SB 167 West Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Relating to meetings for local levying bodies

This bill clarifies procedures for local government bodies in West Virginia to conduct late meetings and file late reports when necessary. It also revises how reduced property tax levy rates are calculated when property appraisals result in a projected tax increase of one percent or more. The law requires these bodies to automatically reduce their levy rates proportionately to offset assessment increases, unless they hold a public hearing and demonstrate that the increase is necessary. Under the new rules, local governments can raise rates above the reduced level only if total tax revenues do not exceed the previous year's amount by more than ten percent, with specific notice requirements for public hearings. The bill directly affects county commissions and municipalities by standardizing how they handle property tax adjustments and public notification processes.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Jun 2026
Introduced Jan 14, 2026 Signed Jun 25, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Committee Substitute Enrolled Committee Substitute · 3 edits · Mar 17, 2026
MINOR
The bill was finalized and signed into law, changing its effective date from January 28, 2026, to March 11, 2026, with implementation delayed by 90 days until June 9, 2026. The text was updated to reflect the official 'Enrolled' status and included standard certification signatures from Senate and House clerks, as well as the Governor.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains focused on meetings of local levying bodies, but the timeline for implementation has been extended due to the new effective date.
TIMELINE

The bill's effective date was changed from January 28, 2026, to March 11, 2026, with a 90-day delay until June 9, 2026, allowing time for final preparations before the rules take effect.

TECHNICAL

Standard enrollment certification signatures for the Clerk of the Senate, Clerk of the House of Delegates, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Delegates, and the Governor were added to finalize the bill.

Minor grammatical corrections were made to subsection (2) regarding the notification of levying bodies that have not filed reports by April 1.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 2, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 11, 2026

How they voted

330
Passed
Total votes 33
Feb 2, 2026
D Democratic2
2 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican31
31 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
32
Key actions
7
Committee
5
Mar 17, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 3/17/2026
upper
Mar 14, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 3/17/2026 - House Journal
lower
Mar 14, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 3/17/2026 - Senate Journal
upper
Mar 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House (Roll No. 387)
lower
Mar 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Do pass
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Committee
To House Government Organization
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Committee
To Government Organization
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Feb 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (Roll No. 28)
upper
Jan 28, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee substitute reported
upper
Jan 14, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
Jan 14, 2026
Committee
To Government Organization
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors