MORGANTOWN – Here is a look at some of the bills introduced on Wednesday, Feb. 2. Local sponsors and cosponsors, if any, are noted.
SB 555, authorizing the state treasurer to prepare, maintain, and publish a list of financial institutions engaged in boycotts of firearms companies. Sens. Charles Clements, R-Wetzel, Randy Smith, R-Tucker, Dave Sypolt, R-Preston, co-sponsors.
SB 567, to exempt unmined rare earth metals and rare earth elements from taxation in West Virginia.
HB 4492, to combine the Aeronautics Commission, State Rail Authority, Port Authority, and the Public Transit agency into one agency under the Department of Transportation, to be called the Division of Multimodal Transportation. Governor’s bill.
HB 4507, to increase the minimum wage requirements for employees who customarily receive tips. Currently the 70% credit results in the minimum wage for persons receiving tips being $2.62. The increase to 50% bill would increase tip earners’ minimum wage to $4.38.
HB 4509, says in full: “Marriage is a civil contract between two persons. When necessary to determine the rights and responsibilities of spouses under the provisions of this chapter, gender specific terms such as husband and wife, man and woman, male and female, and he and she, must be construed to be gender neutral and applicable to spouses regardless of gender.” Delegate Danielle Walker, D-Monongalia, co-sponsor.
HB 4513, to allow county commissions to impose an amusement tax. Delegate Terri Sypolt, R-Preston, lead sponsor; Delegate Buck Jennings, R-Preston, co-sponsor.
HB 4521, to establish minimum training requirements for law enforcement officials on interacting effectively with people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. Sypolt, co-sponsor.
HCR 42, “encourages institutes of higher education to relocate Chinese language and cultural programs from the PRC to Taiwan to advance U.S. national security interests, strengthen ties between our two democracies and promote a positive learning environment to enhance comprehensive Mandarin language education for American students.”
