Sen. Joey Garcia

Maddy summaryThis bill provides a $5,000 salary increase to state mine inspectors, including electrical, underground, and surface mine inspectors, effective upon enactment. It directly affects these specific inspectors by adding a fixed monetary amount to their base salaries without altering their duties or qualifications. The provision applies uniformly to all inspectors covered under the relevant chapter of the state code.

Maddy summarySB 744 updates West Virginia's Critical Incident Review Team (CIRT) procedures for reviewing child fatalities and near-fatalities in the child welfare system. It requires the Department of Human Services to notify the Inspector General within 24 hours of such incidents to convene the CIRT, and shifts the team's chairmanship from the Bureau for Social Services Commissioner to the Foster Care Ombudsman. The bill also mandates that the Commissioner or their designee serve as a CIRT member and requires the child welfare data dashboard to display fatality/near-fatality data within 48 hours, including links to final CIRT reports. These changes clarify the CIRT's structure under the Inspector General's office and improve data transparency for public reporting.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Concurrent Resolution requests the Joint Committee on Government and Finance to investigate the reasons behind the decline of eastern gray fox populations in West Virginia and develop strategies to stabilize and increase their numbers. The bill directs the committee to study ecological factors, economic impacts on trappers, and potential causes for the population decrease since the early 2000s. The committee must submit findings and recommendations to the Legislature by the 2027 regular session, including any proposed legislation needed to address the issue. Funding for the study, report preparation, and potential legislation drafting will come from existing legislative appropriations to the committee.

Maddy summaryThis Senate resolution formally recognizes the dedicated public service of Honorable Michael Andrew Woelfel, a former West Virginia State Senator. The bill honors his career as a prosecutor, juvenile court referee, university professor, and legislator who served three consecutive terms in the Senate. It expresses the Senate's appreciation for his contributions to West Virginia citizens and directs the Clerk to send a copy of the resolution to Woelfel. This is a commemorative measure with no policy changes or budgetary impact.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Concurrent Resolution requests a study by the Joint Committee on Government and Finance to examine whether hunters in West Virginia should be required to buy an additional upland game bird stamp when purchasing a standard hunting license. The proposed stamp would apply to hunters targeting species like ruffed grouse, bobwhite quail, and ring-necked pheasant specifically within wildlife management areas. The resolution includes preliminary data suggesting a $10 stamp could generate about $37,000 in revenue if half of the approximately 7,300 licensed hunters purchased it, with funds potentially used to stock more game birds. The committee is asked to report its findings and any legislative recommendations by the 2027 regular session, with study costs covered through existing legislative appropriations.

Maddy summaryThis Senate resolution formally recognizes the dedicated public service of Honorable Charles Houston Clements, a former West Virginia state senator. The bill honors Clements for his legislative career, including his service as Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and his decision not to seek reelection in 2026. It expresses the Senate's appreciation for his commitment to serving West Virginia citizens and directs the Clerk to send a copy of the resolution to Clements.

Maddy summarySB 1036 modernizes foster care funding in West Virginia by requiring the Department of Human Services to update basic, special, and therapeutic foster care payment rates using current cost data. It mandates automatic annual adjustments based on the Employment Cost Index (ECI) for Health Care & Social Assistance or the CPI-Medical index to keep pace with rising costs. The bill also requires therapeutic foster care and agency administrative rates to reflect current expenses and includes retention incentives for foster care providers. This directly affects foster parents, child-placing agencies, and the Department of Human Services by stabilizing workforce compensation and placement continuity. The changes aim to improve recruitment and retention in the child welfare system through updated, cost-based funding.

Maddy summarySB 1035 amends West Virginia's Judges' Retirement System to adjust contribution rates and benefit calculations for judges. It requires current and future judges to contribute 7% of salary (up to 10.5%) to the retirement fund, suspends court contributions until certain conditions are met, and retroactively treats post-2005 retirees as pre-2005 retirees for benefit purposes. The bill increases surviving spouse benefits for certain judges, removes limits on retirement benefit increases, and eliminates distinctions in calculating benefits for surviving spouses, dependents, and adjusted retirement amounts. These changes directly affect active judges, current retirees, and their dependents under the system.

Maddy summarySB 1044 requires the West Virginia Board of Education to create uniform graduation requirements for all public high school students. It mandates specific pathways - Academic (college-prep), Workforce, Career and Technical Education/Skilled Trades, and Military - and establishes standardized certificates of proficiency detailing each graduate's skills, readiness for employment, or college readiness. The bill directly affects all West Virginia public high schools and students by replacing inconsistent local requirements with state-mandated standards across these four pathways. It also requires schools to issue certificates of proficiency alongside diplomas, specifying the student's completed program of study and relevant skills.

Maddy summarySB 972, or "Raylee's Law," temporarily restricts custodial parents or guardians from arranging home instruction for their child during an active West Virginia Department of Human Services (DHS) child abuse or neglect investigation where they are the alleged perpetrator. The law prohibits withdrawing a child from school for home instruction or resuming home instruction as the primary provider during the investigation. This restriction ends when DHS closes the case without substantiation or a court orders otherwise. The bill explicitly states it does not create a presumption of guilt, permanently ban home education, or limit court authority to order alternative educational placements for the child’s safety.