The House Committee on Finance met this evening.

Committee Hearing

House Bill 4416 would reclassify forestry equipment as class I to provide tax benefits, as forestry is a part of agriculture.

House Bill 4452 removes the Mortmain restrictions on religious organizations.

House Bill 5177 would encourage the construction of entry-level homes by providing a sales tax rebate on homes 1,600 square feet or less.

House Bill 5382 would extend the Neighborhood Investment Program to July 1, 2031.

House Bill 5460 establishes a tax rebate for new home construction.

House Bill 5459 would bring the health care provider tax on healthcare managed care organizations into compliance with new federal regulations.

House Bill 5074 changes how the Medical Cannabis Program Fund is allocated: 15 percent will go to administrative costs, 15 percent to the Department of Agriculture for testing at West Virginia State University laboratory, 50 percent to the Fight Substance Abuse Fund, 10 percent to Marshall University for cannabis research, and 10 percent to WVU’s Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute for research.

House Bill 4784 extends the Qualified Opportunity Zone until July 1, 2032.

House Bill 4418 creates the Tax Efficiency Act of 2026 to allow municipal business and occupation or privilege taxes to be paid through the statewide electric data processing system.

House Bill 4768 updates definitions in the West Virginia College Prepaid Tuition and Savings Program Act to match changes in the federal 529 law.

The House Health and Human Resources Committee advanced several bills, including the following:

House Bill 5437 would create the Vape Safety Act. This act would regulate vape shops, retailers, and manufacturers in multiple ways. These regulations include, but are not limited to, that any vape shop is required to obtain a $1,200 annual license, prohibit vape shops from being within 300ft of several different locations (libraries, daycares, schools, and more), limits the amount of signage. In addition to these regulations, vape shops would only be permitted to sell products that are placed on a new registry that verifies if they are FDA-approved or FDA approval pending.

This bill was advanced to the Judiciary.

House Bill 4989 would create a cancer screening pilot program for active and retired firefighters. This bill was advanced to Finance.

House Bill 5569 would reinstate the discount on insurance for retired firefighters hired after 2010. This bill was reported to Finance.

Senate Bill 231 would establish a standard billing code for substance-abuse disorders. Once enough data has been collected from these new billing codes, this bill would establish a value-based payment model for treating substance abuse disorders. This payment model would focus on paying for the outcome of patient treatment, rather than paying the fee-for-service. This bill was reported to Finance.

House Bill 5681 would allow certified advanced nurse practitioners and advanced certified midwives to prescribe medication without a collaborating physician. This bill was advanced to markup and passage.

House Bill 5661 would require the Bureau for Medical Services to increase dental-related reimbursement by at least 20 percent. This bill was advanced to markup and passage.

The House Education Committee met this afternoon.

House Bill 4395 would continue investigations into allegations by school personnel who have jeopardized a student’s health, safety, or welfare, even if the school personnel obtain another job or transfer to another school. The bill was advanced to markup and passage.

Committee Hearings

House Bill 4587 prohibits the use of public funds to support low-income outcome postsecondary degree programs. The degree the student is pursuing must predict that, four years after graduation, they would be better off than they would be without the degree. This program would mirror the federal program in terms of funding. The program analyzes four years out to determine how much a degree holder will earn. If the amount is $1 more than it would be with no degree, then certain programs will not qualify for state funding.

Opponents’ concerns include the program’s logistics, workforce losses in certain professions needed, and students leaving the state for education due to insufficient support for certain programs. Additionally, they feel this may affect enrollment and college completion rates if students cannot study what they want.

Proponents believe this is a responsible use of tax dollars. The sponsor stated this is just a mirror of the federal program. It will allow students to qualify for funding if they enroll in a program that is not “low-earning.” They stated the 529 fund isn’t affected since it’s an individual fund.

The Federal Program limits how much federal subsidized loans students receive, not grants. The bill was advanced to markup and discussion.

House Bill 5048 ensures that foster children awaiting residential placement shall continue to receive education through virtual learning. The bill was advanced to markup and discussion.

House Bill 5321 requires that students entering the foster care system be evaluated for an IEP or a 504 plan within 30 days.

House Bill 5354 is a rules bill that allows the Higher Education Policy Commission to create rules repealing the administrative exemption and the mental health loan program, as well as rules repealing those relating to purchasing efficiencies and the research trust fund program. The bill also allows the Council for Community and Technical College Education to create rules governing the STAND program and to repeal rules on purchasing efficiencies.

The House Government Organization committee met this afternoon.

House Bill 4148 would require all people who are seeking a real estate license to submit proof of authorization to work before they can be issued a license. This bill was advanced to the floor.

House Bill 4483 would reduce the funeral director apprenticeship requirement to 1 year, rather than 2. This bill would also change the renewal period for emeritus licenses from 2 years to 4 years. This bill was advanced to the floor.

House Bill 5612 would require agencies, rather than the Real Estate Division, to designate properties that are unused. This bill also removes the requirement to establish the market value for the property located on the State Capitol Complex. This bill was advanced to the floor.

House Bill 5613 would allow the Fleet Management Division to use a system that would monitor all state-owned vehicles. This bill was advanced to the floor.

House Bill 5630 would provide alternative options when municipalities or counties need to notify the public of amendments to zoning ordinances. This bill was reported to the floor.

House Bill 5323 would authorize the director of Natural Resources to make legislative rules for license fees and stamp fees. This bill was advanced to markup and discussion.

House Bill 5325 would allow the Board of Medicine to issue an emeritus license to a physician who fully retired from clinical professional practice. This bill was advanced to markup and discussion.

House Bill 5458 would update several areas of code regarding the West Virginia Board of Medicine and licensing for medical doctors. This bill includes, but is not limited to, adding Canadian secondary education programs to be recognized by the Board of Medicine, adding a new trainee license, and updating the requirements for the seats of the Board of Medicine. This bill would also allow the board to develop criteria that the staff of the board and the executive director can look through compeleted applications, issue a license, and then review the license when the Board next meets. This bill was advanced to markup and discussion.

The House Judiciary Committee advanced three bills this morning.

House Bill 5086 would establish a peer support team program that supports certain licensed professions, such as first responders, medical providers, and social workers. If these professionals talk to their peer support team, the communications between them are protected and cannot be revealed in testimony. This bill was reported to the floor.

House Bill 5227 would allow the Secretary of State to charge a $5 fee plus any amount charged by a financial institution for any returned or dishonored check, money order, or draft. This bill was reported to the floor.

House Bill 4265 is a rules bundle that would allow the Department of Agriculture to create several legislative rules on registration forms and tags for the registration and taxation of dogs. This bill was reported to the floor.

House Bill 5413 would clarify the obligation of the West Virginia State Police to collect fees for the Central Abuse Registry. This bill would make it so someone who is on the Central Abuse registry and the Sex Offender registry only has to pay one of the fines. This bill was advanced to markup and discussion.