H. B. 4512
(By Delegates Manuel, Doyle and H. White)
[Introduced February 20, 1998; referred to the
Committee on Political Subdivisions then Finance.]
A BILL to amend and reenact section two, article one, chapter
seven of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine
hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to sessions of
county commissions; and requiring the television
broadcasting of county commission sessions over cable
systems where the county commission is the franchising
authority.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section two, article one, chapter seven of the code of
West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 1. COUNTY COMMISSIONS GENERALLY.
§7-1-2. Sessions.
(a) The county court commission of each county shall hold
four regular sessions in each year at the courthouse thereof of the county, at such times as may be fixed upon and entered of
record by the court commission. It may also hold special
sessions, whenever the public interests may require it, to be
called by the president with the concurrence of at least one
other commissioner; and the commissioner, if any, not concurring
therein, must have shall be given at least twenty-four hours'
notice of the time appointed for such of the special session.
A notice of the time of such the special session, and of the
purpose for which it will be held, shall be posted by the clerk
of the court, at the front door of the courthouse of the county,
at least two days before such the session is to be held. If such
the nonconcurring commissioner, after due notice thereof of the
session, shall willfully fail wilfully fails to attend such the
special session, he or she shall forfeit not less than five nor
more than twenty dollars.
(b) Any county commission which is a franchising authority
for a cable system shall, in cooperation with the cable system,
provide for the live or recorded broadcast of its sessions to the
cable system's subscribers. The cost of this service is the
responsibility of the county commission. In no event may the
customers of the cable system be charged any amount for this
service. The cable system may be excused from broadcasting the
meetings only if it has no available channel for the broadcast.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require the television
broadcasting of county commission meetings over cable systems
where the county commission is the franchising authority.
This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and
underscoring have been omitted.