Senate finance committee reports recommend moving several House bills; Senate gives first readings

Summary

The Senate received a finance committee report (Jason Barrett, chair) recommending passage as amended of multiple engrossed committee substitutes and advanced several House bills to first reading, including measures on a Recharge West Virginia program, aerospace and manufacturing incentives, portable benefits, and education funding formulas.

The Clerk reported that the Senate finance committee, chaired by Jason Barrett, had considered and returned several engrossed committee substitutes with recommendations that they "do pass as amended." The chamber then granted first readings and advanced the listed House bills.

Bills noted by the Clerk included House Bill 4004 (creating the Recharge West Virginia program), House Bill 4006 (creating the West Virginia Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing Growth Act), House Bill 4009 (relating to creation of the Portable Benefit Account Act), House Bill 5412 (Future Ready Education Act), and bills to modify the school aid funding formula and to eliminate acreage requirements for private wedding venues in rural locations. The Clerk read each committee report and the bills received their first reading on the floor; no final passage on the Senate floor was recorded in the transcript.

Jason Barrett was named as chair of the reporting committee in the transcript; the Clerk's reading served as the official notification of the committee recommendations. Where the Clerk read that a bill "do pass as amended," that reflected the finance committee's recommendation, not final Senate passage.