Del. Kathie Hess Crouse

Maddy summaryHB 4501 establishes the Dietitian Licensure Compact, allowing West Virginia-licensed dietitians to practice in other participating states without obtaining separate licenses. It requires applicants seeking to practice in a "remote state" (a state other than their home state) to complete a national and state criminal background check with fingerprinting, pay associated costs, and authorize the West Virginia Board of Dietitians to share results with state and federal agencies. Background check results are kept private - only shared with the applicant, with their written consent, or by court order - and are not considered public records. The bill creates a commission to manage the compact, set uniform requirements for interstate practice, and handle disciplinary actions across member states. This directly affects dietitians seeking to provide services across state lines and reduces administrative burdens for both professionals and states.

Maddy summaryHB 5442 requires hospitals and healthcare providers in West Virginia to complete training on the uses and risks of progesterone and mifepristone for pregnant women, specifically focusing on medication abortion (referred to as "chemical abortion" in the bill). The training covers how progesterone can counteract mifepristone and how to identify/treat complications from medication abortion, developed by the Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health. Hospitals providing gynecologic, obstetric, or emergency care must ensure their licensed staff complete this training, with restrictions preventing contracts with organizations defined as part of the "abortion industry." The bill does not change abortion access but mandates standardized education for healthcare providers.

Maddy summaryHB 5342 clarifies when home purchasers in West Virginia can cancel a real estate contract if a seller fails to provide required resale disclosures. The bill mandates that sellers must give purchasers a certificate containing key financial and legal details about a property (like unpaid fees, insurance, and association rules) before closing. If the certificate isn't delivered by the contract ratification date, purchasers can cancel within three days (or a longer period specified in the contract). This directly affects buyers and sellers in condominiums, cooperatives, and other community property sales governed by association rules. The law amends West Virginia Code §36B-4-109 to standardize cancellation timelines and reduce disputes over missing disclosures.

Maddy summaryHB 5384 authorizes West Virginia's Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC) to annually adjust the required composite ACT/SAT scores for the PROMISE scholarship program. This change directly affects West Virginia students applying for PROMISE scholarships, which cover tuition costs at state colleges and universities. The bill allows HEPC to modify the minimum test score thresholds each year to maximize the number of eligible students, without altering the $4,750 award cap or other eligibility requirements like GPA or citizenship. The goal is to ensure scholarship funds are distributed to the highest number of qualifying students based on annual testing data.

Maddy summaryHB 5331 amends West Virginia law to allow municipalities with paid firefighters to join the Municipal Police Officers & Firefighters Retirement System (MPFRS) without requiring prior approval. This directly affects cities and towns that currently cannot participate in MPFRS for their full-time firefighters. The bill removes existing barriers by revising eligibility rules in the retirement system statutes, enabling these municipalities to enroll their paid firefighters in the existing retirement program. The change provides a structured pathway for local governments to offer retirement benefits to municipal firefighters under MPFRS, which currently serves some fire departments but not all.

Maddy summaryHB 5378 would allow parents to exempt their children from required school vaccinations based on religious or philosophical beliefs, expanding beyond the current medical exemption only. This bill directly affects school-aged children and their families in West Virginia who seek to opt out of mandatory immunizations. Key provisions include requiring schools to track and report the number of exempt students, clarifying that medical exemptions remain available for health reasons, and specifying that physicians must provide written statements for exemptions. The bill does not change the list of required vaccines but modifies the exemption process and reporting requirements for schools.

Maddy summaryHB 5356 modifies how students in the Mountaineer Challenge Academy are counted toward high school graduation rates for school accreditation purposes. The bill specifies that students who complete the academy program within five years of starting ninth grade will be counted as graduates for accountability metrics, provided this does not conflict with federal law. This change directly affects students enrolled in the Mountaineer Challenge Academy (a designated alternative education program) and the schools that report graduation rates. The key mechanism adjusts the state's calculation method for graduation rates, ensuring these students are included in accountability measures under specific completion timelines. The bill does not alter the academy's funding structure or operations, only the reporting criteria for school accreditation.

Maddy summaryHB 4461 requires internet and telecommunications providers in West Virginia to automatically provide prorated bill credits to customers when service is interrupted for five or more consecutive days (120 hours) due to the provider's fault. It directly affects subscribers who lose service for extended periods, ensuring they aren't charged for unavailable service. The bill mandates credits proportional to the outage duration, excludes outages caused by customers, cyberattacks, or force majeure, and sets civil penalties up to $1,000 per violation. Providers must report outage data monthly to the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division for oversight, though mobile service disruptions are excluded from these rules.

Maddy summaryHB 5070 requires real estate brokerage firms in West Virginia to pay realtors their earned commissions on open contracts when those realtors leave the firm to join another brokerage. Specifically, it amends the real estate license law to mandate that brokers must remit to the departing agent any compensation due from contracts signed while the agent was affiliated with that brokerage, upon receipt of the commission. This directly affects real estate agents who transition between brokerages and ensures they receive payment for work completed under prior contracts. The bill does not alter other licensing requirements or commission-sharing rules but focuses solely on ensuring fair payment for existing contracts during agent transitions.

Maddy summaryHouse Resolution 12 declares January 27, 2026, as Sexual Violence Awareness Day in West Virginia. The resolution recognizes West Virginia's high rates of sexual coercion victimization (ranking 5th nationally for women) and the significant impact of sexual violence on the state. It symbolically supports local victim services agencies and advocates working to address sexual violence, without creating new laws or funding. This is a ceremonial resolution, not a policy change.