Del. Bill Ridenour

Maddy summaryHB 5041 requires West Virginia electricity providers to give all residential, business, and rental unit customers the choice between installing a "smart meter" or a manual meter. The manual meter must be read manually, contain no battery, and not emit an electromagnetic signal. Utilities must offer this choice without charging extra fees, while clarifying that normal electricity flow through any meter does not count as an electromagnetic signal under the law. This bill directly affects every electricity customer in West Virginia who currently has a smart meter installed.

Maddy summaryHB 5040 requires West Virginia's Commissioner of Highways to create and submit an annual plan for routine repaving of all state roads with asphalt surfaces. This bill amends existing law to mandate that the Commissioner present this comprehensive paving plan to the Legislature each year. The plan would establish a systematic approach to maintaining state highways by scheduling regular repaving, rather than responding only to urgent repairs. It directly affects the Commissioner's office and the state's road maintenance process, but does not create new funding or change current road standards. The bill focuses solely on requiring an annual planning mechanism for routine pavement maintenance.

Maddy summaryHB 5032, titled "Prevention of data center collection of citizen data," creates the Citizens' Data Center Transparency Act. It prohibits West Virginia data centers from facilitating warrantless collection of personal data by federal agencies (like the NSA) or others in ways violating the Fourth Amendment or West Virginia’s Constitution. The bill requires data center operators to annually report to the Joint Standing Committee on Technology and Infrastructure the types and amounts of data collected, how it’s used, and who the data is shared with (including government agencies or nonprofits). This law directly affects data center operators in West Virginia and aims to increase transparency around data handling practices.

Maddy summaryHB 5006 clarifies that legal textbooks, scholarly articles, and other secondary sources (like treatises) are not binding law or public policy in West Virginia. It states these materials can only be used as persuasive guidance when they align with existing state law, not to create or change legal rights. The bill also allows circuit courts to submit "first impression" legal questions - about new causes of action or rights - to the Supreme Court for formal guidance. This directly affects judges, lawyers, and courts handling cases involving novel legal interpretations.

Maddy summaryHB 5001 prohibits employers from terminating an employee who uses reasonable and proportionate force (including deadly force in specific circumstances) to defend themselves or others from an attack at their workplace. The bill amends West Virginia law to explicitly protect employees from adverse employment actions - such as termination - solely for using force that reasonably prevents imminent death or serious bodily harm. It specifies that deadly force may be used without a duty to retreat only if an employee reasonably believes it is necessary to save themselves or others from imminent lethal harm. The protection does not apply if the employee was committing a felony, provoked the attack, or was otherwise engaging in unlawful activity. This bill directly affects all employees in West Virginia workplaces who must defend against violent attacks.

Maddy summaryHB 5007 would create a state income tax exemption for West Virginia residents who pay for gym memberships at gyms located within the state. The bill allows taxpayers to reduce their taxable income by $60 per month, capped at $720 annually for gym membership costs. It directly affects individual taxpayers who maintain gym memberships at in-state facilities and would lower their state income tax liability. The policy change is limited to qualifying gym memberships purchased within West Virginia, with no additional eligibility requirements specified.

Maddy summaryHB 5010 prohibits West Virginia institutions of higher education and their affiliate organizations from accepting gifts, grants, contracts, or other funding from designated "foreign adversaries," including China (specifically targeting Confucius Institutes), Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Qatar. The bill requires institutions to report foreign funding exceeding $10,000 individually or $50,000 annually to the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, detailing donor information and spending restrictions. It defines "foreign adversary" broadly and mandates that funds accepted in violation must be returned to the state. The law takes effect on July 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 5008 requires the West Virginia secretary to develop a State Water Resources Management Plan by November 30, 2013, in collaboration with state agencies, local governments, and large water users. The plan must include detailed assessments of surface and groundwater resources, inventories of large water withdrawals (including location and usage), and evaluations of water conflicts, shortages, and infrastructure needs. It also mandates identifying critical water planning areas where demand exceeds supply and assessing conservation opportunities, public water supply capabilities, and flood management challenges. This bill directly affects state water management agencies and large water users across West Virginia.

Maddy summaryHB 4992 creates a new "general contractor/construction manager" procurement method for West Virginia's highway projects, directly affecting the West Virginia Division of Highways. This alternative procedure allows the Division to hire contractors without following the standard design-build bidding rules outlined in existing highway laws. The bill authorizes the Division to develop specific rules for implementing this method, including conditions for agreements and preferred terms, in line with federal guidelines. It does not change existing funding limits for the current design-build program but provides a separate contracting path for highway construction projects.

Maddy summaryHB 5009 clarifies zoning rules in West Virginia by redefining "use" to include only domestic activities, farming, or on-site water use (e.g., water drawn from land for local use), excluding commercial bottling, storage, or transport of water outside the state. It ensures existing agricultural, industrial, or manufacturing operations can continue using land or structures without new zoning restrictions, and allows property owners to maintain nonconforming uses (like farms) for one year after vacancy unless proven abandoned. The bill specifically prevents zoning ordinances from restricting natural resource use or farm operations on owned land, but exempts commercial water extraction in karst terrain counties from this protection. It applies to all municipalities and counties adopting zoning ordinances under state law.