SB 961 West Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Relating to rule-making policies

SB 961 requires West Virginia executive agencies with rule-making authority to identify at least two existing regulations for elimination whenever they propose a new regulation. This rule-making policy amendment (amending Code §29A-3-20) directly affects all state agencies that create or maintain regulations. Key provisions include mandating agencies to review state rules against federal counterparts, provide public comment periods, and submit reports to legislative committees about stringent rules. The bill aims to reduce regulatory burden by ensuring new rules are balanced with the removal of older ones.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 17, 2026 Last action Feb 20, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Version → Committee Substitute · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill was updated from an 'Introduced Version' to a 'Committee Substitute' version, which includes substantive policy changes to the rule-making process. The most significant change is the modification of the requirement for agencies proposing new rules: instead of simply identifying two existing rules for elimination, agencies must now make a 'good faith effort' to identify rules that can be repealed in accordance with specific other code sections. Additionally, the bill's introductory summary was updated to reflect the removal of the mandatory 2017 and 2020 reporting requirements that were present in the original text.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's requirements for new rule proposals was narrowed and qualified by adding a 'good faith effort' standard and cross-referencing specific existing code sections, rather than imposing a strict mandate.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the requirement for identifying existing rules to be repealed from a strict mandate to a 'good faith effort' to identify rules for repeal in accordance with specific code sections.

TIMELINE

The introductory summary was updated to clarify that the 2017 and 2020 reporting deadlines to the Legislative Rule-Making Review Committee are eliminated.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 20, 2026

Committee

To Finance

upper

Feb 20, 2026

Committee

Committee substitute reported, but first to Finance

upper

Feb 17, 2026

Committee

To Judiciary

upper

Feb 17, 2026

Introduced

Introduced in Senate

upper

Feb 17, 2026

Committee

To Judiciary then Finance

upper

1 primary · 2 co-sponsors