CHARLESTON, W.Va. — New House of Delegates Speaker Tim Armstead says the new Republican leadership will seek performance audits on state agencies, including the Department of Transportation.
Armstead said Wednesday on MetroNews “Talkline” the DOT audit is first on the list. He said roads and bridges need repairs but there’s very little money. He said they want to review how the money in the agency is being spent.
“We hear day after day from people who work or have worked in the highway system, ‘If you do this, you could save millions of dollars just by changing this process or that process.’ It’s such a large process that I really think there are savings that can be had,” Armstead said.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin commissioned a Blue Ribbon Commission on Highways in 2013 which came back with a number of recommendations, but those have not been enacted.
Armstead said the Republican leadership planned to roll out 15 bills on the first day of the 60-day session including:
— Repeal of the alternative fuels act (cap and trade)
— Legal reform
— Education reform
Armstead also told “Talkline” he believes there are millions of dollars of savings to be found in the current state budget. He said state agencies would be asked to justify each dollar.
“We want to really dig into how that money is being spent in each agency, because we have some tough decisions to make,” Armstead said. “We’re not going to be able to just continue to say, ‘OK, you get everything you got last year and you make the case for getting more.’ That’s not how we’re going to do it.”
The following bills were introduced in the House Wednesday:
BILLS INTRODUCED
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
2001. By Del. Gearheart, Nelson, J., Arvon, Ellington, Folk, White, B., Frich, Hill, Householder, Moffatt and Shott – Repeal the Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio Act – To Energy then Judiciary
2002. By Del. Wagner, Overington, Evans, A., Anderson, Waxman, Shott, Kelly, Nelson, E., Folk, Espinosa and Mr. Speaker (Mr. Armstead) – Predicating actions for damages upon principles of comparative fault – To Judiciary
2003. By Del. Ambler, Anderson, Canterbury, O’Neal, Border, Sobonya, Weld, Hamilton, Ashley, Ireland and Evans, A. – Relating to the liability of a possessor of real property for harm to a trespasser – To Judiciary
2004. By Del. Nelson, J., Howell, Statler, Walters, Foster, Zatezalo, White, B., Moffatt, Stansbury, Gearheart and Butler – Providing a procedure for the development of a state plan under section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act (FN) – To Energy then Judiciary
2005. By Del. Pasdon, Hamrick, Zatezalo, Romine, McCuskey, Walters, Westfall, Arvon, Overington, Espinosa and Moffatt – Relating to alternative programs for the education of teachers – To Education then Finance
2006. By Del. Weld, Rohrbach, Zatezalo, Arvon, Espinosa, Waxman, Howell, Cowles, Ellington, Pasdon and Householder – Relating to medical professional liability – To Judiciary
2007. By Del. Stansbury, Westfall, Pasdon, Rohrbach, Hamilton, Statler, Walters, Ellington, Fast, McCuskey and Border – Requiring CPR to be taught in the public school system – To Education then Finance
2008. By Del. Summers, Evans, D., Hamrick, Ashley, Ireland, Stansbury, Gearheart, Nelson, E., Howell, Blair and Kurcaba – Auditing the Division of Highways – To Government Organization then Finance
2009. By Del. Fast, Duke, Summers, Rohrbach, Border, Hamilton, McGeehan, Storch, Arvon, Romine and Cowles – Allowing State Police, police, sheriffs and fire and emergency service personnel to possess naloxone or other approved opioid antagonist (FN) – To Health and Human Resources then Judiciary
2010. By Del. Kessinger, McCuskey, Border, Shott, Rowan, Frich, Westfall, Lane, Anderson, Sobonya and Faircloth – Requiring the elections of justices of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, circuit court judges, family court judges and magistrates be nonpartisan and by division – To Judiciary
2011. By Del. Hanshaw, Shott, Nelson, E., Rohrbach, Sobonya, Weld, Espinosa, Statler, Fast and Miller – Relating to disbursements from the Workers’ Compensation Fund where an injury is self inflicted or intentionally caused by the employer – To Judiciary
2012. By Del. White, B., Nelson, E., Storch, Zatezalo, Pasdon, Ashley, Duke, Westfall, McCuskey and Cowles – Relating to the payment of wages by employers and when final wages are required to be paid – To Industry and Labor then Finance
2013. By Del. Waxman, O’Neal, Hamilton, Butler, Anderson, Cowles, Storch, Ireland, Householder, Evans, D. and Smith, R. – Relating to the liability of a possessor of real property for injuries caused by open and obvious hazards – To Judiciary
2014. By Del. Upson, Pasdon, Cowles, McCuskey, Hamrick, Ihle, Walters, Overington, Faircloth and Azinger – West Virginiana Public Charter Schools Act of 2015 (FN) – To Education then Finance
2015. By Del. Foster, Espinosa, Summers, Miller, Lane, Duke, Ellington, McGeehan, Storch, Howell and Ihle – Requiring the Legislative Auditor to conduct performance reviews and audits for every government spending unit, including all members of the Board of Public Works and the Legislature (FN) – To Government Organization then Finance
2017. By Del. Shott – Providing for the posting of unenclosed lands to prohibit hunting, trapping or fishing – To Agriculture and Natural Resources then Judiciary
2018. By Del. Cooper – Providing a fee discount for certain nonresident hunting, fishing and trapping licenses for native nonresidents (FN) – To Agriculture and Natural Resources then Finance
2019. By Del. Caputo – Requiring the mine foreman examiner to review the employment history and certify that the applicant – To Industry and Labor then Judiciary
2020. By Del. Lane – Relating to requirements for PROMISE scholarships – To Education then Finance
2021. By Del. Lane – Implementing drug testing for recipients of federal-state and state assistance – To Health and Human Resources then Finance
2022. By Del. Lane – Prohibiting certain political fund-raising activities for members of the Legislature during certain periods of time (FN) – To Judiciary
2023. By Del. Lane – Requiring the reporting and publication of all compensation, including the source of that compensation, paid to lobbyists – To Judiciary then Finance
2024. By Del. Guthrie – Requiring preplanning, preparing and provisioning of public facilities for use as shelters for elderly and disabled during emergency situations (FN) – To Veterans’ Affairs and Homeland Security then Finance
2025. By Del. Howell, Shott, Hamrick, Romine, Sobonya, Espinosa, Miller, Weld, Statler, Kurcaba and Canterbury – Prohibiting certain sex offenders from loitering within one thousand feet of a school or child care facility – To Judiciary
2026. By Del. Howell, Canterbury, Hamrick, Ambler, Zatezalo, McCuskey, Espinosa, Cadle, Evans, D., Rowan and Hartman – Allowing terminally ill patients to have access to investigational products that have not been approved by the federal food and drug administration – To Health and Human Resources then Judiciary
2027. By Del. Howell, Weld, Kurcaba, Hamrick, Canterbury, Zatezalo, Ambler, McCuskey, Espinosa, Evans, D. and Rowan – Requiring circuit courts to review foreign court judgments for jurisdiction before such orders may be enforced (FN) – To Judiciary
2028. By Del. Shott – Relating generally to purchasing – To Government Organization then Judiciary
2029. By Del. Shott – Allowing counties and municipalities to levy a sales tax on food and beverages sold at restaurants (FN) – To Political Subdivisions then Finance
2030. By Del. Romine – Relating to the issuance of driver’s licenses and disposition – To Roads and Transportation then Judiciary
2031. By Del. Romine – Prohibiting the performance of any abortion when the woman seeking it is doing so solely on account of the gender of the fetus (FN) – To Health and Human Resources then Judiciary
2032. By Del. Romine – Increasing salary increments paid to principals and assistant principals (FN) – To Education then Finance
2033. By Del. Williams – Captive Cervid Farming Act – To Agriculture and Natural Resources then Finance
2034. By Del. Williams – Providing immunity from civil liability hospital volunteers who in good faith render emergency care at a hospital – To Judiciary
2035. By Del. Williams – Reducing the wholesale tax on heating fuel, off road fuels, kerosene and propane used for home heating purposes or off road use (FN) – To Finance
2036. By Del. Williams – Providing that when a person from another state writes a worthless check in this state which results in a summons to appear in magistrate court but then fails to appear shall have his or her privilege to drive in this state revoked (FN) – To Judiciary then Finance
2037. By Del. Williams and Moye – Taxing of utility terrain vehicles (FN) – To Roads and Transportation then Finance
2038. By Del. Smith, R. – Relating to excuses from jury service – To Judiciary
2039. By Del. Shott, Nelson, E. and Gearheart – Raising the maximum personal income tax exemption for persons over the age of sixty-five and for persons who are totally disabled (FN) – To Finance
2040. By Del. Guthrie – Adding domestic violence and fraud to the list of crimes for which conviction would bar a person from holding public office – To Judiciary
2041. By Del. Guthrie and Skinner – Establishing requirements for prior review of all privatization proposals (FN) – To Industry and Labor then Finance
2042. By Del. Guthrie – West Virginia Renewable Energy Act (FN) – To Energy then Finance
2043. By Del. Guthrie – Granting all public employees a $1,000 per year permanent pay increase (FN) – To Government Organization then Finance
2044. By Del. Perdue, Fleischauer, Eldridge, Cowles, Miller, Border, Rowan and Ellington – Relating generally to administration of an opioid antagonist – To Health and Human Resources then Judiciary – [Interim Bill]
2045. By Del. Perdue, Fleischauer, Cowles, Miller, Rowan and Border – Overdose Prevention Act – To Health and Human Resources then Judiciary – [Interim Bill]
2046. By Del. Perdue, Fleischauer, Miller, Rowan, Border and Ellington – Relating to treatment for sexually transmitted diseases – To Health and Human Resources then Judiciary – [Interim Bill]
2047. By Del. Shott – Continuing the fraud control unit in the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit – To Health and Human Resources then Judiciary
2048. By Del. Shott – Relating to juvenile proceedings (FN) – To Judiciary then Finance
2049. By Del. Shott, Cooper, Gearheart and Ambler – Requiring the Parkways Authority to provide free daily toll passes for veterans under certain circumstances – To Veterans’ Affairs and Homeland Security then Finance
2050. By Del. Guthrie – Relating generally to the accountability of a corporation’s political activities – To Judiciary then Finance
2051. By Del. Shott – Limiting the use of credit information in connection with the declination and termination of property insurance – To Banking and Insurance then Finance
2052. By Del. Shott – Relating to the labor-management relations act for the private sector – To Industry and Labor then Judiciary
2053. By Del. Shott – Relating to the form of trust deeds – To Judiciary
2054. By Del. Shott – Relating to the right of the landlord of commercial premises to terminate the lease under certain circumstances – To Judiciary
2055. By Del. Shott – Exempting from excise taxation the transfer of real property from an individual to a wholly-owned subsidiary (FN) – To Judiciary then Finance
2056. By Del. Faircloth and Hamilton – Making clear that the Pledge of Allegiance said each instructional day in West Virginia public schools shall include the phrase “one nation under God.” – To Education then Judiciary