Transportation

This bill clarifies West Virginia's Right to Farm Act to specifically protect residential beekeeping operations, ensuring honey beekeeping on private property is recognized as a permitted agricultural activity. It creates special vehicle registration plates for organizations promoting pollinators, with fees collected from these plates ($25 initial fee, $15 annual) deposited into the State Road Fund to fund highway beautification projects that support pollinator habitats. The bill also updates definitions to include "tropilaelaps mites" as a honey bee pest under the Apiary Act. These changes directly affect beekeepers, pollinator conservation groups, and state highway maintenance programs, while reinforcing the state's focus on protecting pollinators critical to agriculture.

HB 4835 requires all traffic-control lights on divided highways in West Virginia to include a three-second pause between when one set of lights turns red and the opposite set turns green. This change directly affects drivers and traffic flow on state highways with divided roadways. The bill amends state law to mandate this specific timing adjustment for all such traffic signals. It does not alter other traffic rules or affect undivided highways. The provision aims to improve safety by adding a brief pause during light transitions.

SB 178 requires the West Virginia Division of Highways Commissioner to create and annually submit a comprehensive plan for routine repaving of all asphalt-surfaced state roads. The bill amends existing law to mandate this annual plan, directly affecting the Division of Highways' maintenance operations. Key provisions include establishing a structured repaving schedule and requiring the plan to be presented to the Legislature each year. This focuses on systematic road maintenance rather than new construction or emergency repairs. The bill does not specify funding mechanisms or timelines for repaving.