Understanding The Legislative Process In West Virginia

In West Virginia, a bill is an idea for a new law, or a proposal to change or abolish an existing law. Hundreds of bills enter the legislative process each time the Legislature meets. The process by which a bill becomes a law in West Virginia involves multiple stages, including proposal, drafting, introduction, committee study, floor action, approval by both chambers, and, finally, approval by the governor.

Anyone can propose a bill idea

In West Virginia, anyone can propose an idea for a bill to a legislator. This includes private citizens, corporations, professional associations, special interest groups, and governmental units. However, for a bill to be considered by the Legislature, it must be sponsored by one or more legislators.

In the House, the number of sponsors of a bill or a constitutional amendment is limited to seven or eleven, depending on the source. Meanwhile, the Senate has no limit on sponsorship.

Once a legislator decides to sponsor a bill, an initial draft of the idea may be sent to the Office of Legislative Services or legislative staff counsel to ensure it is in proper bill form. The appropriate portion(s) of West Virginia law are combined with the proposed changes to draft the bill. After the draft legislation is prepared, the legislator reviews it and submits it for introduction to the clerk of the chamber of which they are a member.

Before introduction, the clerk identifies each bill with a separate number, which is used as a reference for the bill throughout the legislative session. The President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Delegates then assigns the bill to a committee or committees for consideration. When the bill is formally introduced on the floor of the chamber, the bill number and committee reference(s) are announced.

Bills must be sponsored by legislators

In West Virginia, anyone can propose an idea for a bill to a legislator. This includes private citizens, corporations, professional associations, special interest groups, and governmental units. However, for a bill to be considered by the Legislature, it must be sponsored by one or more legislators.

In the House, the number of sponsors of a bill or a constitutional amendment is limited to seven or eleven, depending on the source. In contrast, the Senate has no limit on sponsorship.

Once a legislator decides to sponsor a bill, they may send an initial draft of the idea to the Office of Legislative Services or legislative staff counsel to ensure it is in proper bill form. The appropriate portion(s) of West Virginia law are combined with the proposed changes to draft the bill. After the draft legislation is prepared, the legislator reviews it and submits it for introduction to the clerk of the chamber of which they are a member.

The clerk plays a crucial role in the process by identifying each bill with a separate number. This number serves as a reference for the bill throughout the legislative session. Following this, the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Delegates assigns the bill to one or more committees for consideration. When the bill is formally introduced on the floor of the chamber, the bill number and the committee reference(s) are announced.

Bills are drafted and reviewed

The first step in the legislative process is for a bill to be drafted. Anyone can propose an idea for a bill to a legislator, be it a private citizen, corporation, professional association, special interest group, or governmental unit. However, for a bill to be considered by the Legislature, it must be sponsored by one or more legislators. In the House, the number of sponsors of a bill or a constitutional amendment is limited to seven or eleven, while the Senate has no limit on sponsorship.

Once a legislator decides to sponsor a bill, an initial draft of the idea may be sent to the Office of Legislative Services or legislative staff counsel to ensure that it is in proper bill form. To draft a bill on a particular subject, the relevant portions of the West Virginia law are combined with the proposed changes.

After the draft legislation is prepared, the legislator reviews it and submits it for introduction to the clerk of the chamber of which they are a member. The clerk then identifies each bill with a separate number. This number is used as a reference for the bill throughout the legislative session.

The next step is for the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Delegates to assign the bill to a committee or committees to be considered. When the bill is formally introduced on the floor of the chamber, the bill number and the committee reference(s) are announced.

Bills are introduced on the floor

Once a bill has been drafted, reviewed, and submitted to the clerk of the chamber, it is ready to be introduced on the floor. The clerk will give the bill a unique number, which will be used as a reference throughout the legislative session. The bill is then assigned to a committee or committees by the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Delegates.

When the bill is formally introduced on the floor of the chamber, the bill number and the committee reference(s) are announced. This is done by the clerk of the House or the Senate, who reads the title of the bill, while the Speaker or President announces the committee reference.

The presiding officer of each house determines the committee reference for a bill. A bill may have more than one committee reference, depending on its subject matter and fiscal implications. The deadline for the introduction of joint resolutions and bills is the 41st day in both the Senate and the House.

Standing committees are small groups of senators or delegates who are assigned to study bills involving a particular subject. This process allows a larger number of bills to be studied in greater detail than would be possible by the entire House or Senate. As committees only represent a portion of the membership of either chamber, they can only make recommendations about a bill for the full membership to consider.

Bills are assigned to committees

Once a bill has been introduced on the floor of the chamber, it is assigned to a committee or committees to be considered. The President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Delegates is responsible for assigning the bill to a committee. Standing Committees are small groups of senators or delegates assigned to study bills involving a particular subject. This process allows a larger number of bills to receive a more detailed study than would be possible by the entire House or Senate.

Committees can only make recommendations about a bill for the full membership to consider. When a committee has completed work on a bill, it files a written committee report that recommends one of the following:

• The bill "do pass" in its original form, or with amendments offered by the committee, or as a committee substitute bill
• The bill be rejected
• No recommendation at all

Some bills "die in committee", meaning the committee did not have enough time to take up the issue or the committee members decided the bill should not be recommended to the full membership for action.

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