CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The spirit of Santa Claus hovered over the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday morning, March 11, as members “Christmas treed” a fireworks bill.
“We’ve got everything in this but a new barn for the state fair,” said Sen. Ron Miller, D-Greenbrier. “We’ve loaded up the tree. … There’s something for everybody.” But he worried that some of the gifts might kill the bill.
HB 2646 began and came from the House as a bill to legalize “consumer fireworks” — rockets, Roman candles, firecrackers, shells (shot out of tubes) and cakes (with tubes).
The House bill devoted a fireworks safety fee of 20 percent of sales to construction of a veterans nursing home in Beckley via a new Veterans Program Fund.
Here’s how the Senate decorated the tree:
— The fee was reduced to 10 percent, all going to veterans’ fund.
— Consumer fireworks sales are limited to certain sites: Temporary facilities (tents) at veterans’ organizations, licensed retailers and racetracks; permanent licensed retailers and fireworks stores. Tents pay a $500 certificate fee; permanent sites pay $1,000 per year.
— Wrapping in a couple dead bills, the cigarette tax is raised from 55 cents per pack to $1.55 per pack throughout the course of two years — 50 cents each year. This is expected to raise about $130 million per year.
From that, $20 million collected in Fiscal Year 2016 goes toward the veterans’ home. And $20 million collected in FY 2017 will go toward establishing a secure drug treatment center…
