H. B. 4124

         (By Delegates Howell, Canterbury,

              Gearheart, Border, Kump, Storch

                   and Hamilton)

         [Introduced January 14, 2014; referred to the

         Committee on Government Organization then the Judiciary.]

A BILL to amend and reenact §30-1-2a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to required orientation sessions for state licensing boards; requiring the Auditor to hold orientation sessions for state licensing boards by teleconferencing, if feasible; and providing that in person sessions are to be held in available state owned facilities or state parks.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

    That §30-1-2a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:

ARTICLE 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO ALL STATE BOARDS OF EXAMINATION OR REGISTRATION REFERRED TO IN CHAPTER.

§30-1-2a. Required orientation session.

    (a) The Auditor shall provide at least one seminar each year for state licensing boards to inform the boards of the duties and requirements imposed by state law and rules. All state agencies shall cooperate with and assist in providing the seminar if the Auditor requests.

    (b) The seminar may include the following topics:

    (1) Powers and duties of the boards and board members;

    (2) The financial procedures for boards;

    (3) Purchasing requirements;

    (4) Open meeting requirements;

    (5) Ethics;

    (6) Rule-making procedures;

    (7) Procedures for the handling of complaints, investigations and administrative hearings;

    (8) Disciplinary actions available to boards;

    (9) Records management procedures;

    (10) Annual reports; and

    (11) Any other topics the Auditor determines necessary or informative.

    (c) (1) The board members and the executive director or the chief financial officer of a board newly created under the provisions of this chapter shall attend a seminar provided under this section within one year of the creation of the board.

    (2) The chairperson, the executive director or the chief financial officer of the board shall annually attend a seminar provided under this section.

    (3) Each board member shall attend at least one seminar provided under this section during each term of office.

    (d) The Auditor may charge a registration fee for the seminar to cover the cost of providing the seminar. The fee may be paid from funds available to a board and a board may approve an expense reimbursement for the attendance of its members, executive director and the chief financial officer of the board.

    (e) An orientation session shall be conducted by teleconferencing if the Auditor determines teleconferencing is feasible. If it is determined that sessions are not feasible by teleconferencing then an in person seminar shall be held in a state owned facility, if one is available, or in a state park, if one is available.

    (e) (f) Prior to January 1 of each year, the Auditor shall provide to the chairs of the Joint Standing Committee on Government Organization a list of:

    (1) The names and titles of the persons who attended the seminar;

    (2) The boards represented; and

    (3) The number and dates of the seminars offered by the Auditor during the previous year.

    (f) (g) Ex officio members who are elected or appointed state officers or employees and members of boards that have purely advisory functions with respect to a department or agency of the state are exempt from the requirements of this section.

    NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require the Auditor to hold orientation sessions for state licensing boards by teleconferencing, if feasibility. It further provides that in person sessions are to be held in available state owned facilities or state parks.

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