iWelcome to the 2021 Legislative Brief, your one-stop shop for legislative news from a variety of sources throughout West Virginia, and my view of the legislative happenings on the horizon. Today marks the 38th day of the 60-day Legislative Session.
Legislative Action by the Numbers:
1290 bills introduced in the House of Delegates
667 bills introduced in the State Senate
97 bills have passed the House of Delegates
107 bills have passed the State Senate
31 bills have completed legislative action and await the Governor's consideration (10 House, 21 Senate)
My View from the Capitol
Today marks the 38th day of the 60 day Regular Legislative Session. With only 22 days remaining in the session, expect for the pace to continue to be hectic with long committee meetings followed by lengthy floor sessions.
The Governor's proposed elimination of the personal income tax continues to be the hot topic for discussion in both chambers. The Governor made a personal pitch to the House Republican caucus yesterday as it seems each day more and more individual legislators, as well as affected special interest groups, are voicing concerns with the currently proposed legislation. It seems likely the House and Senate finance committees may roll out their own versions of this bill sometime next week. If compromise can't be reached between the two chambers, it is safe to assume the Governor could very well call a special session sometime later this year to once again tackle this proposal. There will certainly be a special session sometime in the fall to address redistricting once the updated census numbers are received by the state.
Lastly, a bill that would allow students to repeat a year in school and sports because of the impact of the pandemic is moving through the House of Delegates following approval Thursday by the House Education Committee yesterday. It now is in the House Finance committee for further consideration, but is an example of how much COVID has, and still is, affecting our daily lives.
Legislative Calendar - Important Days to Remember
Forty-first Day - March 22, 2021: Last day to introduce bills in the Senate. Senate Rule 14 does not apply to originating or supplementary appropriation bills, and does not apply to Senate or House resolutions or concurrent resolutions.
Forty-seventh Day - March 28, 2021: Bills due out of committees in house of origin to ensure three full days for readings.
Fiftieth Day - March 31, 2021: Last day to consider bill on third reading in house of origin. Does not include budget or supplementary appropriation bills. (Joint Rule 5, paragraph b)
Sixtieth Day - April 10, 2021: Adjournment at Midnight. (WV Const. Art. VI, §22)
