CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Patrick Morrissey signed more than 100 bills into law, vetoed 12 and allowed 10 bills to become law without his signature before this week’s deadline.
Morrisey had until Wednesday night at midnight to make decisions on the remaining legislation passed by state lawmakers in the 60-day legislative session.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Jason Barrett, R-Berkeley, said Morrisey got himself familiar with all bills that got to his desk.
“The governor is extremely hands on, he’s very active and he takes a huge role in working essentially every piece of legislation that comes out,” Barrett said Thursday on MetroNews Midday. “He’s aware and mindful of what’s going on.”
Bills signed
Morrisey signed the legislation meant to better regulate the kinds of cryptocurrency kiosks that have been popping up in storefronts, House Bill 5353.
“We thank the governor for signing the bill,” AARP West Virginia State Director Gaylene Miller said.
Miller said the new better regulate the kinds of kiosks often found in convenience stores and gas stations allowing users to buy or sell cryptocurrencies using cash or debit card. She said too many senior citizens have lost money at the hand of fraudsters which use the machines as a tool.
“We wanted to make sure there were some reasonable protection for consumers because they were completely unregulated,” Miller said.
Now the machines will have to produce receipts and there will be daily withdrawal limits.
Morrisey also signed the EMS funding bill.
House Bill 5168 creates a $12 million fund that county commission’s will be able to access through matching funds for EMS services. The money will go for things like equipment purchases.
Del. Joe Statler, R-Monongalia, said the new law isn’t perfect but should be a help to struggling EMS systems.
“I still would have liked to have more than a 30 percent match from the counties which would have basically given them more money,” Statler said.
The state Culture Center at the Capitol Complex will get some improvements after Morrisey signed HB 5685 into law.
It sets up a financial plan to fund major improvements, authorizing the Economic Development Authority to issue up to $150 million in revenue bonds to cover the costs of repairing, equipping and maintaining the facility.
The legislation establishes a dedicated Cultural Center Improvements Revenue Debt Service Fund.
Bills vetoed
Morrisey vetoed a dozen bills including HB 4730, which would have provided transitional support services for young adults aging out of foster care and SB 744 that would have changed the makeup of the state’s Critical Incident Review Team that takes a look at certain abuse and neglect cases involving children.
In his veto message for HB 4730, Morrisey applauded Del. Adam Burkhammer, R-Lewis, for his proposal to help the older children but Morrisey expressed concern about the expense and he said it’s something the state Department of Human Services has been working on.
In the veto of SB 744, Morrisey said it wouldn’t be wise to change who makes up the review team after just one year of it being in existence. The legislation would have put the team under the Office of the Inspector General.
Morrisey also vetoed HB 4002 that would have established the West Virginia Collaboratory.
The bill would have combined the research efforts of the state’s colleges and universities “for practical use by state and local governments and for the benefit of the citizens of the State of West Virginia.”
It would have been housed at Marshall University.
Morrisey said, in his veto message, the bill violations the state’s separation of powers clause.
“The problem is the members of the Legislature who are charged with passing laws also can’t be responsible for enforcing them,” Morrisey wrote.
Del. Geno Chiarelli, R-Monongalia, expressed disappointment with the governor’s decision.
“I think (the information produced by the collaboratory) really could have helped us make informed legislative decisions down the line,” Chiarelli said.
The bill was part of the House leadership’s jobs agenda.
Bills become law without Morrisey’s signature
There are 10 bills that Morrisey didn’t sign by midnight Wednesday night. The one most talked about during the session is the child care bill.
HB 4191 provides increased tax credits to employers and offers child care subsidies and protections for parents who have to put their kids in daycare to go to work.
The law goes into effect July 1.