Labor & Employment

HB 4025 exempts new hires and promoted employees in West Virginia's Departments of Health Facilities, Human Services, and Health from the classified civil service system and state grievance procedures starting July 1, 2026. Current employees in these departments retain their existing civil service protections and grievance access. The bill grants department secretaries more flexibility in hiring, promotions, and compensation while maintaining prohibitions against nepotism, discrimination, and unethical practices. This change applies only to employees entering or moving within these departments after the effective date, not to current staff or governor-appointed positions.

This bill (SB 1038) increases salaries by 15% for three specific positions at the Unemployment Compensation Board of Review: Chief Administrative Law Judge, Administrative Law Judge 1, and Administrative Law Judge 2. The adjustment applies to salary levels effective when the bill takes effect and is separate from other 2026 budget salary changes. The stated purpose is to help ensure unemployment compensation hearings occur in a timely manner. The funding for this increase is exempt from standard budget constraints, and the law explicitly states it creates no legal liability for implementation.