Del. Scot Heckert

Maddy summaryThis bill clarifies that certain professionals - including law enforcement officers, prosecutors, court attorneys, judges, jurors, and their support staff - are exempt from West Virginia's child pornography laws when handling such material in their official duties. It also requires other employees who encounter images of minors in sexually explicit conduct on work devices to immediately report the discovery to law enforcement or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Reporting must include device owner details if known, and compliance with this requirement serves as an affirmative defense against violations. The bill does not change criminal penalties but updates exemptions and adds a mandatory reporting obligation for non-exempt personnel.

Maddy summaryHCR 64 is a symbolic concurrent resolution introduced in the West Virginia House of Delegates on February 24, 2025. It declares that state-owned properties - including parks, forests, waterways, and wildlife areas - must not be renamed in honor of politicians, preserving their natural and historical integrity. The resolution directs the House Clerk to forward this declaration to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names for consideration. As a procedural resolution, it does not create new laws but expresses legislative intent regarding the naming of public lands. The bill is currently pending referral to the Rules committee.

Maddy summaryHB 2388 would amend West Virginia's wage and hour law to exempt seasonal ski area workers from standard maximum hour requirements. Specifically, it adds a new exemption for employees working less than seven months per year at ski areas, excluding them from overtime and hour limits under §21-5C-3. This directly affects seasonal workers at ski resorts during their limited operational seasons. The bill does not change minimum wage rules but modifies hour restrictions for this specific group of workers. The exemption applies only to those employed seasonally, as defined in the new provision.

Maddy summaryHB 2925 would make certain panhandling practices unlawful in West Virginia, directly affecting individuals soliciting money in specific public or private locations. The bill prohibits panhandling at bus/train stops, in public transit, on streets/sidewalks (if blocking paths, following people, or threatening harm), and on private property without permission. Violations carry misdemeanor penalties: $100 for a first offense and $250-$1,000 for repeat offenses. Fire departments are exempt from these restrictions when soliciting donations for their operations.

Maddy summaryHB 2862 exempts ambulances transporting patients for non-emergency appointments from paying tolls on West Virginia turnpikes. The bill amends state law to specifically exclude these vehicles from toll obligations under the electronic toll collection system. This change directly affects ambulance operators and emergency service providers using toll roads for scheduled non-emergency medical transports. The provision removes the requirement for these vehicles to pay tolls, though it does not apply to emergency response trips. The bill focuses solely on removing a financial burden for this specific type of vehicle during non-urgent patient transport.

Maddy summaryHB 2738 requires that when a public defender corporation in West Virginia employs six or more assistant public defenders (including the chief public defender), it must be split into two separate, independent public defender corporations. Both new corporations will operate under the same board of directors as the original. The bill also expands the circumstances under which the executive director, with approval from the Indigent Defense Commission, may create, merge, or dissolve public defender corporations - such as to improve legal representation quality, address conflicts of interest, or ensure efficient use of state funds. This directly affects public defender offices meeting the staffing threshold, altering their operational structure without changing funding mechanisms.

Maddy summaryHB 2628 amends West Virginia law to classify attacks on police service canines (K-9 units) as felonies. The bill adds "police service canine" to the definition of "law-enforcement officer" for protection purposes and increases penalties for intentionally harming them while on duty. Specifically, malicious assaults causing injury to a K-9 would carry 3-15 years in prison, up from misdemeanor penalties for similar attacks on human officers. This directly affects K-9 units and their handlers by granting them the same legal protections as human law enforcement officers. The bill does not change existing protections for human officers but extends felony-level penalties to attacks targeting K-9s.

Maddy summaryHB 2799 protects employees in West Virginia who use reasonable force (including deadly force when justified) to defend themselves or others from an attack at their workplace. It prohibits employers from terminating an employee solely for such defensive actions, ensuring workers cannot face job loss for acting in self-defense during an attack. The bill specifically allows the use of deadly force without a duty to retreat if an employee reasonably believes they or others face imminent death or serious harm. This amendment expands existing self-defense protections to explicitly cover workplace scenarios, aligning with the bill's stated purpose of shielding workers from employment retaliation.

Maddy summaryHB 2657 would allow West Virginia county school boards to offer voluntary Saturday classes for public and charter school students who are failing courses or falling behind academically. The bill requires the West Virginia Department of Education to develop course content, eligibility criteria, and placement procedures for these sessions. Teachers participating would be paid at their regular rate for the hours worked, and Saturday classes would not count toward the state's required 180-day instructional year. This provision applies only to students needing extra academic support to pass courses, with no impact on school employee pay during related closures.

Maddy summaryHB 2605 would increase the tax credit available to West Virginia employers who provide child care for their employees. The bill amends Section 11-21-97 of the West Virginia Code to expand the credit, making it more valuable for businesses operating on-site child care facilities or sponsoring such services. It clarifies key terms like "qualified child-care property" and establishes rules for claiming the credit, including conditions for recapture if facilities are sold or repurposed. This legislation directly affects employers in West Virginia who offer child care benefits, potentially reducing their state tax liability.