Sen. Tom Willis

Maddy summarySB 653 directs the West Virginia Department of Administration to place a statue honoring U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom in a corner of the Capitol rotunda. The bill specifies that the statue must include her military awards, birth date, and death date, and authorizes using existing funds from the "capitol renovation and improvement fund" for the project. This is a commemorative measure with no policy changes or direct impact on citizens or legislation.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows physician assistants (PAs) in West Virginia to own medical practices and have ownership stakes in healthcare businesses, which was previously prohibited. It removes restrictions preventing PAs from having a "proprietary interest" in practices they refer patients to and permits medical corporations to have PA shareholders. The bill also updates the state’s legal definition of "physician assistant" to align with the American Academy of Physician Associates and classifies PA services as a "professional service" under limited liability company laws. These changes directly affect PAs seeking practice ownership and impact how medical corporations structure ownership.

Maddy summarySB 635, the Mountain Bike Responsibility Act, requires commercial trail operators in West Virginia to implement specific safety signage and trail markings. It mandates operators to display trail network maps at key locations, mark trails by difficulty level (using industry-standard colors/symbols), and clearly indicate closed trails at trailheads and intersections. The bill applies directly to commercial entities operating mountain bike trails and aerial tramways, defining their duties while clarifying that mountain bikers assume inherent sport risks. Currently pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee (introduced January 28, 2026), this bill establishes operational standards but does not alter existing liability laws for injuries.

Maddy summarySB 605 would provide a tax credit to West Virginia resident parents or legal guardians who homeschool or enroll their children in private schools meeting state education standards. The credit equals the amount a student eligible for the HOPE Scholarship would receive, covering kindergarten through 12th grade. Families already receiving the HOPE Scholarship are excluded from this credit. The State Tax Commissioner will establish rules for claiming the credit, but the State Board of Education cannot impose additional regulations on homeschooled children.

Maddy summarySB 614 amends West Virginia's child custody law to explicitly require courts to consider "meaningful contact" between a child and their step-siblings when determining the child's best interests. The bill adds step-siblings to the list of family members (alongside biological siblings) that courts must evaluate for maintaining existing relationships during custody decisions. This change directly affects children involved in custody cases where step-siblings are part of the family dynamic. The law does not create new rights but ensures step-sibling relationships are formally considered alongside other familial bonds in court rulings.

Maddy summaryWest Virginia's SB 612 designates November 7 as "Victims of Communism Day" for public schools, requiring high school students in the mandated U.S. Government class to receive at least 45 minutes of annual instruction on this topic. The bill specifies instruction must cover historical communist regimes (including Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution, Stalin's Soviet system, and others) and how victims suffered through poverty, violence, and suppression. It directs the State Board of Education to revise social studies standards by April 2026 to include these requirements. The observance applies to all public schools, with make-up days if November 7 falls on a non-school day. This bill directly affects West Virginia public school students and educators in required U.S. Government courses.

Maddy summarySB 599 prohibits the use of abortifacients (drugs intended to cause an abortion) in West Virginia, except in medical emergencies that pose a serious risk to a patient's life or major bodily functions. The bill imposes criminal penalties for prescribing, sending, or dispensing abortifacients within the state and allows for revocation of medical licenses for violating healthcare providers. It also requires informed consent for abortions in medical emergencies and mandates the state health department to publish public information and operate a hotline on abortion services. This bill directly affects healthcare providers, pharmacies, and entities involved in distributing abortion-related medications.

Maddy summarySB 564 modifies West Virginia's volunteer firefighter tax credit requirements to make qualification easier for eligible volunteers. It changes the participation requirement from a fixed 30 hours per year to "at least 10 percent of department activities," directly affecting volunteer firefighters seeking this credit. The bill also specifies that fire department chiefs must certify each volunteer's rank, years of service, emergency responses, and training attendance. These changes aim to increase the number of volunteers who qualify for the tax credit, as noted in the bill's purpose statement. The policy change simplifies documentation while maintaining the credit's eligibility criteria.

Maddy summarySCR 2 is a symbolic Senate Concurrent Resolution (not a law) introduced in West Virginia on January 19, 2026. It expresses legislative support for religious freedom in public spaces, specifically endorsing practices like public school students and teachers openly expressing their faith, accommodating religious observances in government settings, protecting religious symbols in public areas, and fostering respectful dialogue among faiths. The resolution cites historical documents and recent Supreme Court decisions (like *Kennedy v. Bremerton*) to frame its support for religious expression in public life. It does not create new legal requirements or change existing laws, as it is a non-binding statement of principle.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 539 (SB 539) increases compensation rates for panel attorneys and guardians ad litem appointed in West Virginia abuse and neglect cases. The bill amends existing statutes to require detailed time records (in tenths of hours) for services, mandates payment within 45 business days of voucher submission, and establishes clear dispute resolution processes for rejected or reduced payments. It directly affects legal professionals representing vulnerable clients in child welfare and protective services cases. Key provisions include standardized payment timelines, electronic voucher processing, and court-level final authority for payment disputes. The bill focuses on improving payment fairness and efficiency for court-appointed advocates in these critical cases.