Daily Legislative Update for Friday, March 3, 2023
(ACTION ALERT INCLUDED, PLEASE READ ENTIRE UPDATE!)
-Senate Floor
Second Reading
Eng. H. B. 2827 – Allows public charter schools to be eligible for Safe Schools Funds. The bill advanced to third reading.
-House Education Committee
The House Education meeting was a bit chopped up today, due to their lengthy agenda, floor session timing and other meetings running simultaneously.
The following two bills were advanced from the committee during the 9 am meeting.
S. B. 99- Authorizes meetings of county boards of education to explore and discuss the feasibility of consolidating school districts or sharing certain services, and spells out the procedures for such discussions. The bill also authorizes the legislature to incentivize county boards to explore and discuss the feasibility of consolidating school districts or sharing of services.
Com. Sub. for S. B. 216-Requiring all schools to instruct students on Holocaust, other genocides and financial literacy.
The meeting adjourned after these two bills for delegates to go to the floor session and returned at 2:30 PM where the bills below were taken up by the committee.
Com. Sub. for S. B. 28-Creating WV Guardian Program- Advanced from the committee, referred to the judiciary committee
Com. Sub. For S. B. 306- Establishing Summer Feeding for All Program. WVDE Deputy Superintendent of Schools testified before the committee about feeding program and protocols. There was discussion among delegates that the provisions of the bill could be cumbersome to county systems. The bill was amended to go back to “may” instead of “shall” in three sections of code to make it a permissive program, but not mandated. The bill advanced and was referred to Finance.
S. B. 489- Requiring BOE provide free feminine hygiene products in certain grades. The bill advanced and was referred to Finance.
S. B. 47- Creating Charter Schools Stimulus Fund- The bill establishes a fund for the purpose of providing financial support to charter school applicants and charter schools that may not otherwise have the resources for start-up costs such as costs associated with renovating or remodeling existing buildings and structures and costs for the purchase of school buses. The fund consists of money appropriated by the Legislature, grants, gifts, and donations from any public or private source. The bill was defeated in committee 7-9.
Com. Sub. for S. B. 688- Allows BOE to hire retired teachers to assist with tutoring. Must be a US citizen, retired certified educator, possess liability at own cost, pass a criminal background check and have no prior offenses that exclude them from employment. Does not affect their retirement. The bill advanced and moves to the floor for consideration.
-House Floor:
Second Reading
Com. Sub. for S. B. 268 – PEIA cost shifting bill
Com. Sub. for S. B. 423 – Pay raise bill
Com. Sub. for S. B. 51 - Requiring impact statement in certain instances of school closing or consolidation
** AFT-WV, along with a number of other unions representing public employees, held a press conference at the Capitol this morning to discuss their concerns with SB 268, explain the hardships the changes will cause on public workers, and ask the House to work with stakeholders to come up with solutions to the PEIA crisis that will not harm over 230,000 West Virginians.
It is expected that the House will meet tomorrow and SB 268 will be on third reading/passage stage with the right to amend. It is urgent that all education and public employees express their concerns to the House members ASAP.
Your calls and emails are needed now more than ever to the full House of Delegates! Anyone who is available is encouraged to come to the Capitol tomorrow and engage in face-to-face conversations with your Delegate about how this bill hurts our state's hard-working public servants.
Feel free to use the bulk copy & paste list of House of Delegates email addresses at the bottom of this update to email all delegates at once.
First Reading
S.B. 237- This bill grants retirees 70 years or older with 20 years or more service making less than $1000 per month in retirement a one-time $1500 check and increases their monthly amount to $1000.
***Here's the copy & paste version of all Delegate emails.
Let the House of Delegates know that their proposed PEIA cost shifting on the backs of employees will hurt 230,000 West Virginians and further exacerbate the shortage of education and public employees!
david.adkins@wvhouse.gov; bill.anderson@wvhouse.gov; trenton.barnhart@wvhouse.gov; jordan.bridges@wvhouse.gov; eric.brooks@wvhouse.gov; adam.burkhammer@wvhouse.gov; jim.butler@wvhouse.gov; jarred.cannon@wvhouse.gov; moore.capito@wvhouse.gov; geno.chiarelli@wvhouse.gov; wayne.clark@wvhouse.gov; elias.coop-gonzalez@wvhouse.gov; roy.cooper@wvhouse.gov; vernon.criss@wvhouse.gov; kathie.crouse@wvhouse.gov; mark.dean@wvhouse.gov; mike.devault@wvhouse.gov; henry.dillon@wvhouse.gov; lori.dittman@wvhouse.gov; joe.ellington@wvhouse.gov; paul.espinosa@wvhouse.gov; tom.fast@wvhouse.gov; bob.fehrenbacher@wvhouse.gov; dana.ferrell@wvhouse.gov; shawn.fluharty@wvhouse.gov; dave.foggin@wvhouse.gov; don.forsht@wvhouse.gov; geoff.foster@wvhouse.gov; joey.garcia@wvhouse.gov; marty.gearheart@wvhouse.gov; ric.griffith@wvhouse.gov; anita.hall@wvhouse.gov; walter.hall@wvhouse.gov; caleb.hanna@wvhouse.gov; evan.hansen@wvhouse.gov; roger.hanshaw@wvhouse.gov; john.hardy@wvhouse.gov; scot.heckert@wvhouse.gov;rick.hillenbrand@wvhouse.gov; michael.hite@wvhouse.govjosh.holstein@wvhouse.gov; mike.honaker@wvhouse.gov; sean.hornbuckle@wvhouse.gov; michael.hornby@wvhouse.gov; charles.horst@wvhouse.gov; johnpaul.hott@wvhouse.gov; eric.householder@wvhouse.gov; gary.howell@wvhouse.gov; dean.jeffries@wvhouse.gov; buck.jennings@wvhouse.gov; riley.keaton@wvhouse.gov; david.kelly@wvhouse.govlaura.kimble@wvhouse.gov; todd.kirby@wvhouse.gov; larry.kump@wvhouse.gov; daniel.linville@wvhouse.gov; todd.longanacre@wvhouse.gov; patrick.lucas@wvhouse.gov; phil.mallow@wvhouse.gov; keith.marple@wvhouse.gov; carl.martin@wvhouse.gov; jordan.maynor@wvhouse.gov; margitta.mazzocchi@wvhouse.gov; pat.mcgeehan@wvhouse.gov; george.miller@wvhouse.gov; ty.nestor@wvhouse.gov; mickey.petitto@wvhouse.gov; chris.phillips@wvhouse.gov; jonathan.pinson@wvhouse.gov; chris.pritt@wvhouse.gov; elliott.pritt@wvhouse.gov; mike.pushkin@wvhouse.gov; charlie.reynolds@wvhouse.gov; bill.ridenour@wvhouse.gov; clay.riley@wvhouse.gov; matthew.rohrbach@wvhouse.gov; mark.ross@wvhouse.gov; larry.rowe@wvhouse.gov; andy.shamblin@wvhouse.gov; charles.sheedy@wvhouse.gov; doug.skaff@wvhouse.gov; doug.smith@wvhouse.gov; joe.statler@wvhouse.gov; brandon.steele@wvhouse.gov; erikka.storch@wvhouse.gov; george.street@wvhouse.gov; amy.summers@wvhouse.gov; darren.thorne@wvhouse.gov; chris.toney@wvhouse.gov; heather.tully@wvhouse.gov; adam.vance@wvhouse.gov; danielle.walker@wvhouse.gov; bryan.ward@wvhouse.gov; debbie.warner@wvhouse.gov; steve.westfall@wvhouse.gov; john.williams@wvhouse.gov; jimmy.willis@wvhouse.gov; evan.worrell@wvhouse.gov; kayla.young@wvhouse.gov; mark.zatezalo@wvhouse.gov;