Senate Bill 837 continues the State Equal Opportunity Coordinator position within the West Virginia Department of Administration, specifying detailed qualifications and responsibilities for the role. The coordinator must have extensive knowledge of key federal civil rights and non-discrimination laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, Civil Rights Act, and Equal Pay Act. The coordinator’s primary duties include advising state personnel on non-discrimination policies, assisting in developing rules for investigating discrimination complaints, consulting with state and federal agencies, training state employees on equal employment opportunities, representing the state on relevant committees, advising the Governor and agency heads on equal opportunity issues, consulting on hiring persons with disabilities, and inspecting state-owned or leased properties to ensure compliance with federal disability access laws.
Senate Bill 844 modifies West Virginia’s existing law regarding game farm licenses by specifically addressing non-native quail and partridge owned for agricultural purposes. Under the legislation, non-native quail and partridge will be exempt from game farm licensing requirements if they are being used for agricultural purposes, which are broadly defined as meat and egg production, propagation for such production, and sales related to meat and egg production. The bill clarifies that any quail or partridge intended to be released into the wild would not qualify for this exemption and would still require a game farm license.
Senate Bill 856 removes several reporting requirements for the West Virginia Insurance Commissioner and other state agencies, streamlining administrative processes across multiple areas of insurance and workers’ compensation regulation. Specifically, the bill eliminates reporting requirements related to workers’ compensation funds, occupational pneumoconiosis claims, employer safety initiatives, post-traumatic stress disorder claims, and medical malpractice insurance. The bill does require the Insurance Commissioner to post a flood insurance notification for public entities on the agency’s website. The legislation also repeals several sections of existing law that mandated these reports, effectively reducing bureaucratic paperwork and potentially simplifying administrative procedures for state agencies and insurance-related entities.
Senate Bill 861 updates the membership and composition of the Purchasing Card Advisory Committee by modifying references to state agency titles to reflect organizational changes, specifically the consolidation of the Information Services and Communications Division into the Office of Technology. Under the revised language, the Secretary of the Department of Administration will appoint one member from the Office of Technology (instead of the previous reference to the “I Office of Technology”), along with members from the Financial Accounting and Reporting Section and the Purchasing Division. The bill maintains the committee’s overall structure of 14 members, with the Auditor serving as chairperson and members appointed from various state agencies, including community and technical colleges, higher education institutions, the Department of Human Services, Division of Highways, Department of Revenue, and the State Treasurer’s office. The committee members will continue to serve one-year terms starting July 1 and receive reimbursement for expenses incurred while performing their committee duties.
Senate Bill 862 repeals antiquated sections of code that established the Voluntary Gilding the Dome Check-Off Program. The bill eliminates all legal language related to this voluntary program related to dome restoration and decoration.
Senate Bill 863 removes references to the Information Services and Communications Division of the Department of Administration.
Senate Bill 876 eliminates 19 specific reporting requirements for the West Virginia Tax Commissioner, effective January 1, 2025. These eliminated reports cover various tax-related topics, including tax credits (such as Manufacturing Investment, Economic Opportunity, and Commercial Patent Incentives), tax rebates, and property tax adjustments. The bill emphasizes that lawmakers often waste these reports, consume valuable state resources, and do not contribute meaningfully to policy decisions. While these specific reports will be discontinued, the bill does not prevent the Tax Commissioner from providing information, as they can still submit reports as part of the biennial report or tax expenditure reports or provide information they deem helpful or necessary.
Senate Bill 883 provides the Director of the West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety, and Training with expanded discretion and authority in appointing and managing various types of mine inspectors, including surface mine inspectors, mine safety instructors, electrical inspectors, and underground mine inspectors. The bill modifies existing regulations by giving the Director complete discretion in original appointments, including determining testing and qualification requirements. For each type of inspector, the Director must now report appointments and application information to the Board of Coal Mine Health and Safety, which will have access to all applications and may be present during applicant testing. The legislation also adjusts some age limit provisions. It introduces new rules about inspector tenure, such as removing a candidate’s name from the qualified register if they have been passed over for appointment for three years. Additionally, the bill transfers specific administrative responsibilities previously held by the Mine Inspectors’ Examining Board to the Office of Miners’ Health, Safety, and Training, including establishing application forms, conducting examinations, preparing candidate registers, and maintaining examination records.
Senate Bill 907 modifies the definition and funding mechanisms for high-impact development projects in West Virginia. The bill defines a high-impact development project as one where the Governor requests financial assistance of $50 million or more, the industrial development agency invests at least $50 million privately, and the project meets specific loan-per-job ratio criteria. The legislation allows the Economic Development Authority to consider regional and local economic factors when evaluating whether a project meets these criteria. The bill removes the previous $300 million cap on available funds and exempts up to $20 million annually from the high-impact development project definition. The Economic Development Project Fund can now be used flexibly to offer incentives for business formation, expansion, and site development. The bill also requires the authority to keep detailed records of fund transactions, undergo annual audits, and submit annual reports to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance and the Governor, detailing project-specific information such as outstanding financing, private investment, and job creation. The legislation aims to provide more strategic and adaptable economic development support for significant projects in West Virginia.
Senate Bill 912 modifies the statewide student growth assessment program in West Virginia for grades 3-8, requiring a more structured approach to student performance tracking. Specifically, the bill mandates that the assessment program include benchmark assessments in the first 30 days of the school year, repeated at mid-year, and a summary assessment at the end of the school year to determine student progression in reading and mathematics. The assessments are designed to align with academic standards and help evaluate students’ progress toward college and career readiness.
Senate Bill 914 modifies regulations for private, parochial, and church schools in West Virginia by replacing the previous requirement of 180 instructional days with a minimum of 900 instructional hours per school year. The bill maintains existing requirements for schools to maintain attendance and immunization records and to be subject to fire, health, and safety inspections. For standardized testing, schools must continue to administer nationally normed achievement tests at the same grade levels and subject areas as public schools, with the test published within the last 10 years. Schools that exclusively teach special education students or children with learning disabilities are offered alternative assessment methods, such as individual achievement tests or portfolio evaluations. Under the bill, schools must make their composite test results available to parents of current and prospective students upon request and to the State Superintendent of Education when requested. The bill also removes previous consequences for schools whose test results fall below the 40th percentile, effectively reducing punitive measures for lower-performing non-public schools.
Senate Bill 941 clarifies the authority of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection regarding dams owned or sponsored by local conservation districts. Specifically, the legislation establishes that any alterations, improvements, or agreements related to such dams will be subject solely to the Department of Environmental Protection’s authority. The bill explicitly states that this provision does not impact or alter state or federal funding to the West Virginia Conservation Agency. The change is part of a broader section of law defining the powers and duties of conservation districts and their supervisors, which include conducting research, demonstrating conservation methods, carrying out preventive measures, and cooperating with various government agencies.
Senate Bill 942 modifies regulations for diesel-powered equipment in underground coal mines in West Virginia. Currently, such equipment can only be used if approved, operated, and maintained according to specific rules and standards. The key change in this legislation allows diesel-powered equipment to be more easily moved between mines, both within and potentially across state lines, as long as the equipment meets the existing compliance requirements. Specifically, the bill permits miners to relocate diesel equipment from one mine to another and immediately put it into service, with the only requirement being that the Director is notified before the equipment is used.