Rotunda Roundup
West Virginia lawmakers are now deep into the 2026 Regular Session with a major House deadline landing Today (last day to introduce House bills). On Monday, the Senate cleared the session’s first bill (SB 1) after concurring with House amendments, sending it to Gov. Patrick Morrisey—while broader fiscal policy also stayed front-and-center as a budget bill and 10% income tax cut proposal advanced in Senate Finance. Committee work accelerates today with House Finance/Judiciary/Education and multiple Senate committees meeting ahead of floor action.
Legislature
Senate Finance advanced a budget bill and a 10% income tax cut proposal.
The Senate moved forward with fiscal legislation, keeping the budget and a proposed 10% income tax cut in active play as the session approaches key deadlines.
Source: WV MetroNews
Why it Matters: Budget/tax mechanics set the negotiating baseline for every major policy trade this session.
House lawmakers aired competing school funding approaches in committee.
School funding and a teacher pay raise proposal drew debate, signaling education finance will remain a central pressure point heading into the next wave of bill deadlines.
Source: WV MetroNews
Why it Matters: School funding decisions drive local district stability, workforce retention, and the broader state budget calculus.
The WV Senate passed a campaign finance disclosure change tied to employer information.
Lawmakers advanced a bill that would keep employer information for political donors off public campaign finance reports, reframing what’s publicly visible in donor records.
Source: West Virginia Watch
Why it Matters: Disclosure rules directly affect compliance burdens, transparency expectations, and future litigation risk.
Lawmakers introduced a southern WV water quality and lead service line initiative.
A new proposal would target water quality upgrades and lead pipe replacement efforts in southern West Virginia communities.
Source: Lootpress
Why it Matters: Water infrastructure upgrades can unlock public health gains and reduce long-term regulatory and liability exposure.
Governor
Gov. Morrisey’s administration sought to reset tone with Senate leadership.
A top Morrisey aide publicly offered an “olive branch,” reflecting active alignment work between the executive branch and Legislature as high-dollar policy fights intensify.
Source: WV MetroNews
Why it Matters: Executive–legislative coordination (or friction) can accelerate—or stall—priority bills and budget deals.
West Virginia Government & Agencies
West Virginia’s psychiatric hospital system faces growing deferred maintenance.
State officials warned that ongoing reliance on state psychiatric hospital capacity comes with mounting facility and maintenance demands.
Source: WV MetroNews
Why it Matters: Behavioral health capacity, capital needs, and DHS policy choices are converging into a near-term budget and service-delivery risk.
BRIM leadership pointed to structural changes aimed at stabilizing its finances.
Officials outlined steps intended to improve BRIM’s financial position amid persistent cost pressures in public-sector risk and insurance.
Source: WV MetroNews
Why it Matters: BRIM’s stability affects premiums and coverage posture across state and local public entities.
Health Care
The Senate passed a bill restricting abortion-causing medication distribution into West Virginia.
SB 173 passed the Senate 31–1 (with absences noted), tightening rules around prescribing or sending abortifacient medication to people in West Virginia.
Source: WVDN
Why it Matters: This is a high-risk litigation and implementation area with immediate compliance implications for providers and pharmacies.
Federal Watch
Federal judges questioned the basis for traffic stops tied to immigration arrests in West Virginia.
Court questioning focused on the legal justification for stops connected to immigration enforcement activity, putting suppression/litigation risk squarely on the table.
Source: WV MetroNews
Why it Matters: Federal enforcement tactics and court rulings can rapidly reshape local law enforcement exposure and operational posture.
Business & Industry
SB 1 cleared to the Governor, aiming to spur private investment into WV small business growth funds.
The first bill of the 2026 session advanced a tax-credit structure intended to mobilize private capital through state-certified growth funds.
Source: WV Public Broadcasting
Why it Matters: If implemented cleanly, the program becomes a new lever for early-stage capital formation and deal flow in-state.
Lawmakers introduced a bill to raise West Virginia’s minimum wage to $11.
The proposal would increase the minimum wage, reopening a familiar wage-policy debate with direct impacts on small employers and household affordability.
Source: Lootpress
Why it Matters: Wage mandates can shift labor costs quickly—especially in rural markets with thin margins.
A House bill would move many business reports to biennial filing.
HB 4546 would change many Secretary of State business filings from annual to every two years, with an effective date tied to July 1, 2026 if enacted.
Source: WV State Wire
Why it Matters: Filing cadence affects compliance cost, SOS workload, and the state’s broader “ease of doing business” narrative.
Coalfield county officials warned of economic fallout from multiple layoffs.
Mingo County commissioners described impacts from layoffs at multiple coal operations, underscoring the volatility of regional employment and tax bases.
Source: WV MetroNews
Why it Matters: Workforce shocks hit severance-linked revenues, local service demand, and near-term economic development strategy.
The Grid (Energy/Utilities/Regulatory)
PSC received an application for a $2.84B combined-cycle gas project at Fort Martin.
The filing outlines a 1,200 MW project targeting late 2031 operation, with construction and long-run tax revenue estimates included in reporting.
Source: WVDN
Why it Matters: This is a flagship generation/infrastructure move with major ratepayer, permitting, and transmission implications.
Mon Power advanced new natural gas and solar projects.
Utility development activity moved forward on both gas and solar, reinforcing the pace of portfolio change under regulatory oversight.
Source: WV MetroNews
Why it Matters: Project approvals influence near-term construction pipelines and longer-run capacity mix—core inputs to rates and reliability.
Legislative Info Desk — Official Daybook (Committee Schedule + Floor)
It’s the 35th Day of the Session, 25 to go… last day to introduce bills in the House
The Activity Calendar indicates today is a busy day with several groups in attendance:
WV Occupational Therapy Day
Local Food & Farms Day
West Virginia EMS Coalition
WV Sportsman Day at the Capitol.
Also today on the House side:
9:00 a.m. – the Committee on Finance will meet in Room 460M
9:00 a.m. – the Committee on Judiciary will meet in Room 410M
9:45 a.m. – the Subcommittee on Legal Services will meet in Room 410M
10:00 a.m. – the Subcommittee on Homeland Security will meet in Room 410M
10:15 a.m. – the Subcommittee on Courts will meet in Room 410M
10:45 a.m. – the Committee on Rules meets in the Speaker Tim Armstead Memorial Conference Room, 218M
11:00 a.m. – the House will convene in the Chamber
Resolutions to be Introduced
Bills to be Introduced
House Calendar (inactive)
House Special Calendar (active)
1:00 p.m. – the Subcommittee on Local Governments will meet in the East Wing Committee Room, 215E
1:00 p.m. – the Subcommittee on Public Education will meet in Room 410M
1:30 p.m. – the Subcommittee on Government Administration will meet in 215-E
1:30 p.m. – the Committee on Education will meet in Room 410M
3:00 p.m. – the Committee on Health and Human Resources will meet in 215E
…and on the Senate side
Committees Meetings
9:30 a.m.: Education (451M)
- SB 890: Changing certain school calendar requirements from days or months to hours
- SB 899: Permitting certain teachers to be certified to work as school principals
9:30 a.m.: Government Organization (208W)
- Com. Sub. for SB 757: Allowing 10-day grace period for certain government contract bids to address bonding errors
- Com. Sub. for SB 659: Prohibiting certain restrictions on regulation of accessory dwelling units
- Com. Sub. for SB 65: Removing persons who perform drywall services from definition of “contractor” in Contractor Licensing Act
- SB 916: Using “A.C.” as name ending for accounting corporation
11:00 a.m. Senate Floor Session
1:00 p.m.: Health and Human Resources (451M)
- SB 662: Relating to colorectal cancer prevention
- SB 745: Relating to requirements for school nutrition programs
- SB 763: Requiring children to be screened for sex trafficking upon entering foster care
- SB 773: Requiring Department of Health to report positive alpha-gal tests to CDC
- SB 805: Relating to abortion pill reversal
- HB 4626: Relating to the establishment of a grant program to fund the United States Food and Drug Administration’s drug development trials with ibogaine
2:00 p.m.: Economic Development (208W)
- Com. Sub. for SB 49: Relating to permissible expenditures by Water Development Authority from Infrastructure Fund
- SB 749: Relating to county economic opportunity development districts
3:00 p.m.: Finance (451M)
- Com. Sub. for SB 878: Creating Office of Entrepreneurship within Office of Secretary of State
- SB 617: Banking and Financial Services Provider Protections for Eligible Adults from Financial Exploitation
- SB 928: Relating to manufacture, sale, and distribution of low-proof spirit alcohol products
- HB 4575: Making Supplemental Appropriation to State Board of Education
3:00 p.m.: Judiciary (208W)
- Com. Sub. for SB 742: Permitting physicians to determine 72-hour holds without contracting enumerated individuals
- Com. Sub. for HB 4179: To create felony charge for individuals who assault police officers or police dogs
Official schedule: https://www.wvlegislature.gov/committees/senate/senate_schedule.cfm
Committee times and agendas are subject to change |
