Senate pensions committee adopts organizational rules and authorizes staff technical fixes

Senator Michael A. Oliverio II, chair of the West Virginia Senate Committee on Pensions, opened the Feb. 17, 2025, meeting in Room 451-M and recognized Vice Chair Taylor for a set of organizational motions that the committee approved by voice vote.

Vice Chair Taylor moved that the Rules of the Senate be adopted to govern committee deliberations; that the chair be authorized to set the committee agenda; that staff be authorized to make technical corrections to bills, resolutions and drafts as needed; that committee counsel be authorized to incorporate bills or resolutions into a committee substitute after presentation and a committee vote to report; and that witnesses appearing before the committee, with the exception of Senate staff and elected officials, be administered the oath authorized by Senate Rule 28a. The series of motions was adopted on a voice vote; vote tallies were not specified in the minutes.

The committee's adoption of procedural authorities centralizes routine drafting and technical work with staff and counsel while reserving substantive decisions to the full committee. The oath provision narrows who must be sworn, exempting internal Senate staff and elected officials. Chair Oliverio also used the opening to introduce committee counsel and clerical staff for the session.