Del. Jordan Maynor

Maddy summaryHB 3078 establishes a 15 mph speed limit in licensed childcare zones during childcare hours (when children are entering or leaving). It defines childcare zones as all licensed childcare property, including grounds and 125 feet of adjacent streets or highways, similar to existing school zone rules. The bill requires the West Virginia Division of Highways to install signage marking these zones and applies the speed restriction during childcare operation times. This directly affects drivers passing near licensed childcare facilities during drop-off/pick-up periods, mirroring the safety measures already in place for school zones. The bill does not change existing speed limits outside these designated zones.

Maddy summaryHB 2689 requires websites that primarily offer pornography to verify the age of users before allowing access, aiming to prevent minors from viewing such content. It targets commercial entities where pornography constitutes a "substantial portion" of their content, mandating "reasonable" age verification methods. The bill creates civil liability for non-compliance, allowing lawsuits against violators, while exempting internet service providers from liability for hosting content they didn’t create. It defines "minor" as under 18 and "sexual material harmful to minors" using community standards and explicit content criteria. The law provides a five-year statute of limitations for civil actions and excludes certain news organizations from coverage.

Maddy summaryHB 3291 (West Virginia House Bill 3291) increases penalties for employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers. It directly affects businesses and organizations in West Virginia that employ unauthorized workers, imposing escalating fines: $1,000-$10,000 for a first offense, $5,000-$20,000 for a second, and $10,000-$30,000 plus up to one year in jail for third or subsequent offenses. The bill also penalizes employers who provide false work status records or transfer assets to evade these requirements, with fines of $1,000-$5,000 or up to one year in jail. These provisions amend existing West Virginia law (§21-1B-5) to strengthen enforcement against unauthorized employment.

Maddy summaryHB 2863 clarifies West Virginia sheriffs' authority to hire within their offices by amending civil service rules for deputy sheriffs. It explicitly allows sheriffs to appoint multiple chief deputies with county commission approval (per §7-7-7) and clarifies that current or future chief deputies and jailers retain all civil service rights, including having time in those roles count toward promotion eligibility. The bill does not change existing hiring standards but resolves ambiguity about seniority and appointment flexibility for these positions. It directly affects sheriffs, county commissions, and deputy sheriff staff across West Virginia counties.

Maddy summaryHB 2437 clarifies enhanced penalties for crimes involving fentanyl, specifically targeting individuals convicted of possessing, delivering, or manufacturing fentanyl as a Schedule II substance. It increases penalties for these offenses: a $50,000 fine or 3-15 years in prison (instead of the standard $25,000 fine or 1-15 years), directly affecting those convicted of fentanyl-related crimes. The bill amends West Virginia law to explicitly state these higher penalties when fentanyl - alone or mixed with other substances - is the Schedule II controlled substance involved. It does not change penalties for other drugs or create new offenses, only clarifying existing sentencing for fentanyl cases. The bill passed the House on March 5, 2025, and is now pending in the Senate.

Maddy summaryHB 2683 prohibits the use of ranked choice voting for all local, state, and federal elections in West Virginia. The bill defines ranked choice voting as a system where voters rank candidates by preference, with votes redistributed in rounds if no candidate wins a majority. It declares any election using this method invalid and prevents officials from being sworn into office based on such results. The prohibition does not apply to internal political party processes like conventions or party officer elections.

Maddy summaryHB 3155 changes the annual permit fee for video lottery terminal (VLT) licensees in West Virginia. It reduces the fee from $1,000 to $500 per terminal for operators using software versions that outperform the bottom 10% of terminals by more than $900 in annual net revenue for the state. The West Virginia Lottery will calculate performance using daily revenue data from the prior year (March 1-February 28), requiring terminals to be active for 60 days. The reduced fee applies from 2025 through 2030, directly affecting VLT operators with high-revenue terminals.

Maddy summaryHB 3131, the First Amendment Preservation Act, prohibits West Virginia state agencies from contracting with media monitoring organizations or advertising agencies that use them. The bill defines "media monitoring organizations" as entities that rate news sources for accuracy, bias, or journalistic standards (excluding those tracking audience size or demographics), and requires agencies to obtain written certification from bidders that they comply with this prohibition. It applies to all state departments, boards, institutions, and political subdivisions using state funds for advertising or marketing services. The law aims to prevent state funds from being used in ways that could lead to viewpoint discrimination in advertising. This bill directly affects state agencies and advertising/marketing contractors bidding on state contracts.

Maddy summaryHB 3113 increases the percentage of precincts required to undergo manual ballot audits during election canvassing in West Virginia. The bill mandates that a higher random selection of precincts (beyond the current threshold) must have voter-verified paper ballots manually counted. If discrepancies exceed 1% or change the election outcome in an audited precinct, all ballots in that precinct must be manually recounted, with the manual count becoming the official record. This directly affects election officials conducting canvasses and candidates who may demand recounts. The bill amends existing election code sections to implement these audit requirements.

Maddy summaryHB 3114 prohibits lobbyists from receiving compensation for lobbying West Virginia state officials on behalf of designated "foreign adversaries," such as governments of China, Russia, Iran, Cuba, and other entities listed in the bill. It requires lobbyists representing these entities to self-identify as agents of foreign adversaries and creates penalties including civil fines, court-ordered return of payments ("disgorgement"), and injunctive relief for violations. The bill defines "foreign adversaries" broadly to include specific countries, terrorist organizations, and entities controlled by them, with the list updated annually by the Secretary of Homeland Security. It directly affects lobbyists and lobbying firms working with these designated foreign entities within West Virginia. The bill is currently in the introduction phase, having been filed with the House Judiciary Committee on March 4, 2025.