Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
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House Redistricting Bill Moves to Senate

Cheyenne DeBolt
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House Redistricting Bill Moves to Senate

The House convened for day three of the third extraordinary session.

After a lengthy discussion, House Bill 301 passed the House 79-20. Several amendments were rejected. House Bill 301 creates 100 single member districts based on population from the 2020 census.

The approved map shown below. It goes to the Senate for review.

House Bill 334 passed the House 98-0. The bill updates the Intermediate Appellate Reorganization Act. The bill requires that appeals entered by family courts in domestic violence proceedings must first be made to circuit code and give the circuit court jurisdiction over the appeals. It modifies the prohibition on sitting Intermediate Court of Appeals Judges to retain a seat upon becoming a candidate or pre-candidate for any nonjudicial elected public office. It authorizes the Intermediate Court of Appeals to be located in a fixed or virtual location. The bill authorizes individuals appointed to serve as judges of the Intermediate Court of Appeals to take the oath and commence duties on or before July 1, 2022.

The House is in recess until 3:30 p.m.

Meetings

The House reconvened at 4 p.m. to accept committee reports and messages from the Senate.

House Bill 335 requires covered employers to provide religious and health exemptions from mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations.

House Bill 336, an appropriation bill, transfers funds from general revenue to the Department of Homeland Security Division of Justice and Community Services.

The House is adjourned until 10 a.m. tomorrow.

Senate Passes Congressional Map

Christopher Marshall
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Senate Passes Congressional Map

The Senate passed SB3033 this afternoon, approving a new congressional map that will divide West Virginia into two north-south districts.

The map was amended to align with the House of Delegates’ map of choice, signaling agreement in both bodies. The map proposals in each body were already very similar, with the only difference being the positioning of Ritchie and Pendleton counties. The current map places Pendleton in the southern district and Ritchie in the northern district.

There was little debate on the map that was approved on a 30-2 vote with two Senators absent. Senators Robert Karnes ( R-Randolph, 11) and Mike Caputo (D-Marion, 13) were the dissenting votes.

Also on Wednesday, the Senate passed 24 supplemental appropriation bills as well as various other items.

The Senate delayed action on SB3034, the bill proposing new Senate districts, until tomorrow. The bill will be up for passage then, with amendments still possible.

Senate Bill 3035, requiring covered employers provide certain exemptions from mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations, and Senate Bill 3036, another appropriation measure, were read a first time today. Both of these bills were recent additions to the Governor’s Special Session call.

UPDATE

The Senate reconvened briefly at 6 p.m., amending and passing Senate Bill 3026, relating to review, approval, disapproval, or amendment of local boards of health rules by county commission or county board of education. The bill now heads to the House for consideration.

The Senate is adjourned until tomorrow, Oct. 14, at 11 a.m.

Redistricting Committee Moves Map 6

Cheyenne DeBolt
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Redistricting Committee Moves Map 6

The House Redistricting Committee met this afternoon and passed an originating bill to the floor.

The Committee has selected Congressional Map 6 to report to the House. Map 6 divides the state into a Northern District and a Southern District for Congressional Districts.

For more redistricting information, visit the redistricting page.

House Convenes for Day 2 of Special Session

Cheyenne DeBolt
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House Convenes for Day 2 of Special Session

The House convened at 12 p.m. today. Two bills were read a second time and House Bill 330 was read for the first time.

House Bill 330 establishes a Medal of Valor for emergency medical service personnel, firefighters, and law-enforcement officers. It establishes criteria for awarding a medal of valor. It establishes First Responders Honor Board within Department of Homeland Security. It defines and establishes board criteria.

House Bill 301 creates 100 single member districts following the 2020 census and provides for incidental precinct boundary changes.

House Bill 334 updates the Intermediate Appellate Reorganization Act.

The House is in recess until 2 p.m.

The House reconvened at 2 p.m. and read several bills for the first time, including those that passed the Finance Committee this morning.

House Bill 332 raises the statutory salary of the Director of the Lottery Commission from $92,5000 to $110,000.

House Bill 327 increases the concealed deadly weapon permit fee, to allocate part of the fee to the State Police for specific purposes. The bill also exempts veterans of the National Guard and reserve from paying a fee for the permit.

House Bill 328  permits a person with signature authority, according to the federal ABLE Act, to open and manage an account on behalf of a designated beneficiary.

The House returned at 3:30 p.m. and read House Bill 302 for the first time.

House Bill 302 reapportions and assigns the counties into two congressional districts to adjust for population as determined by the 2020 census.

The House is adjourned until 11 a.m. tomorrow.

Senate Advances Special Session Bills to Third Reading

Christopher Marshall
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Senate Advances Special Session Bills to Third Reading

The Senate advanced all 34 bills to third reading during a brief floor session Tuesday morning.

Senate Bill 3026, relating to review, approval, disapproval, or amendment of local boards of health rules by county commission or county board of education, was double referenced to Judiciary and Finance on second reading.

Senate Bills 3033 and 3034, dealing with the redrawing of congressional districts and state senatorial districts respectively, were advanced to third reading with the right to amend. These measures are expected to be discussed on the floor tomorrow, during the amendment stage.

UPDATE

The Senate met briefly on two occasions Tuesday evening so the Judiciary and Finance committees could both review and advance Senate Bill 3026 to the full Senate. The bill will be on third reading tomorrow with the right to amend.

The Senate is adjourned until tomorrow, Oct 13 at 12 p.m.

House Finance Passes Supplemental Appropriations

Cheyenne DeBolt
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House Finance Passes Supplemental Appropriations

The Finance Committee met this morning and passed several bills, including many supplement appropriations.

House Bill 303 allows the Bureau of Senior Services to appropriate $16.4 million in federal funds through grants to senior centers across the state. The funds are to provide additional meals for seniors through the center. The bill passed to the House.

House Bill 307 allows the Division of Culture and History to add a new line item to their budget for $765,400. The funding will go to community in arts organizations to help with operational costs since they haven’t been able to hold events to raise funds. The bill passed to the House.

House Bill 309 appropriates $100,000 for personal services and employee benefits and $11 million for current expenses to the Consolidated Medical Services Fund. The bill passed to the House.

House Bill 332 increases the statutory salary of the Director of the Lottery Commission from $92,500 to $110,000. The bill was amended and passed to the floor.

House Judiciary Amends the Intermediate Appellate Reorg. Act

Cheyenne DeBolt
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House Judiciary Amends the Intermediate Appellate Reorg. Act

The Judiciary Committee met today at 2 pm. House Bill 334 was discussed. The bill amends sections of code relating to the Intermediate Appellate Reorganization Act, which was passed in the general session. The bill requires that appeals entered by family courts in domestic violence proceedings must first be made to circuit code and give the circuit court jurisdiction over the appeals. It modifies the prohibition on sitting Intermediate Court of Appeals Judges to retain a seat upon becoming a candidate or pre-candidate for any nonjudicial elected public office. It authorizes the Intermediate Court of Appeals to be located in a fixed or virtual location. The bill authorizes individuals appointed to serve as judges of the Intermediate Court of Appeals to take the oath and commence duties on or before July 1, 2022.

The bill passed to the House.

Committee Passes Redistricting Bill to the House

Cheyenne DeBolt
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Committee Passes Redistricting Bill to the House

The Select Committee on Redistricting met today at 12 pm. Changes to the originating redistricting bill were discussed.

The first change involved 48th district, originally included a portion of Nicholas, all Webster, and a portion of Pocahontas. The updated map does not include Pocahontas and now includes a portion of Greenbrier County. The portion that includes the Route 20 corridor. The change was made due to community interest. The change also prevents Pocahontas from being split three ways.

The second change involved districts 74, 75, and 76. In Marion County, the change was made between district 75 and 76. The new map helps county clerks with precinct changes in 75. Monongalia County also received changes to help stay with current precinct lines, which helps county clerks.

The third change involved the 20th district. In Putnam County, lines were close to current precinct lines, so the new map moves the district line to help county clerk.

The fourth change involves district 25. In Cabell County, a request was made to include more blocks in downtown part of Huntington.

The fifth change involves district 57, part of Kanawha County. The new map moves South Charleston High School into the district since the goal of this district was to put south Charleston and Dunbar in same district because they attend the same high school.

The sixth change involves one census block in Lincoln County. Due to community interest, the new map lines to put Atenville in the same district as Harts, because the people in Atenville must drive through Harts to vote.

The seventh change involves Elkins in Randolph County. A request made to adjust lines to keep current communities together.

The originating bill passed the committee and will be reported to House.

For more information on redistricting, please visit the Redistricting Page of the Legislature.

 

Legislature Convenes Special Session on Redistricting

Christopher Marshall
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Legislature Convenes Special Session on Redistricting

Both the House and Senate convened the third Special Session of 2021 today at 11 a.m. The focus of the session will be to redraw district lines in both the House and Senate, while also drawing new Congressional district lines as West Virginia transitions from three to two representatives.

Supplemental appropriation bills and several other measures are also on the Governor’s Special Session call.

Each body introduced 32 bills this morning, with the Senate reading each bill a first time.

The House reconvened at 6 p.m. and suspended rules to read House Bill 334, updating provisions establishing the Intermediate Court of Appeals; and House Bill 301, reapportioning House of Delegates Districts, a first time.

The Senate reconvened just after 7 p.m. to receive committee reports from the Redistricting Committee and read Senate bills 3033 and 3034 a first time. The bills relate to the composition of congressional districts and state senatorial districts.

The Senate is adjourned until tomorrow at 11 a.m.

The House is adjourned until tomorrow at 12 p.m.

 

Tomorrow’s House Committee Meetings:

Senators Swear Oaths on Sunday

Cheyenne DeBolt
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Senators Swear Oaths on Sunday

Senate President Blair swore in Owens Brown and Hannah Geffert into the Senate on October 10, 2021. The two were appointed by Governor Justice to the seats vacated by the resignations of Senator Ihlenfeld and Senator Unger.

Owens Brown now represents West Virginia’s 1st Senate district. The Wheeling resident is the first Black man to serve in the West Virginia Senate. Senator Brown serves as the WV NAACP President, a role he has held since 2015. He also worked with the Education Association for 28 years. He also has experience working with grassroots organizations and served as a Special Delegate for the United Nations. He said his past roles have kept him involved in government and prepared him for this opportunity.

Senator Brown was accompanied by his sisters, his nephew, and members of the WV Democratic Association.

Hannah Geffert now represents West Virginia’s 16th Senate district. The Martinsburg resident is a recently retired political science professor. She was teaching at Shepard University. She decided to accept this role after her students reminded her of something she taught them as freshmen. She said that if you want a great state, a great country, or a great world, it is your personal responsibility to get involved. When this opportunity was presented to her, it seemed like the responsible thing to do.

Senator Geffert was accompanied by her husband, her children, and her children’s spouses.

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