HB 5080 establishes West Virginia's first state-run paid family and medical leave insurance program. It provides eligible workers with up to 12 weeks of paid leave annually for personal medical needs, caring for a newborn or newly adopted child, or addressing a family member's serious health condition, funded through payroll contributions from employees and employers. The program covers workers meeting income eligibility requirements (including self-employed individuals who opt in), with benefits calculated based on prior earnings. Key provisions include anti-retaliation protections for employees using leave, employer notice requirements, and administration by the Insurance Commissioner through a dedicated state fund.
HB 5140 amends West Virginia's anti-discrimination law to expand protections for workers. It lowers the minimum employee threshold for employer coverage from 12 to 2 workers, meaning smaller businesses now fall under the law, and explicitly includes independent contractors as "employees" for discrimination claims. The bill also extends the deadline to file a discrimination complaint with the Human Rights Commission from one year to three years. These changes directly affect more small businesses and independent contractors by broadening legal protections against workplace discrimination based on protected characteristics like race, gender, or disability.
HB 5159 requires companies (lessees) that pay royalties for West Virginia natural resources (like coal, oil, or natural gas) to out-of-state owners to withhold West Virginia personal income tax from those payments. Lessees must withhold tax on payments exceeding $1,000 annually, calculating the amount to match the estimated tax owed by the nonresident owner. Withheld funds are paid to the state tax office and credited toward the owner’s tax liability, with refunds available for overpayment. The bill directly affects lessees in the energy sector and nonresident owners of mineral rights in West Virginia.
HB 5090 would eliminate all vaccine requirements for school children in West Virginia by amending state law to prohibit schools from mandating vaccinations as a condition for enrollment. The bill removes current requirements that students must be immunized against specific diseases like measles, polio, and chickenpox to attend school. This change would directly affect all public, private, and parochial schools in the state and their enrolled students. The legislation does not address vaccine safety or public health measures, only the enrollment requirement.
HB 5155 would prohibit landlords in West Virginia from charging tenants convenience fees for rent payments, such as fees for using credit cards or online payment systems. Landlords would no longer be allowed to add these fees to the rent amount, requiring them to absorb payment processing costs themselves. The rule does not apply to landlords who accept payment methods without convenience fees, like cash or checks. This bill directly affects all residential landlords and tenants in West Virginia's rental housing market.
HB 5158, the Men’s Equality Act, requires West Virginia’s public employees insurance plan to provide 100% coverage for voluntary male sterilization with no out-of-pocket costs for enrolled public employees. It specifically applies to the state’s public employees insurance plan, affecting public employees seeking this procedure. The bill prohibits denying coverage or penalizing healthcare providers for performing voluntary male sterilizations in compliance with this requirement. This coverage mandate takes effect July 1, 2026.
HB 5061 requires West Virginia’s 55 county school districts to consolidate into 10-15 regional districts by July 1, 2030. It establishes a 11-member Commission on School District Reorganization to develop a detailed consolidation plan, including staffing levels, operating costs, school names, and proposed cost-saving reinvestment strategies. The Commission must submit its plan to the Legislature by December 1, 2027, for review during the 2028 session. The bill directly affects all county school districts, students, staff, and local communities by restructuring the state’s K-12 education governance framework. The Department of Education must assist the Commission in creating the plan.
This bill creates the Small Business Investment Grant Fund to provide financial support to eligible investors who make qualifying investments in West Virginia small businesses. The fund, administered by the West Virginia Small Business Financing Authority, will offer grants up to $25,000 per investment (with a maximum of $100,000 per investor) for investments made between July 2027 and January 2029. To qualify, businesses must meet specific criteria including annual gross revenues under $1 million, operation primarily within West Virginia, and no more than 50 in-state employees. Investors must hold the investment for at least two years to maintain the grant, and businesses that relocate or close within two years must repay the grant amount to the fund.
HB 5123, the Consumer Data Protection Act, gives West Virginia consumers new rights over their personal data held by businesses. It requires businesses meeting size thresholds (like $25 million in annual revenue or handling data from 50,000+ consumers) to let consumers access, delete, correct, or opt out of selling their information. The law prohibits businesses from discriminating against consumers who exercise these rights and allows individuals to sue for violations. The West Virginia Division of Consumer Protection will enforce the law and create rules for implementation.
HB 5122 creates a new West Virginia Medicaid Buy-In Program to provide affordable health coverage to residents who earn too much for Medicaid but too little for private insurance, specifically those ineligible for both Medicaid and Medicare whose employers haven’t denied their group coverage. The program, administered by the Department of Human Services starting January 2027, offers income-based premiums (with priority for those transitioning from Medicaid) and covers essential services like emergency care, prescriptions, mental health treatment, and pediatric services. It requires reimbursement rates to align with Medicaid standards and mandates efforts to maximize federal funding through existing Medicaid options and waivers. The bill ensures non-discrimination in access and aims to maintain coverage continuity between the new program, Medicaid, and private plans.
HB 5099 requires courts to order defendants convicted of DUI causing death to pay monthly child support for the victim's child until age 18 or high school graduation. This directly affects children who lost a parent or guardian to a DUI-related death and defendants sentenced for such offenses. The bill mandates courts to set reasonable payment amounts considering the child's needs, guardian's resources, and other factors, while offsetting payments by any existing civil judgment for the same accident. The law takes effect July 1, 2026, and applies only to offenses committed on or after that date.
HB 5124 amends West Virginia law to establish requirements for nonpublic schools and education service providers (like tutoring centers) seeking to accept funds from the Hope Scholarship Program. It requires these providers to submit participation notices, provide expense receipts to parents, avoid refunding scholarship funds improperly, pass background checks for staff, and for schools, submit annual accreditation proof and enrollment data. The bill explicitly states providers cannot be forced to change their admission policies, curriculum, or hiring practices to accept scholarship students. This directly affects nonpublic schools and educational service organizations that wish to participate in the program by receiving scholarship funds for eligible students.
