Del. Buck Jennings

Maddy summaryHB 4494 would exempt non-resident landowners (people who live outside West Virginia but own land here), their spouse, and their children living with them from needing a non-resident hunting license when hunting on their own West Virginia property. The exemption requires that the landowner's home state also allows West Virginia residents to hunt on their land without a license. It specifically excludes grandchildren from this exemption. The bill proposes a direct change to hunting license requirements for this specific group of landowners.

Maddy summaryHB 4613 establishes the State Resiliency Office and requires the State Resiliency Officer to update West Virginia's Flood Resiliency Plan every two years (by June 30 in even-numbered years). The plan must include recommendations for high-impact flood prevention measures and prioritize the five most critical flood prevention projects in each regional planning zone, with estimated costs for each project. The State Resiliency Officer must also provide quarterly reports to the Joint Legislative Committee on Flooding, coordinate flood mitigation efforts with federal and state agencies, and maintain a centralized website for flood-related information. This bill directly affects the State Resiliency Office, the Governor's office, and the legislative committee, aiming to improve statewide flood preparedness and resource allocation.

Maddy summaryHB 4502 authorizes West Virginia's Division of Motor Vehicles to issue a special license plate for autism awareness upon request. Vehicle owners who apply for this plate must pay a one-time $10 application fee and an annual $15 fee, in addition to standard registration costs. The fees collected ($10 initial + $15 yearly) are deposited into the State Road Fund. This voluntary plate option allows drivers to display autism awareness support without changing existing registration requirements.

Maddy summaryHB 4523 would move the election of West Virginia Supreme Court justices from the primary election to the general election. The bill requires justices to be elected on a nonpartisan ballot during the general election, with multiple seats handled through numbered divisions on the ballot. Voters would select one candidate per division, and the candidate receiving the most votes in each division would win the seat. This change does not alter the current method of electing justices statewide (by all voters in the state) or the vote-counting process.

Maddy summaryHB 4486 establishes fines for employers who knowingly hire unauthorized workers in West Virginia. It directly affects businesses and organizations that employ individuals without proper immigration authorization. The bill sets tiered penalties: $1,000-$10,000 for a first offense, $5,000-$20,000 for a second, and $10,000-$30,000 or up to one year in jail for third or subsequent offenses. Additional penalties apply for falsifying records or transferring assets to evade these requirements. The bill amends existing law to strengthen enforcement against employers who knowingly violate immigration hiring rules.

Maddy summaryHB 4090 allows West Virginia county school boards to hire or accept as volunteers certified chaplains to provide support services for students, staff, and parents. The bill requires chaplains to undergo background checks like child care workers but exempts them from needing state certification or licensing. School boards must also prohibit sex offenders or child predators from serving. Chaplains are granted liability protection for actions taken in their role, unless those actions were maliciously intended to harass or intimidate. The bill directly affects public school districts across West Virginia by expanding their ability to provide spiritual support services.

Maddy summaryHB 4115 reduces the required number of instructional days for students in West Virginia from 180 to 160 per school year. It mandates that county school boards provide built-in breaks for teachers during the fall and spring semesters, to be scheduled after standardized testing. The 20 days saved from the reduced instructional requirement will be allocated to these breaks. This change directly affects public school teachers and county school districts by altering the school calendar to include additional time off for educators.

Maddy summaryHB 4525 would change the election date for West Virginia's Intermediate Court of Appeals judges to coincide with the state's general election, rather than holding separate elections. This aligns judicial elections with the larger general election cycle, which typically sees higher voter turnout, as stated in the bill's findings. The election would use a nonpartisan ballot, meaning candidates' political party affiliations would not appear on the ballot. The bill directly affects voters in West Virginia who would cast ballots for these judges during general elections, and judicial candidates who would campaign under this new schedule.

Maddy summaryHB 4515 would establish rules for religious organizations leaving a denomination while keeping property. It requires a local church to get a two-thirds vote from its members to disaffiliate and mandates that the parent denomination provide a detailed financial accounting within 60 days. Property is divided into three classes: real estate (Class A) can be kept if over 50% of its costs were raised locally, movable items (Class B) go to the buyer, and financial assets (Class C) are split based on funding sources over two years. The bill aims to clarify property division during disaffiliation disputes without favoring either side.

Maddy summaryHB 4505 requires every West Virginia county school board to employ at least one full-time school nurse at each public school serving kindergarten through seventh grade. The requirement applies for every 1,500 students enrolled (or major fraction thereof), with counties able to contract with public health departments for equivalent services if approved. County boards may apply for state funds to cover costs exceeding the basic nurse requirement, particularly for students with specialized health needs. The bill also mandates that nurses be licensed registered professionals and outlines training standards for school employees who may assist with certain health procedures under supervision.