Rotunda Roundup
West Virginia heads into the final week of the 2026 Regular Session with the budget already through both chambers, House and Senate committees still moving policy bills on Sunday and Monday, and key education, judiciary, and finance measures still in play before sine die on Saturday, March 14, 2026. The House’s most recent posted daily journal located in official records was for Friday, March 6 (52nd Day), and official House postings show a Sunday Judiciary meeting plus a full Monday committee slate. For the Senate, official Monday committee agendas were posted for March 9, including Education, Government Organization, and Finance.
Legislature
West Virginia Daily News reported the enacted budget compromise at roughly $5.5 billion in General Revenue, including a 5% personal income tax reduction, a 3% average pay raise, more Medicaid funding, and significant Hope Scholarship money.
Source: West Virginia Daily News
Why it Matters: The budget is now the central operating document for FY 2027, and the line items tell you what leadership really prioritized.
The House passed a bill to unlock nearly $38 million from West Virginia’s medical marijuana fund and redirect the money to new purposes. Delegates approved the measure 79-12 on March 4, then added amendments sending $10 million each to WVU and Marshall for ibogaine-related research, $3 million to the state Supreme Court for a child protection commission pilot, and $5 million for homeless services.
Source: WV News
Why it Matters: The bill would repurpose a large, previously unusable fund balance and opens a policy fight over whether cannabis revenues should stay tied closely to cannabis-related uses.
The House Education Committee tabled SB 745, putting the school nutrition bill on a very steep path to passage this session. After more than two hours of testimony, the committee shelved the measure Friday; with only six days left, the bill would still need House Finance review and three readings on the House floor.
Source: West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Why it Matters: The tabling likely stalls a high-profile nutrition policy push and leaves schools operating under current standards for now.
Senate President Randy Smith said he personally decided not to bring SB 1071 to the floor, calling it legally vulnerable and poorly drafted. In a March 6 statement, Smith took full responsibility for killing the bill after Senate Judiciary approval, saying it lacked a fiscal note, would force the State Police to sell machine guns without added staff, and likely would not survive House review or court challenge.
Source: West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Why it Matters: The episode exposes internal Senate friction and shows leadership is willing to stop politically charged bills late in session over drafting and legal concerns.
West Virginia Government & Agencies
Lawmakers are considering using HB 5453 to get special-needs school funding out sooner instead of waiting until 2029. The article says the enacted budget contains no added money for counties facing rising special education costs, so attention has shifted to whether the Senate will amend the House-passed school-aid formula bill this week.
Education West Virginia’s Dale Lee argues counties cannot absorb the delay. He says the decades-old formula does not account for special-needs growth, even as enrollment falls overall and the share of students needing services has increased.
The money issue is real. Senate Finance Chair Jason Barrett said a separate special-education funding proposal carried an estimated $45 million cost, but he also said the Senate would take a hard look at HB 5453 to see whether it can be adjusted to help schools at a more affordable price.
A possible amendment is already on the table. Senate Education Chair Amy Nichole Grady said Del. Joe Ellington sent her proposed language that would address Tier II and Tier III students right away, and the bill was set for the Senate Education Committee agenda at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, March 9, 2026.
Why it matters: This is a live endgame budget-policy fight. If the Senate moves HB 5453 now, counties could get earlier relief on special education costs; if not, they may be stuck waiting years while the fiscal pressure keeps piling up.
Education
House-passed school funding legislation is back in play Monday, with Senate Education set to consider HB 5453 as lawmakers weigh whether special-needs funding can be addressed this year.
Source: WV MetroNews
Why it Matters: School aid is one of the few remaining big-ticket policy fights with both fiscal and political tail risk.
The House could vote this week on an amended school calendar bill that would let counties shift from a 180-day calendar to an hours-based model. House Education amended SB 890 on Friday to require 954 instructional hours for teachers and aides, preserve the 200-day employment term, and clarify that existing contracts and benefits would not be affected.
Source: WV News
Why it Matters: The bill could materially change county scheduling flexibility, labor practices, and local childcare logistics if schools move toward four-day weeks.
Health Care
WVU Medicine United Hospital Center received the Society for Vascular Surgery’s top three-star rating for vascular care quality. The hospital said the 2026 recognition is its sixth straight honor under the Vascular Quality Initiative’s Commitment to Vascular Quality Improvement awards program.
Source: WV News
Why it Matters: The award gives WVU Medicine a quality-of-care credential with value for patient trust, hospital reputation, and regional healthcare competition.
WVU Medicine United Hospital Center became the first hospital in the world to use the new Lapidus I-Beam plate in bunion surgery. Dr. Carl Hasselman and his team performed five surgeries on Friday, March 6, 2026, using the three-dimensional device, which he said provides two to three times the strength of standard plates.
Source: WV News
Why it Matters: The procedure positions UHC as an early leader in orthopedic innovation and could improve recovery times and patient mobility in West Virginia.
Federal Watch
State officials are refusing to answer questions about West Virginia’s cooperation with ICE after multiple federal judges ruled related arrests and detentions were unconstitutional. The story reports that judges have ordered dozens of immigrants released following January enforcement activity, while Gov. Patrick Morrisey, State Police, the PSC, Attorney General J.B. McCuskey, and U.S. Attorney Moore Capito largely declined to explain or defend the state’s role.
Source: West Virginia Daily News
Why it Matters: The story raises legal, political, and operational risk around state cooperation with federal immigration enforcement after repeated due-process rulings.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito secured a $2.502 million FY 2026 Congressionally Directed Spending allocation for Marshall University’s Division of Aviation in Charleston. The funding is intended to expand training capacity with additional equipment and support the Bill Noe Flight School’s pilot and aviation maintenance programs.
Source: West Virginia Daily News
Why it Matters: The earmark supports workforce development in aviation and gives Marshall another federal investment tied to economic growth in West Virginia.
Rep. Riley Moore said he voted against a Democrat-led War Powers resolution targeting Operation Epic Fury. In a March 6 statement carried by West Virginia Daily News, Moore argued the Trump administration had complied with War Powers Act reporting requirements and that the resolution would unnecessarily restrict presidential authority.
Source: West Virginia Daily News
Why it Matters: The vote gives West Virginia a clear delegation angle in the national debate over executive war powers and congressional oversight.
Business & Industry
U.S. stocks were volatile Sunday as investors weighed geopolitical tensions, rising oil prices, and a weak U.S. jobs report. Market updates noted recent declines in the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq after oil surged and economic data showed a February job loss of about 92,000 with unemployment rising to 4.4%.
Source: CNBC
Why it Matters: Rising energy prices and soft labor data are amplifying market uncertainty, shaping expectations for Federal Reserve policy and investor risk appetite in the near term.
The Grid (Energy/Utilities/Regulatory)
A fire damaged an external building on the John Amos Power Plant property Sunday morning, and Appalachian Power said the blaze was contained with an investigation underway.
Source: WV MetroNews
Why it Matters: Any incident at John Amos gets instant statewide relevance because of grid reliability and fuel-security implications.
The Monongalia County Commission may intervene in the PSC case over NextEra’s MARL transmission project.Commissioners voted unanimously to consider intervenor status as opponents press concerns over land impacts, rising costs, and the line’s role in serving Virginia data center development.
Source: WV MetroNews
Why it Matters: Local government intervention could increase organized opposition and raise the stakes in a major West Virginia transmission siting fight.
Legislative Info Desk — (Committee Schedule + Floor)
It’s the 54th Day of the Session, 6 days to go.
Today on the House side:
9:00 a.m. – the Judiciary Committee will meet in Room 410M
10:45 a.m. – the Rules Committee will meet in the Speaker’s Conference Room, 218M
11:00 a.m. – the House will convene in the Chamber
House Calendar (inactive)
House Special Calendar (active)
1:00 p.m. – the Government Organization Committee will meet in Room 215E
…and on the Senate side
9:30 a.m. Education (Room 451M)
9:30 a.m. Government Organization (Room 208W)
10:45 a.m. Rules (Room 219M)
11:00 a.m. – the Senate will convene in the Chamber
Official schedule: https://www.wvlegislature.gov/committees/senate/senate_schedule.cfm
Committee times and agendas are subject to change |
