This Week at the Legislature: Demonstrations, Debate, Bills

BY: TAYLOR BENNETT, POLICY COORDINATOR, THE HUB

This week at the Legislature has been a whirlwind of new bills, public hearings, debates, and demonstrations. In the midst of all of the hubbub, here’s an update on the community development bills we’re watching.

Bills we haven’t mentioned yet:

SB 365 – Young Entrepreneur Reinvestment Act

• This bill would renew the Young Entrepreneur Reinvestment Act which, among other things, excuses entrepreneurs under the age of 30 form paying fees associated with starting a business.
• The bill was introduced on Jan 24th and passed through the Senate Economic Development Committee on Wednesday. It’s now on to a first reading on the Senate floor.

SB 427 – Modifying form of notice sent to property owners regarding tax delinquencies

• This bill relates to the sale of property tax debt. It states that for debts greater than $1,000, the Secretary of State will send certified mail to the property owner of record informing them of the delinquency. For debts less than $1,000, first class mail will be used. Currently, certified mail is used in all cases.
• The bill passed through the Senate Government Organization Committee on Jan 30th and is on to a first reading on the Senate floor

HB 3086 – Minority Small Businesses

• This bill would create a Minority Development Advisory Team to help the Director of the Development Authority to improve employment and economic development challenges faced by minority populations in WV.
• The bill was introduced on Jan 10th

HB 4323 – Nonrenewal of Licenses for people who are not current on taxes

• Just like the title says, this bill would make it so that folks who are not current on their taxes are unable to obtain licenses of all kinds.
• The bill passed through the House on Feb 7th with a majority of votes.

HB 4420 – Terminating Home Rule

• This bill would eliminate the Home Rule pilot program entirely.
• The bill was introduced on Feb 5th and referred to the House Committee on Government Organization. It has not yet been put on the agenda.

HB 4431 – Establishing Mountaineer Trail Authority Network

• This bill would establish the Mountaineer Trail Authority Network in north, central WV. This would enable the Authority to limit liability for landowners, have a board, and more effectively manage trail development.
• The bill was introduced on Feb 5th and referred to the House Committee on Government Organization.

HB 4452 – Newly Established Small Business Tax Credit

• This bill would establish a tax credit for newly established small businesses with less than 26 employees. The business would be able to take up to 1% of their earned income against their income tax for the first 5 years.
• This bill was introduced on Feb 7th and was referred to the House Committee on Small Business, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development.

Bills we’ve been watching:

SB 119 – Establishing a Tax Credit for Business Growth in Low Income Communities

• This bill passed through Senate Economic Development Committee on Feb 7th. It’s now waiting to be put on the agenda of the Senate Finance Committee.

SB 300 – Creating a 5 Year Tax Credit for Businesses Located on Former Mine Sites

• Still waiting to be put on House Energy Committee agenda.

SB 412 – Litter Officers

• This bill would allow litter control officers to have the same authority as any other law-enforcement officer to enforce all litter laws.
• It passed through the Senate Government Organization Committee and is now waiting to be put on the agenda of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

HB 4158 – Home Rule

• We took a deep dive on this bill in a previous post. In effect, this bill would make the Home Rule pilot program permanent and open it up to all municipalities across the state.
• It passed through the House Committee on Political Subdivisions and is now waiting to be put on the agenda of the House Committee on Government Organization.

HB 2654 – Disposal of County Property

• We’ve mentioned this bill before. It would allow County Commissions to transfer any type of property for no less than $1 to non-profit and charitable organizations without a public bidding process.
• The bill was read a third time in the House on Feb 7th and passed with a majority of votes.

Interested in more articles like this one? Subscribe to The Hub’s Legislative Hubbub email, sent every Thursday during Session. Sign up now »