CHARLESTON — Deposit-free E-ZPasses for anyone cruising the West Virginia Turnpike, the tug-of-war between eye doctors, ultrasound imaging in abortions, and uninsured drivers — it promises to be a day of heavy lifting in the House.
Major legislation is poised in the House with the right to amend before votes are taken on the next-to-last day of the session.
Added to that list is a special bill, tailored exclusively for the planned Boy Scouts of America center in Fayette County.
Under that legislation, the center would be immune from liability when scouts gathered at the facility take part in risky activities.
The most controversial bill in this session has been one that sought to allow optometrists perform three types of laser surgery.
In a marathon hearing before the Health and Human Services Committee, however, the surgery was abandoned, although certain injections were allowed.
Ophthalmologists have staunchly fought the bill that left the Senate with laser surgery intact on grounds optometrists lack proper training — a claim equally denied by the latter.
A proposed reform of the Women’s Right to Know Act would obligate doctors to show clients images of unborn children if ultrasound imaging is taken.
As amended, however, women scheduling an abortion would have to sign a form denoting whether they want to see the imaging, either online or in person.
“We’re happy with it,” Karen Cross, president of West Virginians for Life, said of the amended bill.
A bill renaming the turnpike’s governing board simply “West Virginia Parkways Authority” and expanding its powers to supervise proposed new toll roads also is on the calendar.
The Senate version would have provided deposit-free E-ZPass transponders to 250 people in each four of the counties — Kanawha, Fayette, Raleigh and Mercer — bordering the toll road at yearly informational meetings.
But the House Finance Committee decided to provide the transponders to anyone.
Turnpike Manager Greg Barr said abandoning the $10 deposit poses no difficulty for the authority.
A Senate bill would provide increased ability to scrutinize motorists driving without insurance.
Sen. John Unger, D-Berkeley, head of the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has touted this as a means of lowering auto premiums since insured motorists now pay a fee to cover crashes with the uninsured.
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Meantime, Delegate Patrick Lane, R-Kanawha, said he is wrongly being blamed for sidetracking an ad volorem tax measure.
That was shifted from the active special calendar to the regular calendar, meaning it likely is gone.
Lane said the move was made by Democratic leaders to avoid a showdown on his proposed homestead exemption amendment.
Lane has tried several times in this session to get a floor vote on his proposal to raise the exemption for seniors and the disabled, but each attempt has been thwarted.
“It works backwards,” he said.
“It exempts from payment and provides a discount in an amount up to 60 percent of assessed value. It’s more of a discount against the tax that they have to pay, rather than an exemption.”
Lane said he has sought the past six years to get this approved, only to be blocked by the leadership.
“I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t want t help the seniors and disabled people out there, who obviously are living on fixed incomes and have a hard time of it,” he said.
“This just gives them a little bit more relief.”
Local News
March 12, 2010
Busy final hours ahead in House
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