SB 870 proposes a $10,000 total pay increase for West Virginia teachers over five years, distributed through annual adjustments to the state minimum salary schedule based on experience and education level. It also mandates a 25% pay raise for school service personnel (such as aides and support staff) over the same five-year period. The bill amends existing law to establish new salary tiers, with specific pay amounts listed for different experience levels and qualifications (e.g., starting at $39,057 for teachers with zero experience and a master's degree). This policy directly affects all public school teachers and support staff in West Virginia, aiming to increase base compensation through structured, incremental raises.
SB 987 amends West Virginia's Human Rights Act to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation in employment, public accommodations, and housing. The bill adds these categories to existing protected characteristics like race, religion, and disability, defining "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" for clarity. It directly affects employers (with 12+ employees), businesses serving the public, and housing providers across the state. The legislation expands the scope of the Human Rights Act to cover these new protected classes under the same legal framework. The bill is currently pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee after its February 18, 2026, introduction.
SB 971 establishes minimum fire safety standards for fully enclosed agritourism businesses in West Virginia, such as barns hosting events. It requires specific provisions including multiple exits based on occupant load, fire extinguishers at exits, carbon monoxide detectors for fuel-burning equipment, emergency lighting for windowless buildings, and written evacuation plans. Open-air facilities like gazebos, pavilions, and greenhouses are exempt from these requirements. The bill applies to new and existing enclosed agritourism structures seeking fire code exemptions, ensuring safety without altering agricultural property classifications.
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SB 724 removes the requirement that home confinement officers must be certified as law-enforcement officers to join West Virginia's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Retirement System. The bill also extends the deadline for eligible home confinement officers to elect participation in the retirement system. This change directly affects home confinement officers working in the state's justice system, allowing them to access retirement benefits without prior law-enforcement certification. The bill amends specific sections of the West Virginia Code (§16-5V-2 and §16-5V-6f) to update eligibility rules and election procedures.
HB 5056 allows beneficiaries of the West Virginia State Teachers Retirement System who elected a joint life annuity (paying benefits to both the retiree and their spouse) to switch to the maximum life annuity if their spouse dies within the first five years of retirement. This change requires the retiree to provide proof of the spouse's death to the retirement board and is limited to one conversion. The bill ensures the recalculated monthly benefit does not exceed what would have been paid under the maximum life annuity at the time of retirement. It directly affects teachers who retired with a joint annuity and lost their spouse early in their retirement.
This bill (SB 831) reallocates $200,000 within an existing budget line for West Virginia's Department of Human Services Community Mental Health Services (Fund 8794). It decreases funding from the "Federal Coronavirus Pandemic" account and increases funding for "Personal Services and Employee Benefits" to cover staffing costs. The bill does not create new programs or change eligibility for services - it simply shifts existing federal funds between two internal budget categories. This adjustment affects how the Department of Human Services allocates resources for mental health services within its current fiscal year budget.
HB 5079 requires the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources to subsidize child care services for children of employees working at licensed child care programs (including family child care homes) who work at least 20 hours per week. It directly affects child care workers by covering the cost of care for their own children, regardless of the employee's income level. The bill creates a state-funded program where participating child care providers receive subsidies to offer free or low-cost care to the children of their staff members. This policy change shifts the financial responsibility for childcare costs from the employees to the state for this specific group of workers.
HB 5116, the Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughan Fair Pay Act, requires West Virginia employers to provide job applicants with the range of wages, benefits, and compensation for a position upon request. It prohibits employers from retaliating against applicants who decline to share past salary history or request pay ranges, and bans inquiries about prior wages without specific compliance steps. The bill also protects current employees' rights to discuss, disclose, or share their own wages with coworkers, while forbidding employers from restricting these discussions or taking adverse action for exercising these rights. Violations could lead to legal remedies including damages and attorney fees.
SB 942, the Advanced-Baseload Energy Development Act, creates a framework to support nuclear reactors and hydrogen energy projects that use carbon capture technology. It establishes a new Advanced Energy Division within the Office of Energy to coordinate development, permit projects, and partner with universities for workforce training. The bill provides tax incentives for qualifying projects, requires community benefit agreements, and allows utilities to recover project costs through rate increases. It specifically targets advanced-baseload energy projects using advanced nuclear reactors or fossil-fuel-derived hydrogen with carbon capture, aiming to leverage West Virginia’s energy infrastructure and workforce.
SB 924 streamlines West Virginia's state personnel systems by eliminating special merit-based hiring systems for Department of Transportation, State Tax Division, and Bureau for Social Services employees. It transfers their personnel duties to the Division of Personnel, exempts new hires and promotions in the Department of Transportation from civil service rules and grievance procedures starting July 1, 2026, and terminates the State Personnel Board. The bill clarifies definitions of "classified" and "classified-exempt" service, shortens job posting timelines, and modernizes how classified job openings are advertised. These changes directly affect state employees in the specified agencies by shifting their personnel administration to a unified system under the Division of Personnel.
