CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVDN) — Members of the West Virginia House of Delegates Committee on Government Organization learned on just the second of the 60-day regular legislative session how the body’s new process for examining proposed legislation can help solve problems without passing a bill at all.
“I knew this was a possible effect of the new committee format, but I didn’t expect to see it in action during our first meeting,” said House Government Organization Committee Chairman Chris Phillips, R-Barbour. “I’m pleased we had designated time for the bill sponsor to explain what he was hoping to accomplish, then committee members who asked thoughtful questions and offered their own ideas but I’m especially happy the State Fire Marshal Ken Tyree was able to speak openly with us and agree to a solution that will work without changing the law.”
The House began the first session of the 87th Legislature with six standing committees, with four subcommittees under the House Finance Committee and three subcommittees under all the other standing committees. When a bill is introduced, the Speaker will refer it to a standing committee or a subcommittee, and a standing committee can refer it to a subcommittee. If it’s placed on an agenda, it must go through a hearing where the bill sponsor explains the bill’s purpose. The hearing stage is also when members of the public may provide testimony along with written comments to be included with the bill’s materials. The process is the same for both the subcommittee and the standing committee, so each bill has the potential for multiple hearings.
The Committee heard House Bill 2074 Thursday, which sponsor Jim Butler, R-Mason, explained was spurred by a specific issue with food booths at his local county fair. Butler explained how a fire inspector visited and said the block buildings that had been in place for at least 50 years all needed automatic fire suppression systems or the nonprofit vendors operating for fundraisers would have to shut down. The short-term solution was for the vendors to each accept written violations with instructions to correct the problem within a window of time, which now is approaching.
“In this instance, the day one discussion resulted in an agreement between committee members, the bill sponsor and the Fire Marshal that the underlying and over-restrictive requirement in the fire code will be amended in the rules process,” Butler said. “This means the problem is solved without the need to advance the bill, and I’ll certainly follow up to be sure that change occurs as expected, but I’m very pleased with this outcome.
“Any time we can solve a problem for our constituents it’s a win, and doing so without endlessly amending state law is a bonus.”
As Marshal Tyree explained to the committee members, the state fire code was written in 1979 and updated about 15 times since then, but he said he’d have no problem addressing Butler’s narrow and limited exception under rule instead.
“If anyone has ever wondered how the West Virginia State Code could have become a patchwork of narrow nooks and crannies that may seem like they don’t fit together, one simply has to live through a few legislative sessions,” said House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay. “This specific instance was not necessarily the grand challenges of the state that we know we must address, but this was a meaningful proposal nonetheless and I’m pleased that its abbreviated journey through the legislative process is a good thing.”
A total of 377 bills have been introduced in the House, and the 60-day, regular legislative session ends at midnight April 12.
