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Member's Press Release

Release Date: 03/04/2017
Contact: Jared Hunt at (304) 340-3323


House of Delegates


This Week in the House of Delegates

March 3, 2017


CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The House of Delegates this week passed a series of bills to address the state’s substance abuse epidemic and curb drug trafficking into the state, while also continuing efforts to close next year’s budget gap.

Delegates worked in a bipartisan manner this week to pass six bills aimed at tackling the drug epidemic. The bills are part of a series of measures delegates are working on to address the crisis. The bills passed this week include:

  • House Bill 2620, which establishes the West Virginia Drug Overdose Monitoring Act. The bill, sponsored by Delegate Cindy Frich, R-Monongalia, and 10 co-sponsors, will set up a central state repository for drug overdose and crime data to better help state officials and law enforcement track drug statistics. This will also help the state secure grant funding from the federal government to fight the drug epidemic.
  • House Bill 2329, which prohibits the production, manufacture or possession of the powerful opioid pain medication fentanyl. The bill is sponsored by Delegate Matt Rohrbach, R-Cabell, along with 10 co-sponsors, and addresses a drug that some have called the greatest current threat to West Virginia. In addition to fentanyl, the bill would also prohibit the production, manufacture and possession of fentanyl analogues and derivatives, such as carfentanil, which is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than regular fentanyl.
  • House Bill 2648, which increases penalties for manufacturing or transporting controlled substances in the presence of minors. The bill is sponsored by Delegate Terri Sypolt, R-Preston, and 10 co-sponsors.
  • House Bill 2083, which increases criminal penalties for exposing children to methamphetamine manufacturing. The bill is sponsored by Delegate Ralph Rodighiero, D-Logan, with Delegate Frich co-sponsoring.
  • House Bill 2648, which increases penalties for manufacturing or transporting a controlled substance in the presence of a minor. The bill is sponsored by Delegate Sypolt with 10 co-sponsors.
  • House Bill 2585, which creates a felony crime of conducting financial transactions involving proceeds of criminal activity. The bill is sponsored by Delegate Erikka Storch, R-Ohio, with 10 co-sponsors.

    “Substance abuse is a scourge on our state and we must do everything we can to ensure our people are protected from dealers who prey on our citizens,” said House Speaker Tim Armstead, R-Kanawha. “Our police officers, who are fighting on the front lines to combat this epidemic, have been urging us to pass new laws to help them fight against these out-of-state drug traffickers who are targeting our citizens.”

    “These bills send a strong message that West Virginia will not tolerate kingpins and traffickers bringing drugs into this state,” said House Judiciary Chairman John Shott, R-Mercer. “We want to cut off the supply of this poison as it comes into the state, and these bills go a long way toward cutting down on the drug trade.”

    In addition to the bills passed this week, the House will also consider other bills next week to increase penalties for transporting controlled substances (House Bill 2579), and establish the new crime of organized retail crime (House Bill 2367), a coordinated shoplifting and re-selling scheme which is often used to fund people’s drug habits or other criminal activities.

    - - - - -

    Meanwhile, the House Finance Committee this week continued its budget hearings with state agencies to evaluate their spending proposals and find ways to control government spending.

    This week, Finance Committee members heard testimony from officials with the West Virginia Lottery, Parkways Authority, Bureau of Senior Services, State Auditor, and the departments of Revenue, Transportation and Agriculture.

    Finance Committee Chairman Eric Nelson, R-Kanawha, has broken up his committee into 14 bipartisan work groups, consisting of two to five delegates each, to fully analyze all spending and services at state agencies. These work groups will investigate the budget requests of their assigned agencies and recommend any efficiencies or savings they think they can find in their spending proposals.

    “It’s important to remember that our new Governor introduced a Fiscal Year 2018 budget with $4.5 billion in General Revenue expenditures – that’s $318 million more than the current FY17 budget and $450 million more than the administration’s revenue estimates of $4.05 billion for the coming year,” Chairman Nelson said.

    “The goal of House leadership is to take this budget proposal and – first and foremost – look for ways to control and eliminate unnecessary spending,” Chairman Nelson said. “We’re doing this by fully analyzing all agency expenditures and services, and whether these services even need to exist. Only after full vetting and determining that these services and programs are needed and require funding at the level the administration has requested will we even begin to consider any alternative revenue measures to fund this budget.”

    The Finance Committee will conclude its budget hearings next weekn, with presentations from the state Treasurer, Attorney General, Secretary of State, School Building Authority, Public Service Commission, Consumer Advocate Division and Department of Education and the Arts.




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