HB2857 SFAT Trump 4-6

Kleeh 7824

Senator Trump moved to amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting therefor a new title, to read as follows:

Eng. House Bill No. 2857 -- A BILL  to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new article, designated §21-3E-1, §21-3E-2, §21-3E-3, §21-3E-4, §21-3E-5, §21-3E-6, §21-3E-7, §21-3E-8, §21-3E-9, §21-3E-10, §21-3E-11, §21-3E-12, §21-3E-13, §21-3E-14, §21-3E-15 and §21-3E-16, all relating to creating West Virginia Safer Workplaces Act; permitting employers to test employees and prospective employees for drugs and alcohol under certain circumstances; providing a short title; defining terms; declaring public policy; providing for exceptions to the applicability of the West Virginia Safer Workplaces Act for employers covered by other drug and alcohol testing statutes; clarifying the right of privacy as defined by the West Virginia Supreme Court is outweighed by the public policy set forth in the West Virginia Safer Workplaces Act if an employer complies with the act; providing for the collection of samples, scheduling of tests and testing procedures; requiring employers to adhere to the accuracy and fairness safeguards of the West Virginia Safer Workplaces Act to qualify for the bar from being subjected to legal claims for acting in good faith on the results of a drug or alcohol test; providing for an employee’s ability to request split sample be tested to challenge a positive test result; requiring employers to pay for certain drug or alcohol tests and transportation expenses, if any; requiring employer to conduct tests during or immediately before or after a regular work period; providing that testing by an employer is worked time for purposes of compensation and benefits for current employees; establishing responsibility for cost of split sample testing; setting forth testing policy requirements; requiring confirmatory tests before disciplinary action may be taken under the West Virginia Safer Workplaces Act; establishing requirements for confirmatory drug tests; providing for disciplinary procedures; addressing disciplinary action for sensitive employees; describing sensitive employees; providing employers who are obligated to perform drug testing under a federal or state mandated drug testing statute will be required to follow whatever additional requirements are mandated by those statutes; providing protection from liability for certain legal claims under certain circumstances; clarifying that no causes of action for certain acts exists under the West Virginia Safer Workplaces Act; addressing potential causes of action related to false positive test results; addressing claims for defamation arising from circumstances covered by the West Virginia Safer Workplaces Act; clarifying employers are not required to adopt a drug and alcohol testing policy or to conduct drug or alcohol tests of employees or prospective employees; providing for confidentiality and exceptions to confidentiality requirement; addressing discipline for positive drug or alcohol tests including but not limited to termination of employment; providing for forfeiture of certain benefits under certain circumstances including unemployment compensation and workers’ compensation benefits; clarifying that the drug and alcohol testing provisions of the West Virginia Safer Workplace Act cannot be used to show intoxication pursuant to section two, article four, chapter twenty-three of this code; requiring employers to provide notice to employees of the potential forfeiture of certain benefits; providing employers waive the right to assert eligibility for benefits is forfeited if notice is not provided; and requiring employers to have written drug and alcohol testing policies and procedures when implementing drug and alcohol testing.