Del. Elliott Pritt

Maddy summaryHB 2477 provides a one-time 20% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to retirement benefits for eligible retired state employees covered by the Public Employees Retirement System and State Teachers Retirement System. It directly affects retirees who voluntarily retired under normal circumstances and currently receive annual annuities, with the first payment due by June 30, 2025. The adjustment applies to both retirees and their beneficiaries (payable pro rata) and is subject to federal tax limitations. The bill corrects the title's 15% figure to the actual 20% specified in the legislation.

Maddy summaryHB 2532 amends West Virginia law to exempt insurance producers who have held an active license for 20 years or more from biennial continuing education requirements. This affects long-tenured insurance agents selling life, health, property, casualty, or other permitted insurance lines, removing their obligation to complete up to 24 hours of continuing education every two years. The bill maintains existing requirements for all other licensed producers, including those needing 6-24 hours of education. It does not change current exemptions for specific license types or telemarketing producers.

Maddy summaryHB 2687 waives vehicle registration, license plate, operator's license, and inspection fees for volunteer firefighters in West Virginia. This directly affects volunteer firefighters who would otherwise pay these DMV fees. The bill amends state code to exempt volunteer firefighters from these specific fees while also creating new special license plate options for elected officials, military members, and organizations. The policy change removes concrete financial burdens for volunteer firefighters without altering existing fee structures for other groups.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends the deadline for deputy sheriffs who have resigned from their departments to apply for reinstatement from two years to five years. It directly affects former deputy sheriffs in West Virginia who wish to return to their positions after leaving their departments. The key change modifies the existing requirement in state law (§7-14-8(d)(2)), which previously limited reinstatement applications to within two years of resignation. Other conditions for reinstatement - such as having no pending misconduct charges, residing in the same county, and passing medical and psychological exams - remain unchanged.

Maddy summaryHB 2686 authorizes West Virginia municipalities to place signage on state roads located within their city or town boundaries. The bill specifically allows local governments to install signs such as speed warning signs or signs showing drivers their current speed. This change applies only to state roads that run through a municipality's defined jurisdiction and boundaries, giving local authorities more control over road safety messaging in their areas. The legislation does not alter state road maintenance responsibilities or require state approval for these local signs.

Maddy summaryHB 2644 creates a separate "State Road Construction Account" within West Virginia's highway budget to fund road projects in 10 specific counties: Raleigh, Fayette, Wyoming, Mercer, Kanawha, Greenbrier, Monroe, Summers, McDowell, and Nicholas. It ensures that funding from this new account does not reduce the counties' existing allocations from the general State Road Fund. The bill explicitly prohibits any modification of a county's regular highway funding due to receiving money from this dedicated account.

Maddy summaryHB 2682 amends West Virginia's workers' compensation law (§23-4-2) but does not address occupational pneumoconiosis as its title suggests. The bill establishes specific rules for intoxication-related claims: employees are deemed intoxicated if blood alcohol exceeds 0.05% within two hours of an accident, or if nonprescribed drugs are detected. This affects workers filing injury claims, as intoxication can bar compensation or establish it as the cause of injury. The bill also clarifies that employers lose immunity from lawsuits only if proven to have acted with "deliberate intention" to cause injury, requiring specific proof of intent or prior knowledge of dangerous conditions.

Maddy summaryHB 2672 requires all hospitals and medical offices in West Virginia to send a notice to former or current patients who were under 18 during a medical or surgical procedure when those patients turn 18. The notice informs them that they should contact the provider if they experience negative or adverse effects from the procedure. This bill amends the West Virginia Medical Practice Act to mandate this notice requirement, applying to all patients who had procedures as minors. The West Virginia Board of Medicine will create rules to implement this policy.

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 2601 would exempt motor vehicles (such as cars and trucks) from West Virginia's personal property tax, a tax currently levied on most vehicles owned by residents. This change would directly affect vehicle owners who currently pay this annual tax, removing it from their financial obligation. The bill amends West Virginia Code §11-3-9 to add motor vehicles to the existing list of property exempt from personal property tax. This is a policy change that alters the tax base for vehicles, not a procedural or commemorative measure.