Del. Dave Foggin

Maddy summaryHB 3303 would expand the authority of bail bond enforcers (often called bounty hunters) in West Virginia to apprehend defendants for specific serious offenses, including drug trafficking near schools, violent assaults, stalking, sexual assault, and human trafficking. The bill requires enforcers to give law enforcement at least four hours' notice before apprehension and to deliver defendants to court or police within 24 hours. It also mandates the Secretary of State to publish a list of registered enforcers and clarifies prohibited conduct. The bill directly affects defendants charged with the listed offenses and the bail bond industry, but does not apply to all criminal cases.

Maddy summaryHB 3308 terminates West Virginia's Health Care Authority's certificate of need program, which previously required health care facilities to seek state approval before expanding services. This directly affects hospitals, clinics, and behavioral health providers that previously needed certificate approvals for new services or expansions. The bill repeals all related statutes, transfers the Authority's remaining powers, assets, records, and employees to the Secretary of the Department of Health, and moves funds to the general revenue fund. It also establishes a new summary review process for certain behavioral health services to meet federal Medicaid waiver requirements, but eliminates the broader certificate of need requirement.

Maddy summaryHB 3066 requires West Virginia's Corrections Commissioner to create an "Orange Alert" system that notifies registered crime victims within a 40-mile radius when a prisoner escapes or is released from a state correctional facility or jail. Victims must proactively register to receive these alerts, with registration details published in local newspapers. The bill mandates this system for all state correctional facilities and jails, making registration the victim's responsibility rather than automatic notification. This policy change establishes a formal notification framework but does not require automatic alerts for all victims.

Maddy summaryHB 3288 requires that 5% of all elk hunting permits issued in West Virginia be reserved for West Virginia residents who are honorably discharged veterans of the U.S. armed forces. This applies specifically to permits under the state's elk restoration program in designated counties, including Logan, Mingo, McDowell, and Wyoming. The bill does not change the total number of permits but sets aside a fixed percentage for veterans, with the remaining permits available through standard application processes. The Division of Natural Resources will administer this allocation as part of the elk management plan.

Maddy summaryHB 3210 modifies West Virginia public school teachers' personal leave procedures. It increases the annual leave without cause from four to five days (effective July 2023) and requires teachers to arrange substitute coverage at least seven days in advance for non-consecutive days off. The bill mandates county school boards to establish leave banks where teachers can contribute up to two days of leave annually, available only to active teachers with fewer than five accumulated days. It also sets rules for principal approval of leave requests (denying if 15% of staff or three employees have already requested the same day) and coordinates leave with workers' compensation benefits.

Maddy summaryHB 3186 amends West Virginia's labor laws to strengthen the "West Virginia Jobs Act" for public construction projects. It requires employers receiving a local labor utilization waiver (to hire outside the local area) to hire outside workers at the same qualifications and wage rates they provided to Workforce West Virginia. The bill clarifies that the Jobs Act applies to all public construction projects, including those managed by the West Virginia Development Authority, and mandates the Division of Labor to create a public online database of certified payroll records (with personal information redacted) for all employers working on public contracts. This database will include employee residence locations and occupations, making the data accessible to the public for transparency.

Maddy summaryHB 3184, the Local Government Freedom Act, requires West Virginia local governments to award construction contracts over $25,000 to the "lowest qualified responsible bidder" rather than allowing them to use pre-hire union agreements (project labor agreements). The bill defines "lowest qualified responsible bidder" as the bidder meeting all legal requirements and offering the lowest price, while prohibiting political subdivisions from entering into project labor agreements for most construction projects. It also sets a $500,000 cap on open-ended maintenance contracts and mandates specific bonding requirements for bidders. This bill directly affects cities, counties, and school boards when procuring construction work.

Maddy summaryHB 3212 reduces the annual license fee for volunteer fire departments in West Virginia from $500 to $250 when conducting charitable raffles. The bill directly affects volunteer fire departments and their auxiliaries by lowering their required fee to the Tax Commissioner. The key provision amends §47-21-7 of the West Virginia Code to set the new $250 fee amount, while keeping all revenue in the existing special account for investigatory activities. This change applies only to the annual license fee for raffles, leaving other tax exemptions for raffle proceeds unchanged.

Maddy summaryHB 3213 requires Public Service District Boards serving multiple communities to include at least one member from each community they represent. This applies to boards managing utilities like water, sewer, or storm water services across jurisdictional boundaries. The bill amends existing law to mandate proportional community representation on these boards, ensuring local voices are directly included in decision-making. It directly affects multi-community public service districts by changing board composition rules, without altering appointment processes for single-community districts.

Maddy summaryHB 3100 would align retirement and disability benefits for dependents of West Virginia State Police officers who take disability retirement with the benefits provided to dependents of officers who retire after 20 years of service. Currently, dependents of disability retirees receive less than those of regular retirees under the existing §15-2-33 formula. The bill proposes amending the law to ensure surviving spouses and dependents of disability retirees receive the same monthly benefit amount as those of regular retirees - calculated as three-fourths of the retired officer's benefits (with a minimum $5,000 annual payment). This change directly affects dependents of State Police officers who must leave service due to disability before reaching 20 years. The bill is currently in the House Finance Committee after introduction on March 4, 2025.