Feb. 21, 2011, Session Bills Reviewed
By Howard M. O’Cull, Ed.D.,
West Virginia School Board Association Executive Director
Listed below are West Virginia Senate and House of Delegates bills introduced Feb. 21, 2011, during the First Regular Session of the 80th West Virginia Legislature.
Feb. 21 was the last day for introduction of bills in the House and Senate. (There are some exceptions, including supplemental appropriations bills for example.)
Today is day 48 of the session, meaning there are 12 days remaining before the Legislature adjourns Midnight March 12, 2011.
Note: In some cases, much of the verbiage of a proposed statute is included, especially in terms of newly-proposed legislation.
A total of 22 bills are reviewed.
For a copy of any bill, please contact WVSBA: 304.346.0571. You also may contact me at hocull@wvsba.org
Bills are posted on the West Virginia Legislature’s Web site: http://www.legis.state.wv.us
Editor’s Note: Listing is not exhaustive
County Boards
Two measures relate to Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB)
Senate Bill 566. Among its many provisions, this measure states, “any amount of Annual Contractually Required Contribution allocated to and billed county boards for employees who are employed as professional employees…, employees who are employed as service personnel…and employees who are employed as professional student support personnel…is a liability of the state until fully paid.
“… (Nothing in statute)…requires any specific level of funding by the Legislature in any particular year (to meet the above liability provisions.)”
Also refer to these provisions. The measure would:
- Prohibit the Public Employees Insurance Agency Finance Board from including in the financial plans any subsidy for the cost of coverage for retired employees who were hired on or after July 1, 2010.
- Cap the amount the PEIA Finance Board include in the financial plans as subsidy for the cost of coverage for retired employees who were hired before July 1, 2010 at $150 million.
- Define “contractually required contribution” and authorizes the PEIA Finance Board to set minimum annual required contribution below the annual required contribution (for entities such as county boards).
- Specify that each participating government entity is required to remit annual contractual obligation.
- Increase the excise tax on cigarettes from 55 cents to $1.55 per pack and dedicates a portion of the increased tax to the West Virginia Retiree Health Benefit Trust Fund for 10 years.
- Specify that the West Virginia Retiree Health Benefit Trust Fund is to keep all earnings during the 10-year period.
- Specify that the Public School Support Program (PSSP/School Aid Formula) “allowance” for Public Employees Insurance Fund is to be paid directly to the West Virginia Retiree Health Benefit Trust Fund and each county board would be required to reflect its share of the payment as revenue on its financial statements to offset the applicable portion of its annual contractually required contribution expense.
There are other provisions.
Sponsored by Sen. Brooks McCabe, D-Kanawha. Introduced Feb. 21. Referred to Senate Judiciary, then Senate Finance.
Editor’s Note: This bill has been referred from Senate Judiciary to Senate Finance on a Second Reading referral.
A related measure, House Bill 3208, would appear to divert some moneys from gaming enterprises – The Greenbrier Resort Human Resources Benefit Fund to fund the West Virginia Health Benefit Trust Fund – Other Post-Employment Benefit Contribution Accumulation Fund (Fund 2541, org. 0232).”
Sponsored by Del. Daryl Cowles, R-Morgan. Introduced Feb. 21. Referred to House Government Organization, then House Finance.
