WEST virginia legislature

2020 regular session

Introduced

Senate Bill 176

By Senators Blair, Baldwin, Woelfel, and Romano

[Introduced January 9, 2020; referred
to the Committee on Government Organization; and then to the Committee on Finance]

A BILL to amend and reenact §4-2A-3 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to limiting the number of days members of the Legislature may receive compensation during an extended and extraordinary session if the budget bill has not been enacted.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 2A. COMPENSATION FOR AND EXPENSES OF MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE.

§4-2A-3. Compensation for members of the Legislature during any extension of regular session or during extraordinary session.

Each member of the Legislature shall receive, in addition to the basic compensation provided for in §4-2A-2 of this code, additional compensation of $150 per day for each day of attendance in person upon any business of the Senate or House of Delegates, as the case may be, on each day upon which the Senate or House of Delegates is actually called to order during each extension of regular session or during extraordinary session of the Legislature:  Provided, That no member of the Legislature may receive compensation as provided in this section for more than five days of attendance for all extended or extraordinary sessions, following the regular session of the Legislature, during which the budget bill has not been enacted for the upcoming fiscal year.  Members of the Legislature remain eligible for reimbursement for their expenses as provided in §4-2A-6 and §4-2A-7 for extended or extraordinary sessions: Provided, however, That no more than seven members of each house of the Legislature who are appointed by their presiding officer as a conferee on a budget bill that has been placed into conference may receive compensation and reimbursement for expenses beyond the five days:  Provided further, That should the Governor veto a budget bill pursuant to the provisions of section fourteen, article VII of the Constitution of West Virginia, and then should an extended or extraordinary session of Legislature be necessary to complete the work on the budget, members may be compensated and reimbursed for expenses beyond the five days. The additional compensation shall be paid, from time to time, during any extended session or extraordinary session, as prescribed by rules established by the Legislative Auditor.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to limit the number of days a legislator may be paid for an extended or extraordinary session for the purpose of enacting a budget for the next fiscal year with some exceptions.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.