Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
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House Judiciary Advances Baylea’s Law Bill

Soleil Woolard
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House Judiciary Advances Baylea’s Law Bill

The Standing Committee on the Judiciary met this morning.

House Bill 4638 would include an option to become an organ donor when registering to vote or when updating voter registration. This bill was reported to the floor.

House Bill 4990 would create the crime of gift card fraud. This bill provides definitions and penalties for the crime. This bill was reported to the floor.

House Bill 4546 would require biennial reports for limited liability and foreign limited liability companies. This bill was advanced to markup and discussion.

House Bill 4712 would increase the criminal penalties for DUI causing death and DUI offenses for minors. The increase of these penalties will be called “Baylea’s Law.”

House Bill 5197 would make any action brought against the state and its agencies to set aside a sale or deed may be instituted within one year following the date of the sale. This shortened period applies only to claims against state and local governments.

House Bill 5214 would require parents with child abuse and/or child neglect claims against them to be drug tested before their children can be placed back into their care.

House Bill 5219 would provide residence definitions for voting registration and for Election Day. Under this bill, “a place shall be considered the residence of a person in which that person’s habitation is fixed, and to which, whenever that person is absent, that person has the intention of returning,” with exceptions defined in the bill.

House Bill 5228 would change the definition of electioneering. Under this bill, electioneering is now defined as “visible display or audible dissemination of information that advocates for or against any candidate or ballot question.”

In addition to the change of definition, this bill describes prohibited activities, permitting election officials and county employees to enforce election laws, and permitting said people to seek assistance from law enforcement. Prohibited activities include, but are not limited to, displaying a candidate’s likeness, logo, committee name, a ballot question’s number, or paraphernalia in support of a candidate.

House Bill 5273 would require county and municipal campaign finance activities to be published online within 48 hours of the deadline and require municipal candidates file their campaign finance reports with their respective County Clerk.

Abortion Pill Ban Clears Senate

Jaidyn Carter
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Abortion Pill Ban Clears Senate

The Senate met on Friday morning and passed several bills, including bills prohibiting abortion pills and establishing the First Amendment Preservation Act.

The Senate also introduced Senate Bills 938-943 and adopted Senate Resolutions 35, 36, and 37 regarding National Organ Donor Day, WV Silver Jackets Flood Resiliency Day, and Pretrial, Probation and Parole Supervision Week.

Senate Bill 173 would prohibit the trafficking and dispensing of chemical abortion pills in West Virginia.

The legislation would amend the West Virginia Unborn Child Protection Act by adding provisions that specifically target “abortifacients”. The bill defines an abortifacient as “any chemical or drug prescribed or dispensed with the intent of causing an abortion.”

According to the bill’s language, a person or entity would be guilty of performing or attempting to perform an abortion with an abortifacient if they are knowingly and willfully:

  • Send an abortifacient to a person in West Virginia by courier, delivery, or mail service.
  • Place an abortifacient into the stream of commerce, knowing it will be used in or sent to West Virginia.
  • Prescribe an abortifacient to a person in West Virginia, regardless of whether the prescriber is in the state.
  • Disseminate an abortifacient in West Virginia without a lawfully valid prescription.

The bill establishes different penalties based on who commits the offense:

Non-medical professionals convicted of violating the law may be charged with a felony and face imprisonment in a state correctional facility for 3 to 10 years.

Licensed medical professionals who are found to have knowingly and willfully violated the law would face disciplinary action by their licensing board, including mandatory revocation of their medical license.

The legislation specifically states that “a woman who unlawfully receives an abortifacient” cannot be charged with or convicted of a criminal offense related to her own unborn child.

The bill would also create a civil cause of action, allowing a pregnant woman or her family members, spouse or baby’s father to sue anyone who knowingly and willfully violates the prohibition. If a claimant prevails, they may receive:

  • Injunctive relief preventing future violations
  • Damages of $10,000 for each abortion that was knowingly and willfully performed or attempted

Notably, an indictment or conviction is not required to establish liability in a civil action.

Sen. Eric Tarr, (R-Putnam, 04) successfully amended the bill to require claimants who sue under the law to notify the state attorney general. It also adds language that the attorney general may pursue civil action under the law and recover expenses to the maximum amount allowed by law. An indictment or conviction would not be necessary to establish liability.

The bill provides limited exceptions:

  • Pharmacies fulfilling lawfully valid prescriptions issued by licensed medical professionals in West Virginia.
  • Physicians providing medical procedures or services for legitimate medical reasons to a pregnant woman that result in accidental or unintentional physical injury to or death of the unborn child.

The bill passed the full Senate and was reported to the House of Delegates for consideration.

Senate Bill 531 would establish the First Amendment Preservation Act.

This bill would prevent the state of West Virginia and its agencies from contracting with media monitoring or fact-checking organizations. Hiring advertising or marketing companies that use certain media monitors would be prohibited.

State agencies are prohibited from the following:

  • Entering into a contract with any media monitoring organization
  • An advertising or marketing agency that utilizes the services of a media monitoring organization for the agency’s contract or agreement
  • Provide support of any form, other than nondiscretionary actions required by law, to a media monitoring organization.
  • The bill aims to maintain viewpoint neutrality in state spending and prevent government involvement in determining which news sources are credible or acceptable.

The bill passed the full Senate and was reported to the House of Delegates for consideration.

Senate Majority Leader Patrick Martin (R-Lewis, 12) presided over today’s floor session. President Randy Smith (R-Preston, 14) was absent due to the death of his sister.

The Senate is adjourned until Monday, Feb. 16, at 11:15 a.m.

House Advances Small Business Growth Act

Soleil Woolard
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0
House Advances Small Business Growth Act

The West Virginia House of Delegates advanced several bills, including the following:

Senate Bill 1 would create the Small Business Growth Act. This act would establish a tax credit for employers that have fewer than 200 employees and 60% of their workforce are West Virginia employees. This bill would allow West Virginia’s small businesses to be able to receive more capital than they could previously access. 

House Bill 4098 would restore a person’s right to sit on a jury upon the expungement of one’s record. This bill was advanced to the Senate. 

House Bill 4462 would prohibit the sale of cell-cultured products in West Virginia, specifically targeting cell-cultured meat, fish, poultry, or eggs.

In the discussion of the bill, the opposition shared concerns about constitutional issues with this bill regarding the commerce clause. Opposition also shared that there have been no concerns so far with these products and did not believe we should ban these products for West Virginians.

Those in favor of the bill shared that they were concerned about possible health and safety issues that could arise in the future for West Virginians.

This bill passed with a vote of 64 to 25.

Bills introduced can be found here.
Resolutions introduced can be found here.

Committee Meetings, Today February 13

Committee Meetings, Monday February 16

The House is adjourned until 11:00 a.m. Monday, February 16, 2026. 

House Health Focuses on Childcare and Foster Care

Cheyenne DeBolt
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House Health Focuses on Childcare and Foster Care

The Committee on Health and Human Resources met this afternoon.

Markup & Passage

House Bill 4599 updates the WV CARES process by requiring renewal before background checks lapse.

House Bill 4907 was pulled from the agenda.

House Bill 5086 formalizes peer support teams and services for correctional officers, emergency services professionals, emergency telecommunicators, and law enforcement officers. It allows for private testimonial communication between peer support members.

House Bill 5379 requires insurers to pay out-of-network emergency medical services agencies directly and to promptly pay clean claims.

Committee Hearing

House Bill 5345 requires child-care subsidies to be based on monthly enrollment rather than daily attendance. This will provide consistency for childcare providers, helping them stay open.

House Bill 4067 provides a childcare subsidy for any childcare employee who works 20 or more hours per week.

House Bill 4517 maximizes the utility and accessibility of West Virginia’s childcare tax credit for employers by extending this credit to employer-sponsored daycare facilities accessible to the work site in addition to on-site, fully employer-provided day cares.

House Bill 4782 creates the Sustainable Child-Serving Workforce & Foster Care Modernization Act, which requires the Bureau for Social Services to rebase all foster care rates using current cost data and implement an automatic annual adjustment based on a recognized index.

House Bill 4730 establishes a continuum of services and supports for youth preparing to exit foster care or who have aged out of it.

House Bill 5430 would require an annual study of pharmacy dispensing fees, limit the amounts charged by pharmacy benefit managers, and prohibit certain pharmacy benefit manager contracts with West Virginia Medicaid and the West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency. It would also require implementing a pharmacy cost-containment tool.

Senate Judiciary Advanced Strategic and Critical Resources Act Bill

Jaidyn Carter
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0
Senate Judiciary Advanced Strategic and Critical Resources Act Bill

The Senate Judiciary Committee met on Thursday afternoon and advanced two bills on the Strategic and Critical Resources Act and the appointment of chief deputies.

Senate Bill 648 would establish the Strategic and Critical Resources Act.

This bill would establish a statewide framework to encourage the development of critical resources such as minerals essential for energy, technology, and national security. Regulations would be put in place by the state and federal government, not local governments.

The bill was reported to the full Senate with a recommendation of passage.

Senate Bill 185 would change state law to allow county sheriffs to appoint more than one chief deputy with the consent of the county commission.

This bill is intended to provide flexibility to have multiple top deputies to help manage larger departments or workloads.

“Some agencies require more supervision than others, and that’s where this bill will come into place,” Executive Director of the West Virginia Sheriffs’ Association, Rodney Miller, stated.

The bill was reported to the full Senate with a recommendation of passage.

Senate HHR Advances Make West Virginia Healthy Act of 2026 Bill

Jaidyn Carter
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0
Senate HHR Advances Make West Virginia Healthy Act of 2026 Bill

Senate Health and Human Resources met Thursday afternoon and advanced eight bills regarding the Food is Medicine Program, involuntary hospitalization, family caregivers and more.

House Bill 4982 would establish the Make West Virginia Healthy Act of 2026.

This bill would authorize the use of nutrition-based interventions, such as the Food is Medicine Program.

The Food is Medicine Program incorporates basic nutrition and culinary skills education, patient-provider relationships, health metric collection, and locally grown produce to improve patients’ overall well-being.

The Bureau for Medical Services would also design programs to improve health outcomes for Medicaid members with nutrition-related chronic diseases through nutrition supports and reduce the need for higher-cost medical care.

The bill was reported to the full Senate with a recommendation of passage.

Senate Bill 742 would authorize physicians to determine the involuntary hospitalization of a patient or individual at a hospital emergency department in need of treatment.

This bill would strike language stating that a mental hygiene commissioner, magistrate, or circuit judge would have to determine if an involuntary hospitalization of a patient is necessary, and give full authority to the staff physicians present at the hospital.

The bill was reported to the full Senate with a recommendation of passage, first being sent to the committee on Judiciary.

Senate Bill 741 would expand the pilot program to implement the involuntary commitment process.

West Virginia’s pilot program for involuntary commitment is a trial project intended to make the process safer and more effective. Selected counties test new procedures such as trained alternative transport to hospitals, quick mental health evaluations, and audits to ensure commitments are justified.

This bill would expand the pilot program by adding the counties of Hampshire, Morgan, Ohio, and Wood to implement an involuntary commitment process.

The bill was reported to the full Senate with a recommendation of passage, first being sent to the committee on Finance.

Senate Bill 650 would establish a psychiatric hospital that treats exclusively civil and forensic patients committed from the state or from state hospitals.

The hospital would require an average annual inpatient census patient mix greater than 95 percent of court-ordered forensic and civil involuntary commitments from state custody.

The bill was reported to the full Senate with a recommendation of passage, first being sent to the committee on Finance.

Senate Bill 766 would establish the Creating Caregiver Tax Credit Act.

The West Virginia State Department of Revenue would publish that a tax credit shall be reduced on the first day of the effective year, and the total amount of credits used to offset the tax does not exceed $5 million annually per year.

This bill is intended to support family caregivers financially, such as helping finance durable medical equipment that is necessary to assist an eligible family member in carrying out one or more activities of daily living.

The bill was reported to the full Senate with a recommendation of passage, first being sent to the committee on Finance.

Senate Bill 114 would establish the Paid Parental Leave Pilot Program.

This bill would allow an employee to receive 12 weeks of paid leave during any 12-month period to care for and bond with his or her child during the first 12 months after the child’s birth.

This program is intended to promote working families’ physical and mental health, increase employee retention, and improve employee productivity and morale following the birth or adoption of a child.

Following a discussion, the bill was reported to a newly formed subcommittee where Senator Joey Gracia (D – Marion, 13) would be the chair, and the bill would be taken for further consideration.

Senate Bill 130 would establish a state-wide directory of e-cigarette products and e-cigarette liquids and strengthen regulations on their distribution and sale.

Manufacturers would be required to receive market authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration before their products can be listed and sold.

The bill was reported to the full Senate with a recommendation of passage, first being sent to the committee on Finance.

Senate Bill 398 would remove the existing requirement that certain state public health officials be employed on a full-time basis.

This bill is intended to provide more flexibility in hiring and retaining qualified individuals in key public health leadership roles.

The bill was reported to the full Senate with a recommendation of passage.

House Judiciary Advances Animal Abuse Database Bill

Soleil Woolard
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0
House Judiciary Advances Animal Abuse Database Bill

House Judiciary and its subcommittees met this morning.

Judiciary

House Bill 5176 would create the animal abuse database within the West Virginia State Police. This database would include the names of individuals who have been convicted of, or who have entered a plea of guilt, or are in violation of animal cruelty codes. These codes include §19-20-24, §61-8-19, §61-8-19a, §61-8-19b, or §61-8-19c.

House Bill 5101 would create the Joanna Phillips Domestic Violence Prevention Act. This act would create and increase penalties for certain acts of domestic violence, in addition to changing bail requirements for domestic violence cases.

House Bill 4568 would prohibit service of process in Family Court and civil actions on county property.

House Bill 4709 would recognize the West Virginia Legislature’s legal standing in court actions in the event of unauthorized changes to election laws and rules.

House Bill 4710 would increase the amount of time a candidate could switch parties before filing to run for office from 60 days to 180 days before an election.

House Bill 5025 would allow the burning of certain farm structures, provided the Department of Environmental Protection approves the burning.

House Bill 5166 would require a notice to be given to any political committee violating the filing requirements before assessing any civil fines. This bill would also give the Secretary of State authority to grant additional time for compliance, but not exceed an additional 14 days.

House Bill 5182 would allow the State Treasurer’s security personnel to carry concealed weapons while performing their official duties, upon approval from the State Treasurer.

House Bill 4638 would include an option to become an organ donor when registering to vote or when someone is modifying their voter registration.

House Bill 4990 would create the crime of gift card fraud. This bill provides definitions and penalties for the crime.

Senate Bill 4 would require bystanders to stand 30 feet back from first responders engaged in their duties if they are trying to threaten or harass first responders. If bystanders violate this bill, they are guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined at least $50 but no more than $500 or confined in jail for not more than one year. Upon a judge’s discretion, a person could be both fined and confined.

Legal Services

House Bill 5219 would provide residence definitions for voting registration and for Election Day. Under this bill, “a place shall be considered the residence of a person in which that person’s habitation is fixed, and to which, whenever that person is absent, that person has the intention of returning,” with exceptions defined in the bill.

House Bill 5228 would change the definition of electioneering. Under this bill, electioneering is now defined as “visible display or audible dissemination of information that advocates for or against any candidate or ballot question.”

In addition to the change of definition, this bill describes prohibited activities, permitting election officials and county employees to enforce election laws, and permitting said people to seek assistance from law enforcement. Prohibited activities include, but are not limited to, displaying a candidate’s likeness, logo, committee name, a ballot question’s number, or paraphernalia in support of a candidate.

House Bill 5273 would require county and municipal campaign finance activities to be published online within 48 hours of the deadline and require municipal candidates file their campaign finance reports with their respective County Clerk.

House Bill 5066 would prohibit the release of addresses and names of people who make contributions to a political election. If someone were to release said information, misdemeanor penalties are spelled out in the bill.

Courts

House Bill 5197 would make any action brought against the state and its agencies to set aside a sale or deed may be instituted within one year following the date of the sale. This shortened period applies only to claims against state and local governments.

House Bill 5214 would require parents with child abuse and/or child neglect claims against them to be drug tested before their children can be placed back into their care.

House Bill 5105 would prohibit the financial exploitation of people recovering from addiction.

House Bill 5198 would increase the penalty for crimes against people who have a mental disability.

Homeland Security

House Bill 5234 would prevent the absentee voters’ personal information from being displayed on the outside of an absentee ballot envelope sent through the mail. The information that was previously put on the outside of the envelope will now be kept inside the envelope.

In the discussion, legal counsel shared concerns about the bill conflicting with House Bill 4600, which has been advanced to the Senate. House Bill 5234 and House Bill 4600 both amend the same section of code, §3-3-5. Counsel said if these bills both pass as they are, then the last bill passed would take advantage over the first bill. In this instance, if H.B. 5234 were to pass without any changes following H.B. 4600, it would repeal H.B. 4600.

This bill was reported to the Judiciary.

House Bill 5203 would forbid any municipality from issuing any kind of municipal ID for the purposes of voting in a municipal election.

Public Education Advances Women’s Wrestling Bill

Cheyenne DeBolt
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0
Public Education Advances Women’s Wrestling Bill

The House Subcommittee on Public Education met this afternoon.

Committee Hearing

House Bill 4798, Alyssa’s Law, would require teachers and service personnel to wear a panic alert system in schools in the state. The sponsor is asking the Legislature to create a fund so that incoming businesses can help fund the purchase of alert systems for schools.

House Bill 4402 authorizes a sheriff to appoint, qualify, certify, authorize, compensate, and train school protection officers.

House Bill 5053 establishes a 90-day time limit for a child involved in an active truancy or pre-petition process to withdraw for homeschooling.

Markup & Passage

House Bill 4395 expands a county superintendent’s responsibility to investigate employees who jeopardize the health, safety, or welfare of a child, even if the employee resigns or transfers schools.

House Bill 4834 requires the WVSSAC to sanction women’s wrestling as a sporting event in public high schools and public charter schools in this state.

House Bill 4871 requires vegetarian meals to be available in schools, provided they comply with all applicable federal nutritional guidelines.

House Amends Animal Cruelty Bill

Soleil Woolard
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0
House Amends Animal Cruelty Bill

The West Virginia House of Delegates advances two bills to Senate.

House Bill 4412 would require any commercial entity that distributes or publishes sexual material more than 33.3% to implement age-verification procedures, including the usage of a government ID, digital identification, or any other method that can use data reasonably to verify the individual’s age. This bill also lays out penalties and fines for violations of the bill, including, but not limited to, failing to verify someone’s age or irresponsible retention of data.

House Bill 4725 would allow a court to order a change in the animal’s place of custody and to order the animal euthanized if it is in the animal’s best interests or for public health and safety. The euthanasia of the animal must be based on a sworn testimony of a licensed veterinarian or animal control officer.

This bill was advanced to third reading yesterday, with the right to amend. Delegates Kayla Young (D – Kanawha, 56) and JB Akers II (R – Kanawha, 55) each proposed their respective amendments.

Delegate Young and Akers’ amendments both pertained to adding crime and penalties for animal cruelty, specifically for sexual abuse. Following discussion of the Akers’ amendment, Delegate Young withdrew her amendment and became a cosponsor the other amendment.

The amendment, now sponsored by Delegate Young and Delegate Akers, was adopted. This amendment makes anyone who engages in sexual abuse of an animal be charged with a felony, be confined to prison for 1 to 5 years, and receive a fine between $1000-$5000. This amendment would also give power to the courts to make decisions for the safety of the animal.

Bills introduced can be found here.
Resolutions introduced can be found here.

Committee Meetings, Today February 12

Committee Meetings, Friday February 13

The House is adjourned until 11:00 a.m. Friday, February 13, 2026. 

Senate Passes Second Amendment Reaffirmation and Protection Act Bill

Jaidyn Carter
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0
Senate Passes Second Amendment Reaffirmation and Protection Act Bill

The Senate met on Thursday morning and passed two bills prohibiting certain compensation for advising or assisting with veterans’ benefits and the Second Amendment Reaffirmation and Protection Act.

The Senate also introduced Senate Bills 923-937 and adopted Senate Resolution 34, Designating February 12, 2026, as Hospital Day.

Senate Bill 478 would establish the Second Amendment Reaffirmation and Protection Act.

This bill would require that if federal gun laws such as the National Firearms Act (1934), Gun Control Act (1968), or the Firearm Owner’s Protection Act (1986) are repealed by Congress or deemed unconstitutional by a court, West Virginia law automatically protects people’s right to own and use guns without restrictions being placed despite federal law restrictions.

This bill would prevent state agencies or local government from enforcing or funding any firearm regulations that reflect federal gun laws that have been repealed or ruled unconstitutional.

State and local officials would be prohibited from replacing former federal firearm restrictions with new state or local rules.

Senator Eric J. Tarr (R – Putnam, 04) proposed a conceptual amendment to remove language in the bill referencing a “cause of action”, citing concerns that it could expose West Virginia taxpayers to legal liability and increased litigation costs.

The bill as amended passed the full Senate and was reported to the House of Delegates for consideration.

Senate Bill 704 would regulate and limit compensation for assisting veterans with obtaining veterans’ benefits administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or Department of Defense.

The bill passed the full Senate and was reported to the House of Delegates for consideration.

Afternoon Meetings:

Economic Development at 12:45 p.m. in Room 208W

Health and Human Resources at 1 p.m. in Room 451M

Finance at 3 p.m. in Room 451M

Judiciary at 3 p.m. in Room 208W

Morning Meetings for Feb. 13:

Finance at 9 a.m. in Room 451M

The Senate is adjourned until tomorrow, Feb. 13, at 10:30 a.m.

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