HB 3145 requires real estate brokers, associate brokers, and salespeople in West Virginia to use a written agency agreement before starting any brokerage services. This agreement must clearly state representation roles (e.g., seller or buyer), compensation terms, and confidentiality obligations. The bill also mandates that all real estate contracts include a definite expiration date, prohibits charging fees after expiration, and requires licensees to provide written offers and true copies of contracts to all parties. These changes directly affect real estate professionals and consumers by increasing transparency and preventing unfair post-contract fees.
SB 155 creates a framework for West Virginia counties to expand access to nutritious meals for students during school breaks, including summers. It requires each county public school system to conduct annual surveys of students about their food access when schools are closed, map community food resources (like local charities), and share this information with all students. Counties must also provide training for organizations running meal sites and share survey results with the state’s Child Nutrition Office. The bill removes prior requirements for schools to include specific food delivery plans in crisis response plans, instead encouraging voluntary, community-driven solutions. This affects all public school students in West Virginia counties and aims to reduce food insecurity during non-school periods.
HB 3292 defines "on-track equipment" to include railroad maintenance vehicles, not just trains, clarifying that drivers must stop at crossings when signals indicate approaching trains or any on-track equipment. It requires drivers to stop 15-50 feet from rails when signals activate, gates lower, or equipment is visible and approaching. The law applies to all such equipment, including maintenance vehicles used for rail inspections or repairs. Violations are misdemeanors punishable by fines up to $100 or up to 10 days in jail, with potential driver's license points.
SB 89 creates a new category of public charter schools in West Virginia designed specifically for students identified as "high-risk" based on specific criteria. To qualify, a school must enroll at least 70% of students meeting defined high-risk categories, including those expelled, suspended repeatedly, homeless, in foster care, chronically truant, or credit-deficient. The bill requires the state board to establish funding rules for these schools through a formal rulemaking process. This policy directly affects schools seeking charter status and the vulnerable student populations they serve, focusing on providing targeted educational options for students facing significant barriers to traditional school success.
HB 2948 removes a $9,500 loan value limit that previously prevented automobile dealers, licensed auto auctions, repair facilities, and towing companies from obtaining titles for abandoned or junked vehicles left on their property. The bill allows these businesses to secure titles for vehicles of any value that have been abandoned on their premises, eliminating the prior restriction. This change applies after standard notice procedures require owners and lienholders to be notified and given 10 days to reclaim the vehicle. The policy update simplifies title processing for businesses handling abandoned vehicles without altering existing redemption requirements.
HB 2389 would allow West Virginia to join the Dietitian Licensure Compact, enabling licensed dietitians to practice across participating states without obtaining separate licenses in each. The bill establishes uniform requirements for licensure, including background checks and education standards, while eliminating the need for multiple state licenses. It directly affects licensed dietitians, particularly those relocating or serving military personnel and spouses, by simplifying cross-state practice. Key provisions include standardized disciplinary procedures, a fee structure for compact privileges, and protections for active-duty military members and their families. The compact aims to improve public access to dietetics services while maintaining state regulatory authority.
HB 3090 requires health insurance policies in West Virginia to cover habilitative speech therapy for stuttering, starting July 1, 2025. It directly affects all health insurers offering coverage for speech therapy, mandating they cover both in-person and telehealth sessions without annual limits, prior authorization, or restrictions based on the cause of stuttering. The bill specifies that coverage must apply regardless of whether stuttering is developmental and prohibits limits on the number of therapy visits. This policy change ensures consistent access to speech therapy for individuals whose daily communication is impacted by stuttering.
HB 3422 requires West Virginia's State Board of Education to create and implement an online "School Choice Portal" by August 1, 2025. The portal will let families using homeschooling or school choice options (covered under specific law sections) submit required notices and reports electronically instead of paper forms. Key features include secure access, role-based user controls, dashboards for families and school boards, and clear labeling of optional information. The system must be operational for the 2025-2026 school year and designed to serve all 55 counties uniformly.
This concurrent resolution requests the West Virginia Division of Highways name Bridge Number 16-055/00-011.96 (locally known as the Moorefield Interchange) in Hardy County as the "Ray William Sherman Memorial Bridge." It directs the Division to install signage identifying the bridge with this name. The resolution commemorates Ray William Sherman, a veteran who served in the Korean and Vietnam wars and later worked as a carpenter and instructor. This is a ceremonial naming resolution with no substantive policy changes.
This concurrent resolution (SCR 5) requests the West Virginia Division of Highways rename bridge number 20A754 (the Cross Lanes Overpass on WV Route 622 over I-64 in Kanawha County) as the "U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Robert Milford Payne Memorial Bridge." It honors Sgt. Robert Milford Payne, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Korea, received the Purple Heart, and died in 2015. The resolution directs the Division of Highways to install signs identifying the bridge with this new name. As a commemorative resolution, it has no policy impact beyond the bridge naming.
This legislative resolution requests that West Virginia's Division of Highways rename Flatrock Street Bridge (over Huff Creek in Wyoming County, bridge number 55-956/00-000.01) as the "U.S. Army Sergeant Dennis Charles Hurley Memorial Bridge." It honors Sergeant Dennis Charles Hurley, a 30-year Army veteran who served in Vietnam with the 82nd Airborne Division and later worked in coal mining, died in 2024. The resolution directs the highway division to install new signage identifying the bridge by this name. As a commemorative measure, it has no policy or financial impact beyond naming the bridge.
This is a commemorative resolution (SCR 19) requesting the West Virginia Division of Highways name bridge number 23-016/83-000.02 (locally known as Bull Hollow Beam Span over Buffalo Creek) the "U.S. Army ST4 Gregory K. Stephens Memorial Bridge." It honors Gregory Kent Stephens, a West Virginia native and U.S. Army Specialist 4 who served from 1974-1983 and passed away in 2024. The resolution has no policy impact - it solely requests a symbolic name change for the bridge.
