KINGWOOD — Preston County Chamber of Commerce President Michael McGovern welcomed the public, delegates, senators and West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey to the 2021 Legislative Follow-Up.
The follow-up was held Thursday evening at the Community Building in Kingwood.
“It’s great to be back in Preston County,” Morrisey said. “Any time I come to Kingwood, I see visions of buckwheat in my head.”
Morrisey talked about working with county commissioner Samantha Stone to keep inmates with COVID-19 from being sent into Preston County. He also discussed energy jobs, gun rights and the need to get able-bodied individuals back to work.
Sen. Dave Sypolt, R-Preston, was the second person to speak, followed by Sen. Randy Smith, R-Tucker, Delegate Buck Jennings, R-Preston, and Delegate Terri Funk Sypolt, R-Preston.
According to Sen. Sypolt, “Randy’s (Sen. Randy Smith) Dream Bill” SB408, did not get taken up in committee on the Senate side. The sister bill introduced, HB3200, in the House did make it to committee, but was hit head on by the governor’s team of West Virginia Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary Jimmy Wriston and DOT Secretary Byrd White. With the help of the house leadership Finance Chair Eric Householder and Vice Chair, Vernon Criss, the bill did not make it out of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Smith agreed. “My thing is roads.” he said. “It was as big a disappointment this year, as it was last year. We fought hard for this (SB408). Delegate Sypolt got HB3200 to committee, but the governor and the department of highways spoke against it and it died in committee.”
Jennings discussed HB2006, the WV Contractor Licensing Act.
The WV Contractor Licensing Act makes it easier for licensed contractors to obtain work while preserving safety and quality, and empowers students who want to become contractors.
“Previously, you had to put in 12,000 hours of work before you were allowed to test to be a plumber,” he said. “Now, you go in and take a test. After you work a year (as a plumber), you go in and take the master plumber test and get your license.”
Del. Terri Funk Sypolt spoke about roads, Hopemont Hospital and several other topics. She ended her discussion with HB2368, Mylissa Smith’s Law. HB2368 establishes guidelines for the frequency of allowable visitation, so patients can see family members, clergy or hospice while complying with all applicable procedures already established by the health care entity.
“This bill provides visitation for family members at end of life,” Sypolt said. “Mylissa was a wife, sister, mother, stepmother and grandmother. She spent her time with patients that had no one to be with them. She got COVID and spent the last four weeks of her life alone. Her husband didn’t get to say goodbye. He believed her ending would have been different, if she could have seen her family. Mylissa was a hospice nurse. This bill is for all of the Mylissas throughout West Virginia. It wasn’t everything we wanted, but we hope this bill will see that no one dies alone while family stands outside the window or waits in their car.”
TWEET@DominionPostWV
