Del. Erica Moore

Maddy summaryHB 4420 increases the West Virginia Parkways Authority's membership from seven to eleven members by adding two representatives each from Kanawha, Fayette, Raleigh, and Mercer counties. The bill maintains existing representation with two members from each congressional district and one at-large public member, while expanding regional coverage to include these specific counties. This change directly affects the authority's governance structure, ensuring county-level representation in its decision-making. The bill also includes standard provisions for member terms, qualifications, and administrative procedures, without altering the authority's core responsibilities.

Maddy summaryHB 4470 requires West Virginia election officials to capture and publish images of ballots cast in statewide elections, while giving voters a designated space (up to two square inches) to add a unique, non-identifying mark on their ballot for personal verification. The bill mandates that ballots include a unique number on a perforated stub and a specific area for voters to voluntarily mark their ballot with a symbol or dot. Officials must publish ballot images and cast vote records on the Secretary of State’s website within 24 hours after election results are certified, with special privacy protections for precincts with fewer than 10 absentee or provisional ballots. This applies to counties using electronic voting systems and ensures no personally identifiable voter information is included in published materials.

Maddy summaryHB 4424 allows landowners or lessees whose property is damaged by deer or other wildlife to hire a third-party hunter to kill the animals using a bow and arrow. Landowners must report the damage to wildlife authorities, who will investigate and issue a permit enabling the hiring of a hunter. The hunter must follow the same bow and arrow restrictions as during regular hunting seasons, such as minimum bow poundage requirements. This bill does not change hunting seasons but provides a specific method for landowners to address property damage.

Maddy summaryHB 4184 would exempt safe gun storage devices (such as gun safes, lock boxes, and secure storage containers) from West Virginia's state sales tax. This change applies directly to individuals purchasing these devices for personal firearm storage. The bill amends West Virginia's tax code (§11-15-9) to add "safe gun storage devices" to the list of exempt items, meaning buyers would no longer pay the standard 6% state sales tax on these purchases. The policy change is limited to the tax treatment of these specific storage products.

Maddy summaryHJR 1 proposes a constitutional amendment to increase West Virginia's homestead exemption from $20,000 to $50,000. This exemption currently protects the first $20,000 of assessed value on a primary residence (or mobile home) from property taxes for homeowners aged 65 or older, or permanently disabled residents. The change would reduce property taxes for qualifying homeowners by exempting an additional $30,000 of their home's assessed value. As a constitutional amendment, it requires voter approval in the 2026 general election to take effect.

Maddy summaryHB 4171 clarifies how sex is classified on original West Virginia birth certificates and establishes requirements for changing sex designation on driver's licenses, ID cards, or instruction permits. The bill directly affects residents seeking to update their gender marker on official state-issued identification documents. It amends existing laws (§16-5-10 and §17B-2-6) to define the process for revising sex designations, though the specific procedural steps are not detailed in the provided text. The legislation focuses on standardizing the administrative process for these changes, without altering birth certificate classification for new births.

Maddy summaryHB 4099 prohibits West Virginia from recognizing driver's licenses issued by other states to individuals who cannot prove lawful presence in the U.S. (such as licenses marked for undocumented immigrants or issued exclusively to them). It makes these licenses invalid for driving in West Virginia, requiring law enforcement to issue citations for driving without a valid license when such a license is presented. The state’s motor vehicle department must maintain an online list of out-of-state license types deemed invalid under this law. This bill directly affects undocumented immigrants who hold out-of-state licenses and would be unable to legally operate vehicles in West Virginia under this policy.

Maddy summaryHB 4185 would repeal West Virginia's law (§61-7-9) that prohibits possessing fully automatic weapons, making such possession legal under state law. This change directly affects individuals in West Virginia who currently face state-level restrictions on owning machine guns. The bill's sole mechanism is removing the specific statutory language that made machine gun possession unlawful, without adding new regulations or exceptions. The repeal would align West Virginia's state law with federal regulations, where fully automatic weapons are generally legal for licensed owners.

Maddy summaryHB 2397 prohibits immediate family members (such as spouses, parents, or children) from serving in fiduciary roles - like financial or legal representatives - for the same government agency. This directly affects government employees and officials who might have family members working in comparable positions within their department. The law creates a clear restriction preventing family members from holding these trust-based roles simultaneously within one agency. The bill was signed into law by the Governor on April 25, 2025, and became Chapter 139 of the 2025 Regular Session statutes.

Maddy summaryHB 3016 requires voters to present a valid photo identification card when casting an in-person ballot at polling places. This law directly affects voters who do not already possess a qualifying photo ID at the time of voting. The key provision mandates that voters show one of several approved photo IDs (such as a state-issued driver's license or passport), and provides for provisional ballots if a voter lacks acceptable ID. The bill does not change absentee voting rules or apply to voting by mail. It became law on April 30, 2025, after Governor approval.