By Jean Braithwaite
tribune correspondent
CHARLESTON — Over 100 West Virginia senior citizens recently spent three days in Charleston at a Silver Haired Legislative session with a goal to place four new bills in the hands of Gov. Joe Manchin.
The Silver Haired Legislators, voted on by their peers, meet in standing committee meetings prior to the trip to the capital city, and each of the four regions could present two proposals as the first step for bill passage.
The group spent time in discussion, debating, and lobbying for the eight proposals before final votes eliminated half of what was brought to the floor’
The approved bills will be sponsored by Sen. Joseph M. Minard of the 12th District.
The sponsorship will allow the four proposals to receive a number and go through either a Senate or House committee study,
in preparation to become a West Virginia law.
The adoption of a Drunk Driver Victim Program, the proposal from Region One, which covers the Northern Panhandle and the surrounding area of the state, will allow for funds to be collected from the wholesale distribution of beer and wine.
This funding will assist with the costs associated with injuries, death, and property losses to those who are victims of drunk drivers.
Facts given to support this proposal included that, in 2006, there were 119 deaths and over 2,600 injuries in the state that were related to drunk driving.
In addition, drunk driving costs West Virginia tax payers about $7 million in economic losses each year.
The second proposal receiving a yes vote came from Region Three, which includes Mineral County, and was the Reduced Hunting License Fee.
This proposal will give a reduction of the cost of hunting license to those state residents that are younger senior citizens at age 55 to 64.
Presently the hunting license is $38 without additional stamps, and the proposal will make the price $20.
Curtis Taylor, a representative from the Department of Natural Resources, was present at the session, and he stated that West Virginia leads the nation in households that have at least one hunter in the residence.
Two proposals were approved from Region Four, which are the counties from the southeastern part of the state.
One of these proposals, submitted by the Education Committee, was changing the legislative rules for funding public libraries.
Recommendations from a 1999 state study concerning public libraries revealed that $6.50 should come from the state and $6.50 from local governments for a total of $13 per capita.
This is the amount suggested in the proposal to be a baseline for funding.
The national average for operating costs for libraries is $33.87, with Kanawha County receiving $36.94, the highest in the state.
Clay County receives $5.56 per capita and is at the bottom of the funding source.
The other proposal brought to the floor by Region Four is the need to have mobile units from the Department of Motor Vehicles travel throughout the state and offer license renewals and other services to those in counties that do not have license centers.
Presently, there are only 25 counties that have license and exam facilities, and many citizens must travel for miles, in some cases as much as 100 miles for a round trip, to obtain services.
The cost of the mobile unit and several employees that would travel throughout the state at least two days a month would be covered by an additional $1 per year for driver’s license or renewal.
Proposals that were either rejected or tabled until the next Silver Haired Legislative session dealt with qualifications of local magistrates, enforcement of the State Code 64-14, concerning extension of monitoring of residents in long-term health care facilities, the increase of reimbursement rate for in-home care services under Medicaid waiver and the Veteran’s Administration process, and tax credits, deductions for expenses, and other incentives for small business starting within the state.
