Tag: West Virginia Senate

Job Training Would Be Required For Grocery Benefits Under Bill

A bill under consideration in the West Virginia Senate would require participants in a grocery assistance program receive job training if they are currently unemployed.

Job training may soon be required for unemployed participants in West Virginia’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Each month, SNAP provides eligible low-income households with a monetary supplement to their food budget, with the goal of reducing food insecurity. SNAP is a nationwide program administered in West Virginia by the Department of Human Services.

Currently, adults who receive SNAP benefits in West Virginia are eligible to receive employment training through the program.

Senate Bill 562 would make job training a requirement for adult participants employed for less than 30 hours per week, provided that they do not have certain disabilities or meet other exemptions.

At a meeting of the Senate Workforce Committee on Tuesday, lawmakers discussed a new version of the bill that expanded the age requirement for this new provision to age 60. An earlier draft of the bill would only have required participants ages 18 to 51 to participate in the training.

Sen. Rollan Roberts, R-Raleigh, who serves as chair of the committee, described the job training requirement as an opportunity to support residents in need.

“It’s my opinion, after researching all of this and dealing with everyone, we have more resources than ever to help folks,” he said. “I think it’s a great time to be able to help them.”

The committee voted unanimously in favor of the bill, sending it to the Senate Finance Committee for further discussion.

Senate Bill Aims To Standardize State Building Codes

The West Virginia Senate Government Organization Committee voted in favor of a bill that would standardize state building codes. Proponents of the bill said it would remove a liability for building owners.

Lawmakers took a step toward standardizing state building codes Thursday during a Senate Government Organization Committee meeting. 

Building codes are currently created by the West Virginia Fire Commission, then adopted on the county and municipal level.

But Senate Bill 629 would cut out the middleman, clarifying that building codes adopted on the state level necessarily apply to all counties and municipalities within the state.

Under the bill, county and municipal governments would still be responsible for providing building code enforcement services.

While the bill would not address building code enforcement, it clarifies that, unless exempt, all buildings in West Virginia must adhere to state codes, regardless of whether code violations are addressed on the local level.

Sen. Chandler Swope, R-Mercer, voiced his support for the bill, which he said would reaffirm the importance of adhering to state codes.

“Having been in the construction business, I have experience in this area,” Swope said. “I really believe you’re doing property owners a favor by encouraging them to follow building codes, because … not following proper codes leaves the property owner at a very high risk.”

Members of the committee voted unanimously in favor of the bill, sending it to the Senate floor with the recommendation that it pass.

Senate Revisits County Commission Vacancy Protocol After Jefferson County Controversy

The West Virginia Senate is currently discussing amendments to state protocol for filling county commission vacancies, following a controversy in Jefferson County late last year.

On Tuesday, the West Virginia Senate discussed amendments to state protocol for filling county commission vacancies, following a controversy in Jefferson County late last year.

From Sept. 7 to Nov. 31, 2023 two members of the Jefferson County Commission — Jennifer Krouse and Tricia Jackson — refused to attend meetings. This was due to a disagreement over which candidate would fill a vacant seat, and the protocol for how they would be selected.

During this time, they continued to receive pay from their positions on the commission, MetroNews previously reported.

In late November, a judge required the two commissioners to resume attending meetings, but they continued to express concern over the procedure.

Counsel for the Senate Government Organization Committee explained that these events led to the creation of Senate Bill 542, which would update protocol for filling vacant seats on five-person county commissions, like the one in Jefferson County.

Under the bill, five-member commissions unable to agree on an appointee would create a list of eligible candidates and strike names from the list one at a time.

Commissioners would take turns striking names in a predetermined order based on the political party of the vacating commissioner and the tenure of voting commissioners.

Ultimately, the last remaining person on the list would fill the vacant commission seat under the new bill.

The Senate Government Organization Committee voted unanimously to send the bill to the Senate floor with the recommendation that it be passed. Before passage, it will undergo further discussion from the full Senate.

New Bill Would Make It Legal To Wine And Not Dine

Currently, wineries are required to serve food if wine is going to be consumed on premises, but a new law advancing through the Senate would change that.

Updated on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024 at 6:25 p.m.

Currently, wineries are required to serve food if wine is going to be consumed on premises, but a new law advancing through the Senate would change that. 

Senate Bill 320 progressed to second reading Tuesday. The bill would remove the current requirement for wineries to serve food when any more than four ounces of wine is being consumed on site by a patron.

Sen. Mike Stuart, R-Kanawha, vice chair of the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said the bill is good for the state’s business climate. 

“This seems to be a smart move with less regulation, and more freedom,” Stuart said. “I trust people to do the right thing on this. The idea of whether there’s a cracker or there isn’t, is not gonna save somebody’s life.” 

Being required to serve food, requires extra permitting and overhead costs for wineries. Stuart said deregulation in this industry could bolster the vineyard and wine industry and aid tourism.

“We’ve got a huge potential for wine tourism growth,” Stuart said. “Tourism is booming in West Virginia, I think we need to embrace it as much as we can. That’s why I think less regulation: Let these wineries do what they can to bring in more people to grow West Virginia.” 

However, he says this is just a small change to deregulation of alcohol and drug sales. Unlike a bill that the House sent over to the Senate that legalizes making moonshine, or introduced legislation on the legalization of recreational Marijuana.

“It’s a very small tweak, not a huge change. I think it provides for freedom —  that’s reasonable. And we don’t have to worry about the safety of our communities on this,” he said.

Virginia, a top wine producing state, has laws similar to SB 320 that permit wine to be served without food being served. 

**Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story misidentified Sen. Mike Stuart, R-Kanawha, as Senate Majority Leader Tom Takubo, R-Kanawha.

Senate Bill Would Require Public Venues To Display Closed Captions On Televisions

A bill introduced to the West Virginia Senate would require that public venues display closed captioning on their televisions. The bill was referred to the Senate Government Organization Committee for review.

A bill proposed in the West Virginia Senate would make public spaces more accessible for people with hearing loss.

Sen. Mike Caputo, D-Marion, proposed Senate Bill 251 earlier this month, which would require public venues to display closed captioning on their televisions.

The bill includes exceptions for televisions without a closed captioning function. Likewise, venues with several televisions on display would only have to display closed captioning on half of their screens.

Ultimately, the bill stipulates that places of public accommodation should make a “reasonable effort” to preemptively provide closed captioning on televisions, without placing the onus on patrons to request such services themselves.

The bill is under consideration by the Senate Government Organization Committee, which on Tuesday created a subcommittee to review and develop the bill further.

Senate Bill Could Prohibit Driving Too Slow In Left Lane

The West Virginia Senate advanced legislation that would crack down on slow driving in the left lane of an interstate highway.

Updated on Monday, Jan. 29, 2024 at 5:26 p.m.

A new bill advancing through the West Virginia Senate aims to ensure slow drivers steer clear of the left lane. 

On Monday, the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced Senate Bill 441, which would penalize drivers for traveling at an unsafely slow speed in the leftmost lane of a four-lane interstate highway.

The bill would affect 25 different roadways in West Virginia, each of which would receive signage to notify drivers of the law. Committee Attorney Marey Casey said the bill was based on legislation in other states, including Arkansas.

Under the bill, driving too slowly in the left lane would be classified as a misdemeanor, and punishable by fines of $100 for first offense, or $200 for each subsequent offense within a year.

Unsafe driving is not defined in a numerical, miles-per-hour manner in the bill. Instead, it describes the offense as driving slowly enough “to impede or block the normal and reasonable movement of traffic.” Ultimately, law enforcement officials would determine whether an individual drives at a slow enough speed to commit the offense.

Still, the bill makes exceptions for some circumstances, like when drivers pass one another, navigate around highway construction, or seek to avoid dangerous road conditions.

The bill passed through the committee with no pushback, and will be referred back to the Senate for a first reading.

**Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story said the bill had been referred to the full Senate on third reading. This was incorrect. The bill has been sent to the Senate and is expected to be on first reading.

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