CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVDN) — As members of the West Virginia House of Delegates continue to implement their new, two-day committee process for deliberating potential bills, many passed the full body with nearly universal, unanimous support.
A total of 11 bills passed the full House this week, with fewer than half a dozen “nay” votes against any of them.
Members of the House voted to move some food additives out of reach with their approval of House Bill 2354. The measure would eliminate certain food additives from school nutrition programs starting Aug. 1 and would prohibit the sale of food products containing seven specific color additives or food dyes within the state after Jan. 1, 2027.
“We live in a state where many of our elementary school kids are medicated dealing with ADHD or some type of autism symptoms and what the studies have begun to show is that these additives that add no value to the nutritional value, only appearance to it, are actually feeding into hyperactivity and ADHD,” said Adam Burkhammer, R-Lewis, and lead sponsor of HB2354. “So as we consider bills on down our list, and one of them has been a really hot topic when we talk about elementary school behavior and how we’re going to tackle this, we’re tackling it right now: Better foods, better ingredients, better behavior, better for everybody.”
Delegates this week also voted to increase the criminal penalties on parents or guardians convicted of child abuse or neglect resulting in injury with House Bill 2123 and House Bill 2047 to largely prohibit cameras or recording devices in the bedrooms and bathrooms of foster children.
“We have to do everything we can to protect our kids,” said Delegate Doug Smith, R-Mercer, and lead sponsor of HB2123, which has unanimously passed the full House five out of the past six years.
Members of the Energy and Public Works Committee dug deep this week for an intense discussion on utility services and the establishment of microgrids in West Virginia. Their work across two meetings lasted nearly five hours with no legislation on the table.
Various representatives from the energy industry spoke to the economics and other aspects of microgrids in the state during the meeting, allowing the committee to go in-depth on the key question of how West Virginia can continue to lead in energy generation and economic development.
“When we’re able to talk through a problem, a concept or an opportunity without anyone in the room trying to defend or fight any specifics of a bill, we have the latitude to learn,” said Delegate Clay Riley, R-Harrison. “We got a wholistic view of microgrids in just one meeting, hearing from fuel sources, coal, natural gas, renewables, from the regulated utilities, the merchant utilities and the end users.”
Riley said the format lends itself to gaining perspective rather than being pigeonholed.
“It helps us all to understand the ‘why’ behind what someone believes without feeling like we must line up behind one bill or another,” he said.
A total of 1,051 bills have been introduced in the House; the last day to introduce bills is March 18. The 60-day regular legislative session ends at midnight on April 12.
