House Resolution 2
(By Mr. Speaker, Mr. Kiss, and Delegate Staton)
[January 12, 2005]
H. R. 2 -- "Adopting Rules of the House of Delegates."
Resolved by the House of Delegates:
That the Rules of the House of Delegates in effect at the expiration of the 76th Legislature
are hereby adopted and shall govern the proceedings of the regular sessions of the 77th Legislature
and any extraordinary sessions thereof insofar as applicable, subject to amendment as provided by
Rule 133, except that the Rules 76, 77 and 78 be amended to read as follows:
Rule 76
"Standing Committees.
76. At the commencement of each Legislature, the Speaker shall appoint the standing
committees established by this rule. The Speaker shall refer bills introduced, resolutions offered,
and messages, petitions, memorials and other matters presented to such committee as he shall deem
appropriate to consider and report thereon.
Standing committees are hereby created as follows:
1. Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources
2. Committee on Banking and Insurance
3. Committee on Constitutional Revision
4. Committee on Education
5. Committee on Finance
6. Committee on Government Organization
7. Committee on Health and Human Resources
8. Committee on Industry and Labor, Economic Development and Small Business
9. Committee on Interstate Cooperation
10. Committee on the Judiciary
11. Committee on Pensions and Retirement
11. 12. Committee on Political Subdivisions
12. 13. Committee on Roads and Transportation
13. 14. Committee on Rules
14. 15. Committee on Veterans' Affairs and Homeland Security"
Rule 77:
"Jurisdiction of Committees
77. In general and without limitation, standing committees shall have functions and
jurisdiction of subjects and other matters as follows:
1. Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources: (a) Agriculture generally, including
agricultural production and marketing, animal industry and animal health, adulteration of seeds,
commercial feeding stuffs and commercial fertilizer, processed foods, insect pests and pesticides,
soil conservation, milk and milk products, meats and meat products, agricultural extension service,
etomology and plant quarantine, poultry and poultry products, and human nutrition and home
economics; and (b) natural resources in general, including game and fish, forests and wildlife areas,
parks and recreation, water resources and reclamation.
2. Committee on Banking and Insurance: (a) Banks and banking, and financial institutions
generally; (b) control and regulation of all types of insurance, including organization, qualification
and licensing of insurers; and (c) securities and exchanges.
3. Committee on Constitutional Revision: (a) Proposals to amend the Constitution of the
United States or the Constitution of the State; and (b) legislation relating to constitutional
conventions.
4. Committee on Education: (a) Education generally; (b) boards of education, and
administration and control of schools; (c) textbooks and school curricula; (d) vocational education
and rehabilitation; (e) qualifications, employment and tenure of teachers; (f) libraries; and (g) public
schools and institutions of higher education.
5. Committee on Finance: (a) Tax and revenue measures increasing or decreasing the
revenue or fiscal liability of the State; (b) collection of taxes and other revenue; (c) annual Budget
Bills and supplementary appropriation bills; (d) proposals reducing public expenditures; (e)
proposals relating to the principal and interest of the public debt; and (f) claims against the State.
6. Committee on Government Organization: (a) Legislation and proposals dealing with the
Executive Department of state government with respect to creation, duties and functions;
consolidation and abolition; and transfer, imposition and elimination of functions and duties of
departments, commissions, boards, offices and agencies; and (b) measures relating to the Legislative
Department, other than apportionment of representation and redistricting for the election of members
of the two houses.
7. Committee on Health and Human Resources: (a) Public health and public welfare
generally; (b) mental health; (c) public and private hospitals and similar institutions; (d) prevention
and control of communicable and infectious diseases; (e) pure food and drugs; (f) poison and narcotics; (g) correctional and penal institutions; and (h) public assistance and relief.
8. Committee on Industry and Labor, Economic Development and Small Business: (a)
Employment and establishment of industry; (b) labor standards; (c) labor statistics; (d) mediation and
arbitration of labor disputes; (e) wages and hours of labor; (f) child labor; (g) safety and welfare of
employees; (h) industry and labor generally; (i) infrastructure; (j) small business; (k) e-commerce;
(l) e-government; (m) economic development; and (n) job creation.
9. Committee on Interstate Cooperation: Constitute the House members of the West
Virginia Commission on Interstate Cooperation as provided by Article 1B, Chapter 29 of the Code.
10. Committee on the Judiciary: (a) Judicial proceedings, civil and criminal generally; (b)
state and local courts and their officers; (c) crimes and their punishment; (d) corporations; (e)
collection and enforcement of property taxes; (f) forfeited, delinquent, waste and unappropriated
lands; (g) real property and estates therein; (h) domestic relations and family law; (i) revision and
codification of the statutes of the State; (j) election laws; and (k) other matters of a nature not
deemed properly referable to any other standing committee.
11. Committee on Pensions and Retirement: (a) Continuing study and investigation of
retirement benefit plans of the State and political subdivisions thereof; (b)
making recommendations
with particular attention to financing of the various pension funds and financing of accrued
liabilities; (c) considering all aspects of pension planning and operation; and (d) analyzing each item
of proposed pension and retirement legislation with particular reference as to cost, actuarial
soundness and adherence to sound pension policy.
11. 12. Committee on Political Subdivisions: (a) Counties, districts and municipalities
generally; (b) division of the State into senatorial districts and apportionment of delegate
representation in the House; and (c) division of the State into districts for the election of representatives to Congress.
12. 13 Committee on Roads and Transportation: (a) Highways, public roads, railways,
canals and waterways, aeronautics, aircraft and airways; (b) motor vehicle administration and
registration; (c) licensing of motor vehicle operators and chauffeurs; (d) traffic regulation and laws
of the road; and (e) regulation of motor carriers of passengers and property for hire.
13. 14. Committee on Rules: (a) Rules, joint rules, order of business and parliamentary rules
in general; (b) recesses and final adjournments of the House and the Legislature; (c) payment of
money out of the contingent or other fund of the House or creating a charge upon the same; (d)
employees of and services to the House, and purchase of furniture, supplies and office equipment;
(e) election and qualification of members of the House and state officers, privileges of members and
officers of the House, and witnesses attending the House or any committee thereof; (f) punishment
of members of the House for disorderly conduct; and punishment of any person not a member for
contempt, disrespectful behavior in the presence of the House, obstructing its proceedings, and for
any assault, threat or abuse of a member of the House; (g) House printing; (h) House Library,
statuary and pictures, acceptance or purchase of works of art for the Capitol, purchase of books and
manuscripts for the House, erection of monuments to the memory of individuals; and (i) sale of food
and administration and assignment of office space in the House wing of the Capitol.
14. 15. Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security: (a) Veterans' measures; (b) education of
veterans; (c) cemeteries of the State in which veterans of any war or conflict are or may be buried;
(d) measures generally affecting the health and welfare of veterans; and (e) measures relating to
detection, protection against, response to, and recovery from, terrorist attacks, internal or external.
Rule 78:
"Composition of Committees.
78. The Committee on Rules shall consist of not less than seven nor more than sixteen
eighteen members, which number shall include the Speaker, Majority Leader and Minority Leader;
the Committee on Interstate Cooperation of seven members; and all other standing committees shall
consist of not less than fifteen nor more than twenty-five members, except that the number of
members of the Committee on Pensions and Retirement shall be appointed in accordance with Joint
Rule 29 or in such number as may be determined by the Speaker."