The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Local News

November 18, 2008

Joint committee approves measure for electronic filing

By Mannix Porterfield

CHARLESTON — Space-age technology could be coming as a matter of law to West Virginia’s boards and agencies.

A proposed bill, advanced Tuesday by the Joint Standing Judiciary Committee, seeks a two-year phase-in for them to file all rules and regulations electronically, eliminating reams of paperwork down the road.

That would mean any West Virginian with a computer could instantly plug in to see updates of policies that affect their lives.

“This would ease availability for the public and cut down on a large amount of paper that is received by the secretary of state every year with these filings,” committee counsel Joe Altizer explained in a full judiciary panel meeting.

Altizer said the measure, if approved in the 2009 session, would launch a pilot program the following year, and a year thereafter, it would become a mandate for most boards and agencies to heed.

Delegate Barbara Fleischauer, D-Monongalia, amended the proposal so that any entity that finds such electronic filing with the secretary of state’s office “difficult or burdensome” would be granted an exemption.

Fleischauer said a number of lawmakers have encountered some difficulties while attempting to file campaign expense reports electronically.

Before the amendment cleared, the bill only allowed an exception when a board agency or commission lacked “reasonable access to necessary technology to provide an electronic copy.”

Fleischauer said her assistant had run into some problems in trying to file her expense reports online.

But one lawmaker, Delegate John Overington, R-Berkeley, said, “I find the system easy to work with.”

Overington wondered if the bill could extend down to the county level of government as another means of accommodating citizens, but offered no such amendment.

“This is designed to allow incremental implementation to see how it works, and allow them to adjust to this as need be,” Altizer said of the proposed legislation.

Altizer said the initial exemption penned into the bill was intended to relieve smaller agencies might find it hard to comply, or could run into “technological nuances” along the way.

Before the measure was offered, Altizer said he met with the secretary of state’s staff and “everyone was comfortable” that existing technology could handle the task.

The routine rule-making process of the Legislature wouldn’t be affected, he pointed out.

“I personally think it’s a huge asset to this process which will allow you to have more information as our process goes forward,” Altizer added.

— E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com

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