Del. Corby Dillon

Maddy summaryHB 4931 prohibits West Virginia from creating or maintaining any registry of firearm owners or firearms within the state. It bans state agencies, federal entities operating in West Virginia (like ATF contractors), and private actors from compiling or storing such records - both physical and electronic. Violators face civil penalties of $10,000 to $100,000 per violation, with funds directed to a Second Amendment Defense Fund for legal challenges. The law applies immediately upon passage and targets registry systems, not firearm ownership or sales.

Maddy summaryHB 4926, the "Second Amendment Reaffirmation and Protection Act," ensures that if federal gun laws like the National Firearms Act (1934) or Gun Control Act (1968) are repealed or struck down, West Virginia automatically restores full firearm rights without new state restrictions. The bill prohibits West Virginia or local governments from enacting, enforcing, or funding any laws that mimic or replace repealed federal regulations, and protects individuals and businesses from penalties for exercising restored rights. It also creates a private right for citizens to sue officials who enforce illegal restrictions and bans state law enforcement from assisting federal agencies in enforcing repealed laws. The act takes effect immediately upon federal repeal or judicial nullification of covered laws.

Maddy summaryHB 4878 strengthens West Virginia's castle doctrine by allowing lawful occupants to use reasonable force, including deadly force, to defend their home, residence, or immediate property (curtilage) without a duty to retreat. It creates a full legal defense against both civil lawsuits and criminal charges for those using force to prevent unlawful entry, felony entry, or threats of serious harm. The bill also requires courts to cover legal costs, fees, and expenses for people successfully defending against such claims. This applies to residents protecting themselves, others, or property, but excludes law enforcement actions and situations where the person provoked the conflict.

Maddy summaryHB 4861 allows West Virginia county school boards, with state board approval, to designate one or more rural schools as "Rural Anchor Schools" if they meet specific criteria: geographic isolation (rural community, primary neighborhood school), enrollment below the statewide average for their grade level, and demonstrated need to avoid unreasonable transportation/safety issues if closed. The bill requires state aid calculations to treat these schools as if they have at least 150 students for funding purposes, covering fixed operating costs (utilities, maintenance) and core staffing, while keeping actual enrollment counts unchanged for other purposes. Designations last five years with annual reporting on enrollment, student performance, and fund usage, and can be revoked if eligibility or accountability rules are violated. This directly affects eligible rural schools and their funding under the state's public school support program.

Maddy summaryHB 4854 prohibits the State of West Virginia and any local government from providing financial subsidies to data centers operating within the state. It directly affects data center operators and state/local governments that might have considered offering tax breaks or other financial incentives. The bill's key provision, stated in Section (f), explicitly bans all state or political subdivision subsidies for data centers. This policy change removes the possibility of public funding support for data center development in West Virginia, regardless of the data centers' economic or national security arguments outlined in the bill's findings.

Maddy summaryHB 4860, the Direct Classroom Funding Act, changes how West Virginia public school funding is distributed by sending state education funds directly to individual teachers instead of through school districts. It creates a "Classroom Expense Account" for each teacher, funded proportionally from state accounts, which teachers can use to purchase classroom supplies and materials via a dedicated purchase card. Teachers gain online access to track balances, and purchases made through these accounts are exempt from typical district vendor requirements while being publicly listed online for transparency. The bill affects all West Virginia public school teachers who receive instructional funding, shifting control of these resources from district administrators to educators.

Maddy summaryHB 4866 creates the West Virginia Public Participation Protection Act, which establishes a legal process to quickly dismiss lawsuits targeting protected public speech. The bill allows defendants to file a "special motion to dismiss" within 60 days if a lawsuit claims to be based on free speech, petitioning government, association on public issues, digital expression (like social media), consumer reviews, or information gathering for expressive works. If the motion is filed, all court proceedings automatically pause until the court rules, and the plaintiff must prove they have a strong case to win. This applies to all pending and future cases involving public concern issues, but excludes state enforcement actions and pure contract disputes without public interest.

Maddy summaryHB 4856 requires all rebates from state agency purchasing cards (P-cards) to be directed entirely to the PEIA Rainy Day Fund, replacing current allocations. Currently, rebates are split between multiple funds (e.g., Purchasing Improvement Fund, Entrepreneurship Fund, Hatfield-McCoy Authority, and State Parks), but this bill eliminates those other transfers. The bill amends WV Code §12-3-10d to mandate that all remaining rebate funds - after any necessary operational costs - be transferred to the PEIA fund within three days of receipt. This directly affects state agencies using P-cards, as their card spending rebates will now solely support the PEIA fund’s stability.

Maddy summaryHB 4895 would create a $2,000 state income tax exemption for each unborn child carried by a West Virginia resident individual, effective for tax years beginning January 1, 2027. The exemption applies to any pregnancy at any stage of development that is not aborted, as defined in the bill. This policy reduces taxable income for qualifying residents rather than providing direct cash payments. The bill directly affects West Virginia taxpayers who are pregnant and filing state income taxes.

Maddy summaryHB 4882 repeals West Virginia's requirement for mandatory annual vehicle inspections, which currently requires drivers to obtain a sticker after a state inspection. This bill directly affects all vehicle owners in West Virginia who would no longer need to get annual inspections or display a sticker. The bill removes the legal mandate by repealing specific sections of the state code (§17C-16-1 to §17C-16-9) that established the inspection program. As a result, the state would no longer enforce this inspection requirement for motor vehicles.