WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE

2023 REGULAR SESSION

Introduced

House Bill 2812

By Delegate Longanacre

[Introduced January 19, 2023; Referred to the Committee on Government Organization]

A BILL to amend and reenact §4-1-1 of the Code of West Virginia, 19313, as amended, relating to requiring the Legislature to conduct all official business at the State Capitol.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 1. OFFICERS, MEMBERS AND EMPLOYEES; APPROPRIATIONS; INVESTIGATIONS; DISPLAY OF FLAGS; RECORDS; USE OF CAPITOL BUILDING; PREFILING OF BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS; STANDING COMMITTEES; INTERIM MEETINGS; NEXT MEETING OF THE SENATE.

§4-1-1. Interim committee and subcommittee meetings.

(a) Either house of the Legislature may, by resolution, direct any select committee unique to that house or any standing committee of that house and created by it by rule, motion or resolution to meet between regular sessions of the Legislature. The presiding officer of such house may designate subcommittees of such standing or select committees and shall designate the chairman and membership thereof. Such committees or subcommittees shall function according to the rules for committees of the house creating them.

Members of such committees or subcommittees under this subsection, performing duties as members thereof, shall receive travel expense reimbursement as provided in §4-2A-6 of this code and interim expense reimbursement as provided in §4-2A-8 of this code. However, to be eligible to receive travel expense reimbursement and interim expense reimbursement, meetings of these select committees and subcommittees thereof must be authorized by the rules committee of such house. Expenses shall be paid from any appropriation to the use and benefit of the house adopting the resolution.

Such committees or subcommittees shall have such staff as may be directed by the presiding officer of that house from which its membership is drawn, which may be paid for from appropriations to the use and benefit of such house, as designated by the rules committee thereof.

(b) From the date of adjournment sine die of any regular session of the Legislature until the first day of the next succeeding regular session of the Legislature, the Legislature by concurrent resolution, or the Joint Committee on Government and Finance on its own motion, may appoint a joint standing committee or a joint select committee, or any joint subcommittee of such standing or select committee, to function under the supervision of the Joint Committee on Government and Finance. Any such committee or subcommittee shall be composed of the standing or select committees of the respective houses having similar titles or jurisdiction, and similarly constituted, and the membership thereof shall be composed of members of the respective standing or select committees of each house, or subcommittees thereof, or be designated by the presiding officer of each house: Provided, That the membership of such joint committee or subcommittee may be drawn from more than one such standing or select committee.

(c) Members of the Legislature performing interim duties as members of the Joint Committee on Government and Finance, the commission on interstate cooperation, the joint committee on government operations, the legislative commission on pensions and retirement, the legislative rule-making review committee, the commission on special investigations, standing committees of the Senate and of the House of Delegates, and authorized subcommittees of each of the above committees and commissions are authorized to meet between regular sessions of the Legislature, subject to the direction of the Joint Committee on Government and Finance. Members of the Legislature performing interim duties as a member of said committees or commissions, or subcommittees thereof, under this subsection, shall receive interim compensation as provided in §4-2A-5 of this code; travel expense reimbursement as provided in §4-2A-6 of this code; and interim expense reimbursement as provided in §4-2A-8 of this code. However, to be eligible to receive the interim compensation, travel expense reimbursement and interim expense reimbursement, payment must be authorized by the Joint Committee on Government and Finance.

The Joint Committee on Government and Finance shall coordinate meetings, of said committees and commissions, and subcommittees thereof, between regular sessions of the Legislature

Notwithstanding any other provision of this code to the contrary, all official business of the Legislature, including interim sessions, emergency sessions, regular sessions, or caucus meetings shall be conducted at the State Capitol and within facilities therein designated for these purposes.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require the Legislature to conduct all official business at the State Capitol.

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