Questions from House Democrats revolve around whether this is a one-time spend or will this be an annual $250,000 spend or whether that cost will increase/decrease. House Finance Committee Chairman Eric Householder, R-Berkeley, doesn’t have specific answers.
This is about to become an argument for/against charter schools again, which is really irrelevant at this point. The Legislature created the board and didn’t fund it. Department of Ed had to spend its own money to fund it. This reimburses Dept. That’s the issue at hand.
Now to SB 3026, the bill cleaning up loopholes in SB 12, dealing with local health departments rules and how those are approved.
Issues arose around the difference between rules and orders. The bill requires that rules developed by local boards of health must be approved by county commissions within 30 days or the rules is void.
Local health officers can only issue orders based in rules put in place by the local health boards according to a clarification from House Health Chair Matthew Rohrbach, R-Cabell. Del. Tom Fast, R-Fayette, seems skeptical.
The original bill included language allowing county school boards to also reject board of health rules. That language was taken out by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Bill only deals with county commissions.
No push-back from Democratic House members on bill surprisingly. Rohrback just closed debate. SB 3026 passes 81-15.
Next up is SB 3030, the bill making changes to the Intermediate Court of Appeals, including allowing virtual hearings.
Now to HB 335, the COVID-19 medical/religious exemptions bill. Here is my most recent story on that. theintelligencer.net/news/top-headl…
Del. Larry Rowe, D-Kanawha, asks if the bill also allows mandates at state and local government levels? @BrandonSteeleWV said it doesn’t require anyone create a mandate, but it simply allows medical/religious exemptions if mandates occur.