance Committee) under original double committee references. The transcript does not include floor debate on the merits of the bills, formal roll-call vote tallies on passage, or bill text beyond short descriptive phrases recorded by the clerk.

The Senate adjourned the floor session and scheduled committee meetings and the next floor session as announced on the record.