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Senate bills require conception video and ‘In God We Trust,’ allow creation theories in classrooms

Senators advanced a bill to mandate viewing a specific video in classrooms about conception, passed a bill allowing classroom discussions of theories of the universe’s origins that could include a guiding hand and also passed a bill mandating display in classrooms of donated signs displaying the motto “In God We Trust.” Mandatory conception video Senate Bill 468 would require a course in public schools on human development. More specifically, a section of the bill called the “Baby Olivia Act” would require public school viewings of “Meet Baby Olivia,” by Live ...

House passes bill eliminating nurse anesthetist supervision in divided vote

MORGANTOWN — The House of Delegates passed a bill on Tuesday that produced lengthy debate on Monday about supervision of nurse anesthetists. HB 4432 is a 25-page bill to allow physician assistants to own their own practices. The subject of debate was a short section near the end to ...

Legislative committees OK bills affecting city business taxes, gun laws

MORGANTOWN — Two bills affecting cities passed out of legislative committees Tuesday morning — one dealing with business fees, one with guns. House Political Subdivisions approved HB 4602, the business tax bill, in a divided vote. Current state law allows cities — for businesses ...

Capito hosts roundtable, business tour

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), hosted a West Virginia Farm Bill Priorities Roundtable Monday in Morgantown, with U.S. Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark), ranking member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. Boozman is one of the primary authors of the upcoming Farm ...

Bill takes aim at election changes

CHARLESTON — Delegates Monday advanced a bill specifying the Legislature has the ability to bring legal actions against state government officials who make or attempt unauthorized changes in state election laws. Another element of House Bill 4205 would allow citizens to seek a court order against any state or local official who fails to abide by or to enforce a state election law or regulatory requirement. “The intent here is to give the Legislature standing in the courts and what we as a body set into law,” said Delegate Josh Holstein, R-Boone, the lead sponsor of the ...

A sampling of bills introduced Monday, Jan. 22 and Tuesday, Jan. 23

MORGANTOWN — Here is a sampling of bills introduced Monday, Jan. 22. Local sponsors and co-sponsors are noted. SB 495 and 496, to clarify that race discrimination includes discrimination based on certain hair textures and styles. SB 496, Sen. Mike Caputo, D-Marion, sponsor. SB 497, ...