HB 4935 requires all West Virginia elections to use paper ballots that must be hand-counted, banning electronic voting systems entirely. It also mandates that voters present a government-issued photo ID to be eligible to vote. The bill repeals all existing provisions related to electronic voting systems (sections §3-4A-1 through §3-4A-34) and amends voting standards to enforce these changes. This directly affects all voters in West Virginia elections by changing the voting method and adding an identification requirement.
HB 4919 repeals the legal foundation of West Virginia's Department of Economic Development by removing 17 specific sections of state code that created the department and its cabinet-level position. This bill directly affects the department itself, eliminating its statutory existence and authority. The key mechanism is the repeal of all referenced code sections, which would dissolve the department's legal structure without creating new programs or funding. This is a procedural repeal targeting the department's organizational framework, not a policy change affecting residents or businesses.
SB 668 (West Virginia Senate Bill 668) allows parties who successfully have a civil claim dismissed by a court to recover their attorney’s fees and costs if the dismissed claim lacked legal or factual basis. It directly affects individuals or entities sued in cases where the plaintiff’s claim was filed for improper purposes (like harassment), was legally unsupported, or lacked evidentiary support. The key mechanism requires courts to award fees to the prevailing party when they find the dismissed claim violated specific criteria under §56-4-72(b), with fees imposed on the attorney who filed the claim. This law applies to claims filed on or after January 1, 2027, and does not restrict existing court powers to dismiss claims or impose sanctions.
HB 4943 requires all West Virginia high school students to learn proper American flag handling, folding, treatment, honoring, display, and retirement procedures as part of their required civics education. This would be integrated into existing civics courses mandated for graduation, with students needing to pass an exam on this topic. The bill directly affects all high school students in West Virginia public, private, parochial, and denominational schools. It amends existing curriculum requirements (§18-2-9) to add flag etiquette as a specific component of civics instruction.
HB 4916 would eliminate West Virginia's state taxes on tobacco products (including e-cigarettes), alcohol, and gambling. The bill repeals specific tax code sections (like those covering tobacco excise taxes, alcohol sales taxes, and lottery table game taxes) that currently impose state levies on these industries. This change would directly affect businesses selling these products (e.g., tobacco shops, liquor stores, casinos) and consumers who pay these taxes. If passed, the bill would remove these tax obligations from West Virginia law.
HB 4906 would exempt West Virginia residents aged 70 or older from paying real estate taxes starting with the 2027 tax year. The bill amends existing tax code sections (§11-3-9 and §11-6B-3) to add this new category of property tax exemption for qualifying seniors. It directly affects older homeowners who meet the age requirement and own residential property in West Virginia. The policy change modifies the state's existing property tax exemption framework to include this specific age group, effective for tax assessments beginning in 2027.
HB 4918 requires West Virginia public schools to provide a minimum of 180 instructional days per year, with specific daily minute requirements: 315 minutes for kindergarten through fifth grade, 330 minutes for sixth through eighth grade, and 345 minutes for ninth through twelfth grade. Counties may extend the school day by at least 30 minutes to meet the 180-day requirement, using the extra time for up to five days of weather-related closures or teacher professional development. The bill also mandates that noninstructional days total 20 annually, including holidays, election day, and designated days for staff training and school preparation. This directly affects all West Virginia public school districts and their annual calendars.
HB 4912 amends West Virginia's ambulance fee law to ensure equitable treatment for cabin and campsite rental owners. It specifies that owners of multiple cabins or campsites on a single property (under common ownership) pay only one emergency ambulance fee if they have fewer than 12 units, and no more than one fee per 12 units if they have 12 or more. This directly affects small cabin and campsite operators who previously faced disproportionate fees compared to hotels or motels. The bill clarifies that these fees must be applied fairly, matching the existing single-fee structure for larger lodging businesses. The change aims to prevent small lodging businesses from being charged fees that don't align with their scale.
This House Joint Resolution (HJR 32) proposes adding a new section to the West Virginia Constitution, designating the Holy Bible (specifically its 66 books of the Old and New Testaments) as the state's "foundational text and official book." If approved by voters in the 2026 election, it would require public buildings, schools, laws, and government policies to display, recognize, and cite the Bible as the "utmost authority for human moral behavior." The resolution does not create new laws but seeks to formally establish the Bible's role in state governance through constitutional change. The proposal is currently pending referral to the House Judiciary Committee and requires voter ratification to become effective.
HB 4945 prohibits the use of electronic devices like tablets, laptops, or computers for learning and testing in classrooms for students in grades three and below. The bill directly affects elementary schools, teachers, and students in these grade levels by banning device use during instructional activities. It explicitly excludes calculators from the prohibition. The law aims to limit screen time for young learners during classroom instruction. This is a direct policy change requiring schools to remove such devices from early-grade classrooms for educational purposes.
This bill allows county school boards participating in multicounty vocational centers to choose whether to operate career technical education (CTE) programs within local high schools instead of at centralized centers. The programs can be either state-approved (per 20 U.S.C. §2342) or locally created. It gives school boards flexibility to better serve students by bringing CTE programs closer to their home schools, without requiring withdrawal from multicounty centers. The bill does not mandate program relocation but provides a new option for program placement within existing high school structures.
SB 262 authorizes West Virginia's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to enforce an existing regulatory rule (45 CSR 43) controlling specific air pollutants. The rule targets annual nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions, annual sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions, and nitrogen oxides emissions during the ozone season. This legislation directly affects facilities that emit these pollutants, such as power plants and industrial sources, by enabling the DEP to implement and enforce the established emission limits under this rule. The bill does not create new emission standards but formally authorizes the DEP to use the pre-existing rule.
