This bill creates three regional pediatric mental health hubs (Northern, Southern, and Central) in West Virginia to improve access to care for children under 12. Each hub must maintain real-time service directories, live wait-time maps for counselors, and provide parents with a behavioral health coach within 48 hours during waitlists. It also establishes secure telehealth kiosks in county health departments for families without high-speed internet. The bill redirects 5% of current "Out-of-State Residential Placement" funds to cover these in-home services, prioritizing community support over removing children from their homes due to unavailable local resources.
HB 5458 creates a new Genetic Counselors Practice Act under West Virginia law, directly affecting individuals seeking to practice genetic counseling in the state. The bill requires criminal background checks for all new genetic counseling license applicants, mandates that practitioners hold a valid license before providing services, and defines the scope of genetic counseling practice. It prohibits genetic counselors from representing themselves as licensed physicians and establishes penalties including up to two years in prison or a $2,000 fine for violations. The bill also sets continuing education requirements, licensure renewal processes, and disciplinary procedures specific to genetic counselors.
HB 5260 adds "edible" as an allowable form of medical cannabis in West Virginia, with strict requirements for safety and regulation. It requires processors to obtain bureau approval for each edible product, mandates specific shapes (like squares or circles), limits edibles to lozenges or gelatins, and caps THC content at 10mg per serving with a 15% potency variance. The bill prohibits color additives in edibles and requires all medical cannabis dispensing to be reported to the state's controlled substance monitoring database. This directly affects patients using medical cannabis, caregivers, and licensed processors who must comply with these new edible-specific rules.
HB 5131 establishes a two-year pilot program through the West Virginia Department of Agriculture to improve access to fresh, affordable produce in food desert communities - defined as areas lacking nutritious food options. The program requires selecting partnering providers to operate weekly markets in three designated food desert communities (including one rural area), with providers obligated to accept multiple payment methods, offer discounted produce packages, and donate surplus to food banks. It directly affects residents in these communities who struggle to access fresh food, while requiring providers to demonstrate reliable supply and include storage/recipe guides. The Department must submit a legislative report within two years detailing participating communities, families served, voucher usage, and recommendations for expanding the program statewide.
SB 848 is a supplemental appropriation bill that allocates $84,600 from an unappropriated surplus balance in the State Fund, General Revenue, to cover inmate medical expenses for the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation under the Department of Homeland Security during fiscal year 2026. This funding specifically targets Correctional Units within the Division and uses existing surplus funds identified in the Governor’s budget document. The bill does not create new programs or alter policies but directs available resources to address medical costs for inmates. It is a routine budget adjustment, not a policy change, to ensure necessary healthcare funding for correctional facilities.
HB 5096 removes the requirement for state approval (a "certificate of need") for two specific healthcare services in West Virginia: personal care services and intellectual developmental disabilities (IDD) services. This means healthcare providers offering these services no longer need prior state permission before expanding or establishing them. The bill amends existing law (§16-2D-10) to explicitly exempt these services from the certificate of need process, which previously applied to many healthcare expansions and facility changes. This change directly affects providers of personal care (like assistance with daily living activities) and IDD services (such as support for individuals with developmental disabilities), streamlining their ability to operate without state review.
HB 5141 requires all health insurance providers in West Virginia to cover infertility services, directly affecting residents diagnosed with infertility or facing fertility risks from medical treatments like chemotherapy. The bill mandates coverage for diagnosis, medically necessary fertility treatments (including IVF for cases requiring it), and fertility preservation services (like egg/sperm freezing) before procedures known to impair fertility. Insurers must provide these services without prohibited limitations, covering evaluations, medications, donor materials, and storage of preserved reproductive material. This applies to all group health insurance policies and aligns with medical standards for "medically necessary" care, as defined in the bill.
HB 5672 imposes an annual excise tax on opioid manufacturers and distributors selling Schedule II drugs to West Virginia pharmacies. The tax equals one cent per 100 pills multiplied by the previous year's state opioid overdose death count (as reported by the Department of Health). Pharmacies collect this tax from manufacturers/distributors (not patients) and remit it to the Ryan Brown Addiction Prevention and Recovery Fund. This revenue directly funds state addiction prevention and recovery programs. The tax rate adjusts yearly based on updated overdose statistics.
HB 5082 requires West Virginia correctional facilities, regional jails, and juvenile detention centers to provide free feminine hygiene products (tampons and sanitary napkins) to female inmates and female juveniles upon request, with delivery within eight hours. The bill amends existing laws to explicitly mandate this provision, ensuring no cost to individuals who menstruate while incarcerated. This policy change applies directly to all female individuals in state custody who require these products, addressing a basic health need without financial burden.
HB 5559 creates West Virginia's participation in the Social Work Licensure Compact, enabling licensed social workers to practice across multiple participating states using a single "multistate license" instead of obtaining separate licenses in each state. It directly affects licensed social workers seeking to practice in more than one member state, as well as clients needing consistent access to social work services. The key provision establishes standardized requirements for multistate licensure, including background checks, and creates a commission to manage the compact's operations and resolve disputes between states. This eliminates barriers for social workers moving between states while ensuring public access to qualified professionals under a unified licensing system.
