Del. Daniel Linville

Maddy summaryHB 2558 requires rail companies to coordinate with West Virginia's Division of Highways before conducting construction or maintenance activities that affect state roads, such as closing roadways for repairs. The bill amends existing law to mandate that rail companies obtain approval from the Division of Highways for such work, ensuring proper planning and communication. This directly affects rail companies operating on or near state roads, aiming to prevent unnecessary road closures that disrupt public access to emergency services, schools, and workplaces. The measure focuses on procedural coordination rather than altering road construction standards.

Maddy summaryHB 2613 reclassifies possession of Schedule I and II narcotics and methamphetamine as felonies in West Virginia, increasing penalties from previous misdemeanor or lesser felony classifications. It establishes minimum prison sentences of one to three years for these offenses (up to 15 years for fentanyl), prohibits probation for certain drug convictions, and requires inert substances mixed with drugs to count toward weight measurements for sentencing. The bill also mandates a minimum 10-year prison term for "drug delivery death" cases and creates a process to reduce some felony convictions to misdemeanors under specific conditions. This bill directly affects individuals convicted of drug possession in West Virginia, particularly for higher-schedule substances.

Maddy summaryHB 2559 allows the West Virginia Division of Highways to transfer spending authority between different budget lines within the State Road Fund during a fiscal year. This means the Commissioner can move funds from underused categories (like road construction) to areas with higher needs (like maintenance) when forecasts change unexpectedly. The bill requires the Division to report all such transfers annually to the Governor and the Joint Legislative Commission, including the specific funds involved, amounts, dates, and reasons. It does not change the total annual funding for the State Road Fund, only provides flexibility to reallocate existing budgeted resources as needed.

Maddy summaryHB 2549 would extend the term of office for county sheriffs in West Virginia from four years to six years. Currently, sheriffs are elected every four years at the general election, but this bill would change the election cycle to every six years, resulting in longer terms and fewer elections for the office. The bill directly affects all county sheriffs across West Virginia by altering the standard term length for the position. It amends §3-1-17 of the West Virginia Code to replace "every fourth year" with "every sixth year" for sheriff elections, starting from the 2028 election.

Maddy summaryHB 2563 amends West Virginia's parole eligibility rules to automatically exclude individuals convicted of a felony against a police officer who was performing their official duties. This means such offenders cannot be considered for parole at any point and must serve their full sentences without early release. The bill directly affects inmates convicted of crimes where a law enforcement officer was the victim during work-related duties. It applies to all felony offenses meeting this criteria, regardless of the specific crime committed.

Maddy summaryHB 2561 establishes a formal process for appealing municipal ordinances that may violate West Virginia's home rule provisions. It allows any person subject to a municipality's jurisdiction - such as residents paying local taxes or fees - to appeal to the Intermediate Court of Appeals. During an appeal, 1% of municipal sales tax revenue is held in an escrow fund; if the court rules the ordinance invalid, the funds go to the state general fund, otherwise they return to the municipality. This bill creates procedural rules for appeals but does not change what municipalities can or cannot do under home rule.

Maddy summaryHB 2564, titled "The Business and Public Area Liability Protection Act," removes restrictions on carrying firearms in state or municipal buildings and public areas when adequate security measures (like metal detectors or armed personnel at entrances) are not present. It directly affects legally qualified individuals (those not prohibited by law from carrying firearms) who enter public buildings without such security. The bill requires public employers to allow firearm carrying in public areas and throughout buildings if security is inadequate, but prohibits such carrying only where adequate security measures are in place. This amendment changes existing rules by shifting the burden to public buildings to implement security before banning firearms.

Maddy summaryHB 2557, the Remote Patient Outcome Improvement Act, allows health insurers and medical providers to partner with internet service providers to set up home internet connections specifically for transmitting patients' real-time vital signs and medical device data. This aims to help identify health trends early, potentially preventing emergency visits, and directly affects patients (who can opt out), health insurers, medical providers, and internet service providers. Key provisions require that such data transmission must improve patient outcomes and reduce care costs, cannot be used to increase patient costs or limit services, and permits sharing of necessary network information with medical device manufacturers for troubleshooting. The bill creates a legal framework for this data sharing while prohibiting negative impacts on patient costs or coverage access.

Maddy summaryHB 2565 prohibits West Virginia municipalities from charging user fees to employees who were not physically present in the municipality while performing job duties. This directly affects employees and their employers, particularly those working for companies serving multiple jurisdictions but not physically located in a specific city during their work. The bill requires employers to provide a sworn affidavit confirming the employee's absence, and if a fee was incorrectly charged, the municipality must issue a credit for future payments. The law amends existing fee regulations to prevent municipalities from imposing such fees when the employee's work did not occur within the city limits.

Maddy summaryHB 2593 requires West Virginia state government agencies and public entities to obtain written certification from companies before entering contracts for goods or services. This certification must confirm the company has no financial ties to specific foreign nations deemed to hold values "antithetical" to West Virginia, including state sponsors of terrorism (like Iran and Saudi Arabia) and nations aligned with communist ideology (like China, North Korea, Cuba, and Vietnam). Companies must provide documented proof of their ownership structure, tracing to individual natural persons, to verify compliance. Contracts failing this requirement are void under public policy, directly affecting all state procurement processes involving private vendors.