House of Delegates approves mine safety bill.
After an unsuccessful attempt to amend stream monitoring provisions back into a mine safety bill on Thursday, April 6, the West Virginia House of Delegates passed the legislation on Friday.
The bill would revise bonding requirements for coal mines, but also would remove provisions from the law that allow monitoring insects and crustaceans in streams as a way to determine water pollution.
Only 10 delegates voted in favor of the amendment, with 89 voting against.
Senate Bill 687 passed the House on Friday with a vote of 94-6.
Also Friday, the House approved Senate Joint Resolution 6, which contains language for a constitutional amendment to sell $1.6 billion in road construction bonds requested by Gov.
Hanshaw said the language was added because voters deserved to know how taxpayers might be asked to pay for the bonds.
The House also approved Senate Bill 220, which would create new criminal offenses of delivery of a controlled substance resulting in death.
Also Friday, the House unanimously approved Senate Bill 288, which would increase the penalty for child abuse resulting in death.
The House also approved Senate Bill 388, which would allow those over the age of 21 with a valid concealed weapons permit to have a gun in their vehicles while in a school parking lot or drop-off area.