West Virginia Bill Tracking And State Guide

1. The Idea: - A bill starts as an idea proposed by anyone including private citizens, corporations, or governmental units. - It must be sponsored by one or more legislators to be considered. 2. Preparation: - Bills are drafted with the help of the Office of Legislative Services or legislative staff counsel to ensure proper format. - The legislator reviews the draft before submitting it to the clerk. 3. Introduction: - The clerk assigns a unique number to each bill, which is used throughout the legislative session. - The bill is then assigned to a committee for consideration. 4. Committee Study: - Standing Committees analyze bills and make recommendations. - Possible outcomes include: recommending "do pass", rejecting the bill, or making no recommendation. 5. Floor Action: - After leaving the committee, the bill is read on the floor. - It goes through three readings: - First reading informs members, - Second reading allows for amendments, - Third reading is the vote on passage. 6. Action by the Second Chamber: - If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber where it undergoes a similar process. 7. Conference Committees: - If there are changes made by the second chamber, a conference committee resolves differences. - The revised bill is then voted upon again. 8. Action by the Governor: - The governor has five days (or 15 days after adjournment) to approve or veto the bill. - If no action is taken within the time limits, the bill automatically becomes law. 9. Overriding a Veto: - A simple majority in both chambers can override a veto, except for budget bills which require a two-thirds majority.

A member of the public can get involved in the legislative process in West Virginia in several ways: 1. Proposing a Bill: Anyone can propose an idea for a bill to a legislator. This can be done by private citizens, corporations, professional associations, special interest groups, or governmental units. However, it is important to note that a bill must be sponsored by one or more legislators for it to be considered. 2. Contacting Legislators: Citizens can contact their elected officials—senators and delegates—to express their opinions on current legislation or to suggest new ideas for bills. 3. Attending Legislative Sessions: Members of the public can attend sessions of the West Virginia Legislature to observe the debates and discussions on proposed legislation. 4. Providing Testimony: Individuals may have opportunities to provide testimony during committee hearings, where they can share their views and expertise on specific bills. 5. Monitoring Legislation: Citizens can track the status of bills, including who sponsors a bill and what committee it is assigned to.

Tracking bills is hard, especially if you rely on state legislature websites, which are often hard to navigate. Thousands of bills get filed in West Virginia every year (and about 180,000 bills nationwide). If you want to be an effective advocate, you need to know where legislation of interest stands, and act quickly.

FastDemocracy's free version allows you to track an unlimited number of bills - no strings attached. We'll send you a daily or weekly email on your priority bills and give you tools to research bills and legislators.

FastDemocracy Professional is for anyone who tracks bills in a professional capacity. It features

• real-time bill, amendment and hearing alerts
• automated reporting
• team collaboration
• bill tagging for clients and stakeholders
• bill similarity detection
• ...and much more

1. Sign up here for a free FastDemocracy account.

2. Head to Tracked Topics to select issue areas you care about.

3. Use the search bar on top if you're looking for something specific.

4. Click "Track Bill" for any legislation you'd like to monitor a bit closer. That's how you add it to your Tracked Bills. You can also click on a bill to learn more, see the bill summary, most recent actions, votes, news and tweets. You can also contact legislators or share your bills on social media.

5. You can track an unlimited number of bills for free and we'll send you a daily or weekly email if your tracked legislation moves.

6. Do you need real-time alerts, outreach tools, bill lists, and professional functions? Then FastDemocracy Professional is the right fit for you.

7. Track bills on your smartphone using our free mobile app.

You can use the Find Your Legislators tool to find them, see their voting records, and contact them.