Del. Chris Toney

Maddy summaryHB 2632 increases retirement benefits for eligible West Virginia state employees and teachers. It provides a phased 5% raise over three years (2.5% in 2025, 1.5% in 2026, 1% in 2027) to retirees aged 70+ with at least 25 years of service who currently receive less than $1,000 monthly. The increase applies only to those retired before the bill's effective date and does not affect current employees. This change modifies existing retirement system rules under Sections 5-10-22n (public employees) and 18-7A-26y (teachers).

Maddy summaryHB 2552 would reduce West Virginia's business and occupation tax rate by 2.5% for companies employing at least 75% West Virginia residents. This tax incentive directly affects businesses operating in the state that meet the workforce residency requirement. To qualify, companies must provide documentation proving 75% of their workforce resides in West Virginia, with the Tax Department issuing implementation guidance. The reduction applies to the 2025 tax year and all subsequent years.

Maddy summaryHB 2568 (West Virginia House Bill 2568) would repeal the existing net metering rules for public utilities by eliminating Section 24-2F-8 of the West Virginia Code. This bill directly affects residential solar customers who currently receive credit for excess electricity they send back to the grid. The key mechanism is the simple repeal of the current net metering provision, removing the requirement for utilities to compensate solar homeowners for surplus power. If passed, homeowners with solar panels would no longer earn credits for electricity generated beyond their own use. The bill is currently pending in the House Committee on Energy and Public Works.

Maddy summaryHB 2439 allows regional jail wardens to require qualified inmates to maintain local cemeteries as part of their work program. It specifically permits inmates (excluding those convicted of sexual offenses or violent felonies) to perform cemetery upkeep, with requirements that public cemeteries must have local government approval and private cemeteries require landowner consent. The bill also provides liability protection for landowners and agencies involved in this work. This directly affects inmates in regional jails, local governments managing cemeteries, and cemetery landowners. The policy change modifies existing correctional work program rules to include cemetery maintenance as a permitted activity.

Maddy summaryHB 2142 amends West Virginia's Hope Scholarship Program to explicitly include microschool tuition and fees as qualifying expenses for scholarship accounts. This change directly affects parents using Hope Scholarships who enroll children in microschools - small, privately operated educational settings defined under state law. The bill adds "Tuition and fees at a microschool" as a new line item (Section 18-31-7(13)) to the list of approved expenses, which already covers public school services, tutoring, online programs, and other educational costs. The policy change does not alter eligibility for the scholarship but expands how funds may be used for education outside traditional public or private schools.

Maddy summaryHB 2553 exempts the first $20,000 of annual earnings from West Virginia state income tax for resident individuals and married couples filing jointly. It directly affects low-to-moderate income West Virginia residents by reducing their taxable income for state tax purposes. The bill modifies the state's tax code to automatically subtract $20,000 from federal adjusted gross income when calculating taxable income for eligible filers. This change applies to tax years beginning January 1, 2025, and does not require additional application.

Maddy summaryHB 2522 lowers the eligibility age for annual retirement annuity adjustments under the West Virginia State Police Retirement System from 63 to 60 years. It directly affects current and future retirees who are 60 or older (previously only 63+), as well as surviving spouses receiving benefits under specified sections. The bill modifies Section 15-2A-7 to allow these individuals to receive an annual 1% adjustment to their retirement award, paid in equal monthly installments starting July 1 each year. The adjustment is not retroactive and supplements existing retirement benefits without changing the benefit amount itself. This change applies to retirees under Section 15-2A-6 and surviving spouses under Sections 15-2A-12 through 15-2A-14.

Maddy summaryHB 2507 would change West Virginia law to allow Tier 2 teachers (those who joined the retirement system after June 1988) to use their full accrued annual and sick leave to extend health insurance coverage after retirement, rather than the current half-credit system. Currently, Tier 1 teachers (who joined before July 1988) receive full credit for their leave, while Tier 2 teachers only get half. The bill would align treatment for both groups by eliminating the reduced credit for Tier 2 teachers. This directly affects current and future Tier 2 teachers by improving their post-retirement health insurance benefits.

Maddy summaryHB 2168 establishes a new personal income tax structure in West Virginia, effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024. It exempts the first $20,000 of taxable income from state income tax, meaning individuals earning $20,000 or less pay 0% tax on that portion. Income exceeding $20,000 is taxed at a flat 3% rate for all filers, including single, joint, and head-of-household returns (though married couples filing separately face the same $20,000 threshold). This replaces previous tax brackets under §11-21-4e and directly affects West Virginia residents with taxable income above the exemption level.

Maddy summaryHB 2438 amends West Virginia law to remove the gender restriction in the state convict road force program, making all state inmates - regardless of sex - eligible to work on state road construction and maintenance projects. The bill changes existing law (§17-5-1) that previously limited eligibility to "all male persons convicted of a felony" by removing that language. This directly affects all incarcerated individuals serving felony sentences who may be assigned to road work under the supervision of the state Highway Commissioner. The key provision updates the statutory language to ensure gender-neutral eligibility for this labor program.