Rotunda Roundup
West Virginia’s 2026 Regular Session continued Thursday, January 22, 2026, with the House moving several early-session “economic development” measures closer to final passage (industrial access roads, business-ready sites, and higher-education aid, among others). On the ground, state and local systems are juggling operational pressure: education finance questions (including a newly surfaced special-education funding gap) and county-level fiscal oversight issues remain active. Separately, Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s State of Preparedness for all 55 counties is shifting agency posture ahead of a weekend winter storm, while Wayne County residents remain under a “do not consume” water order tied to an Appalachian Power incident.
Legislative Info Desk — Official Record
Session Context
West Virginia Legislature: 2026 Regular Session is underway.
Today is Day 10 ⌲ There are 50 days remaining
House journal reflects Day 9 (Thursday, January 22, 2026).
Senate journal reflects Day 8 (Wednesday, January 21, 2026).
Source: House Journal index (2026 RS)
Source: Senate Calendar/Journal hub (2026 RS)
Recap: Most Recent Posted Journals
House (most recent posted): Thursday, January 22, 2026 (Day 9)
Source: House Daily Journal PDF
Senate (most recent posted): Wednesday, January 21, 2026 (Day 8)
Source: Senate Daily Journal PDF
Official Floor Record — House
Committee reports advanced multiple measures for floor consideration. Reported measures included a House Finance committee substitute on a sales/use tax exemption for construction materials used in construction of public school facilities, a Health & Human Resources committee substitute to allow advanced practice registered nurses to practice without a collaborating physician, and additional committee reports on discrete policy updates.
Source: House Daily Journal PDF
Why it Matters: Committee reporting is the “green light” that moves bills from policy silos into the floor pipeline.
Several priority bills moved through Second Reading and were advanced toward Third Reading. The House advanced measures including a committee substitute on industrial access roads (HB 4007), a committee substitute on the Business Ready Sites Program (HB 4008), and the Higher Education Health and Aid Grant (HB 4081), to engrossment/Third Reading; additional measures, including HB 4335 and HB 4352 were similarly advanced, with multiple floor amendments considered.
Source: House Daily Journal PDF
Why it Matters: Second Reading action signals leadership intent—these bills are on the short runway to passage.
Selected bills were postponed. The House postponed further consideration of measures, including HB 4005 (Skills to Work) and other listed items, for at least one day.
Source: House Daily Journal PDF
Why it Matters: Postponements can indicate ongoing negotiation, amendment work, or vote-count uncertainty.
Official Floor Record — Senate
SB 25 advanced and passed the Senate, then was transmitted to the House. SB 25 was introduced, referred to Judiciary, reported as a committee substitute, placed on the Special Calendar, passed the Senate, and sent to the House for concurrence/consideration.
Source: Senate Daily Journal PDF
Why it Matters: Any bill transmitted across the rotunda becomes a live inter-chamber target—expect acceleration, messaging, or reworking.
Committees — Recap Date (Official Postings Only)
House — Thursday, January 22, 2026 (selected posted meetings/agendas)
House Courts Subcommittee — 9:45 a.m. (Room 410) — agenda included HB 4036, HB 4382, and a hearing on HB 4412.
Source: House Courts Subcommittee agenda
Why it Matters: Early subcommittee movement can be the decisive gate for Judiciary-package bills.
House Homeland Security Subcommittee — 10:00 a.m. (Room 410) — agenda included HB 4366.
Source: House Homeland Security Subcommittee agenda
Why it Matters: “Single-bill” subcommittee agendas often indicate a targeted push.
House Legal Services Subcommittee — 10:15 a.m. (Room 410) — agenda included HB 4138, and hearings on HB 4080 and HB 4137.
Source: House Legal Services Subcommittee agenda
Why it Matters: Election-law and legal-structure bills tend to move fast once they start getting calendared.
Senate — Wednesday, January 21, 2026 (posted/recorded in journal)
Announced for Thursday, January 22, 2026: Senate Education (10:00 a.m., 208W) and Senate Government Organization (10:00 a.m., 451M).
Source: Senate Daily Journal PDF
Why it Matters: Announced meetings in the journal are a clean “official record” marker for stakeholder planning.
Today — Official Daybook (Committee Schedule + Floor)
Friday, January 23, 2026
House (selected official postings)
House Committee Schedule (posted) — includes Finance (1:00 p.m.), Judiciary (2:00 p.m.), and multiple subcommittees beginning mid-morning.
Source: House Committee Schedule (Jan. 23)
Local Governments Subcommittee — 1:00 p.m. (House Government Organization Committee Room) — hearing agenda includes HB 4400, HB 4463, and HB 4469.
Source: Local Governments Subcommittee agenda (Jan. 23)
Why it Matters: Procurement/board and local-government governance bills can create immediate compliance ripple effects.
House floor convenes at 11:00 a.m. (per House journal).
Source: House Daily Journal PDF
Senate (official schedule posting)
Senate Committee Schedule (posted): Military (9:30 a.m., 208W).
Source: Senate Committee Schedule
Why it Matters: When the posted schedule is “light,” leadership attention may be shifting to floor sequencing or behind-the-scenes negotiations.
The Senate will convene its Floor Session at 10 a.m.
Legislative Session
WV Senate advances bill requiring Aitken Bible in certain public school classrooms
The Senate advanced legislation that would require certain public-school classrooms to display a specific Bible version.
Source: West Virginia Watch (Brief)
Why it Matters: Education policy bills with cultural components can dominate oxygen and re-shape coalition alignments quickly.
WV House Bill Would Keep Churches Open During States of Emergency
House Bill 4680 would limit emergency orders from restricting religious services, travel to/from worship, or penalties tied to worship activity.
Source: Lootpress
Why it Matters: Emergency-powers boundaries are a recurring flashpoint—this bill tests the perimeter.
WV House Bill Would Ban Fluoride From Public Drinking Water
A House proposal would prohibit public water systems from adding commonly used fluoridation chemicals and restrict local ordinances requiring fluoridation.
Source: Lootpress
Why it Matters: Water-system compliance and public-health practice can collide fast—utilities and local governments will want clarity early.
Governor
Gov. Morrisey declares State of Preparedness in West Virginia ahead of winter storm
Gov. Patrick Morrisey declared a statewide State of Preparedness for all 55 counties as a winter storm approaches. The declaration positions agencies to pre-stage resources and coordinate response.
Source: Lootpress
Why it Matters: Preparedness declarations can trigger operational flexibilities and accelerate interagency procurement/logistics.
After Morrisey sold 4 state-owned nursing homes, budget costs climbed by $21M
The proposed budget shows increased costs to operate remaining state-owned nursing homes after the sale of four facilities. The story frames a policy tradeoff between divestiture strategy and ongoing care obligations.
Source: West Virginia Watch
Why it Matters: Nursing home financing is a Medicaid-adjacent pressure point; budget changes can cascade into provider stability and workforce impacts.
Education
Special Education Need Exceeds Funding
West Virginia’s special-education services outpaced available funding by $224 million in FY2025, according to a state education analysis. The gap intensifies pressure on the broader school-finance architecture while lawmakers debate education funding formulas and cost drivers.
Source: WV MetroNews
Why it Matters: A gap of this size is a budget and policy forcing function—expect legislative and agency pressure for structural fixes.
State officials raise questions about contracts, bonuses, auditing in Hancock County financial mess
State education officials flagged contract and bonus questions while examining Hancock County Schools’ finances. The issue is now firmly in an oversight posture, with potential governance and compliance implications for county systems statewide.
Source: WV MetroNews
Why it Matters: State-level scrutiny can lead to fast-moving corrective action plans—and changes in controls and procurement behavior.
Health Care
West Virginia Obamacare enrollments drop as premiums spike
ACA marketplace enrollment reportedly declined by about 10,000, alongside premium increases. The trendline is likely to drive renewed attention to affordability and coverage options—especially for rural consumers and small employers.
Source: West Virginia Watch
Why it Matters: Coverage shifts can directly affect workforce participation, uncompensated care, and provider reimbursement dynamics.
Federal Watch
Capito visits North Central West Virginia to highlight defense work, AI innovation, and tax policy
U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) made a multi-stop North Central WV tour on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, spotlighting defense-related manufacturing, federal mission work, and hospitality-industry tax issues. Stops included Lockheed Martin’s Clarksburg facility tied to the Navy’s C-130J Super Hercules program; Leidos in Morgantown, where Capito viewed a 30,000-square-foot expansion and heard about secure software/AI work supporting federal missions; and a visit to NIOSH following news the facility’s workforce would be fully reinstated, an outcome Capito said she pushed for over the last year. The day also included a restaurant-industry roundtable (hosted by the National Restaurant Association) focused on the impact of “Working Families Tax Cuts” legislation (“One Big Beautiful Bill”) on hospitality, and it wrapped at WVU’s Baseball Biomechanics and Performance Center highlighting a BioPrecision partnership.
Source: WVNews
Why it Matters: Capito is tying WV’s pitch to Washington and industry around defense supply chains, federal mission jobs, and tax policy—three lanes that directly affect project siting, workforce stability, and business costs.
Business & Industry
Morrisey announces new natural gas power plant coming to Moundsville
Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Calpine is moving forward on a “more than 500-megawatt” natural-gas facility in Moundsville (Marshall County), which he described as a roughly $1 billion investment. The governor tied the project to his “50 by 50” initiative to grow WV’s generation capacity from 15 to 50 gigawatts by 2050, noting this project follows other recently announced developments in Harrison and Hancock counties. The end-use for the power has not been finalized; WV Office of Energy Director Nick Preservati said the plant is not utility-regulated and could be a merchant plant or potentially paired with data-center load seeking additional generation. Morrisey’s office also said announced/incoming projects are expected to drive 15,000–20,000 construction jobs, with spillover demand for local hotels, restaurants, and retail.
Source: WV MetroNews
Why it Matters: A >500 MW merchant/data-center-adjacent gas plant is a major “load + generation” signal—and it will quickly surface permitting, siting, infrastructure, and local economic-development issues.
The Grid (Energy/Utilities/Regulatory)
W.Va. Braces For Heavy Snowfall, Widespread Power Outages
National Weather Service watch conditions and forecast impacts are driving state readiness measures. The story details expected snowfall ranges and outage risk across multiple regions.
Source: West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Why it Matters: Federal forecasting drives state emergency posture; outage exposure has downstream business and critical-infrastructure risk.
Wayne residents air frustrations as water issues continue
An Appalachian Power substation incident (vandalism leading to an oil leak) is linked to a continuing “Do Not Consume” order affecting residents.
Source: WV MetroNews
Why it Matters: Utility incidents that disrupt water systems can trigger multi-agency response, regulatory scrutiny, and reputational risk.
GO-WV Winter Meeting (Marriott Town Center, Charleston) — Legislative Discussion Recap
What Gov. Morrisey put on the scoreboard
Big theme: Load growth is here; WV is trying to become the place that can actually generate power fast enough to meet it—especially for data centers and advanced manufacturing.
“50 by 50” framing: Morrisey reiterated his push to grow WV generation capacity from roughly the mid-teens (GW) to 50 gigawatts by 2050, positioning it as a “baseload-first” strategy where natural gas is central, with coal and nuclear also in the mix.
New project anchor: He highlighted progress on Calpine’s ~500 MW natural gas plant planned for the Moundsville area in Marshall County, framed as a ~$1B investment with a large construction footprint and a smaller permanent workforce.
Momentum narrative: He pointed to a stack of energy/manufacturing commitments and argued WV is seeing unusually high investment activity since early fall, with an emphasis on natural gas enabling the next wave of industrial wins.
Policy ask (between the lines): faster execution on sites + infrastructure (roads/water/sewer) and a general push for predictability and speed in development and permitting—less “process for process’ sake,” more “deliver the project.”
Legislative panel: House Speaker Roger Hanshaw + Senate Asst. Majority Whip Ben Queen + Ascend Energy’s Chris Weikle — where the lanes are
Overall vibe: “Game of inches” economic development—less grand ideology, more practical sequencing: sites, roads, workforce, housing, and targeted tax tools.
Speaker Roger Hanshaw (House)
House banner: “Jobs First, Opportunity Everywhere” — a package mindset aimed at expanding job creation and making WV more “buildable.”
Core items discussed: industrial access roads; sales tax relief on construction inputs (starting with housing); K–12 funding formula overhaul; upskilling incentives; and policy to support advanced recycling/advanced manufacturing (i.e., modernizing what WV can make and process).
Workforce message: align benefits so work pays; tighten the pipeline by connecting employers directly with schools and career education.
Sen. Majority Whip Ben Queen (Senate)
Senate posture: fast-moving, pro-business agenda; preference to strengthen existing tools rather than invent a dozen new programs.
Tax policy lane: discussion of investment incentives (you referenced “bonus depreciation–style” thinking) and SB 1 as a small-business investment incentive vehicle.
Retention “fundamentals”: childcare, school buildings, and household economics (e.g., “marriage penalty” type issues) framed as workforce retention strategy, not social policy.
Chris Weikle (Expand Energy)
“Team West Virginia” concept: push for a JobsOhio-style model—more agile, more market-facing, less political drag—built to package sites, assemble capital stacks, and pitch projects quickly. This tracks with broader public discussion of a WV version of JobsOhio as a model for economic development execution.
The “do-these-next” action list that emerged
Move housing-first cost reductions: start with sales tax relief on construction materials (or a phased approach).
Advance workforce tools: upskilling incentives + pipeline access (middle-school career exposure; easier pathways for industry pros to engage).
Push modern manufacturing definitions: advanced recycling / advanced manufacturing updates (so WV code matches real-world industry).
Stand up “Team West Virginia”: a JobsOhio-like entity designed for speed + dealcraft rather than slow-walk bureaucracy. (JobsOhio’s “private, agile” pitch is explicitly part of why states look at the model.)
Tax package exploration in the Senate: investment incentives and small-business capital formation tools.
Site readiness + infrastructure: roads/water/sewer remain the unglamorous gatekeepers to landing large-load and industrial projects.
Why it matters
For gas producers/midstream/service: the administration is explicitly selling gas-fired generation + large-load development as WV’s growth engine—meaning more political oxygen for projects that expand firm generation and enable site development.
For industrial recruitment: the conversation is shifting from “incentive headlines” to “execution capacity”—site readiness, timelines, and coordinated deal delivery (hence the Team WV / JobsOhio obsession).
For GO-WV members: this aligns with GO-WV’s public posture supporting the 50 GW goal and emphasizing natural gas as the scalable resource that can come online quickly—plus a push for permitting transparency.
Net-net: the policy stack is being built to make WV easier to invest in, faster to build in, and more reliable to operate in—with gas positioned as the near-term workhorse while the state tries to level-up workforce and sites.
Elections
Senate field begins to take shape with new filings and an incumbent re-election bid
Several Republican candidates (and one sitting senator) announced State Senate runs as the 2026 cycle gets underway, targeting districts across the Mid-Ohio Valley, Kanawha Valley, Southern WV, and the east-central region. State Sen. Bill Hamilton (R-Upshur) filed for re-election in Senate District 11 (Barbour, Braxton, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Randolph, Upshur, Webster) and highlighted priorities including infrastructure, broadband, and conservative fiscal policy; he currently chairs Senate Natural Resources and the Forest Management Review Committee.
Meanwhile, Del. Bob Fehrenbacher (R-District 11) filed for Senate District 3 (Pleasants, Ritchie, Wood, Wirt), pointing to his record on education, infrastructure, and tax relief; he chairs the House Energy and Manufacturing Committee.
In Kanawha County, small-business owner Michael Jarrouj (The Olive Tree) filed for Senate District 17 (covers much of Kanawha County), framing his run around small-business experience and family/retention themes.
In the coalfields/southern counties, Republican Jeff Disibbio filed for Senate District 6 (Mercer, McDowell, Mingo, and parts of Wayne), emphasizing jobs, infrastructure, and education; he is CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of the Two Virginias and teaches at Bluefield University.
In Senate District 9 (Raleigh, Wyoming, and part of Fayette), physician and tourism business co-owner Dr. Michael Antolini filed, pitching a platform blending healthcare access, economic development, and affordability.
Sources: Lootpress – Hamilton; Lootpress – Fehrenbacher; Lootpress – Jarrouj; Lootpress – Antolini; Lootpress – Disibbio
Why it Matters: Early filings signal where intraparty competition and policy messaging will concentrate—useful for stakeholders mapping committee power, regional priorities, and district-level economic narratives.
Committee times and agendas are subject to change |
