Maddy summarySB 593 requires counties using West Virginia's Express Vote electronic voting system to capture and preserve images of each ballot cast, along with a summary of votes (cast vote record), without including voter names or other personal details. County election officials must send these records to the Secretary of State within 24 hours after election canvass concludes. The Secretary of State must then publish the data online by precinct and county, with special privacy protections for precincts having fewer than 10 absentee, provisional, or challenged ballots to prevent voter identification. This law directly affects county election offices, the Secretary of State, and ensures public access to election data while safeguarding voter anonymity.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis Senate Joint Resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to change West Virginia's constitution, removing the prohibition on incorporating churches or religious denominations. If approved by voters, it would allow religious groups to form legal entities (incorporate) if they choose, while maintaining existing laws governing church property ownership, sale, and transfer. The amendment specifically revises Article VI, Section 47 of the state constitution to state that "incorporation of religious denominations is permitted" rather than prohibited. It does not create new requirements but clarifies that churches may opt to incorporate under general laws, with no direct impact on existing unincorporated religious organizations.
Maddy summarySJR 8 proposes a constitutional amendment requiring all voters in West Virginia elections to be U.S. citizens. The amendment would add language to the state constitution stating: "Only citizens of the state who are citizens of the United States shall be entitled to vote at all elections." This would codify the existing requirement that voters must be U.S. citizens, which is already enforced under current law. The proposal must be approved by voters in the 2026 general election to take effect.
Maddy summarySB 85 prohibits the mailing, distribution, prescribing, or dispensing of abortifacients (drugs intended to cause abortion) within West Virginia. It specifically bans sending abortifacients via mail to residents, placing them in commerce for use in the state, prescribing them (even by out-of-state providers), or distributing without a valid prescription. Violations by non-medical professionals carry felony charges with 3-10 year prison sentences, while medical license revocation is possible for licensed providers. The law includes exceptions for medical emergencies that threaten a patient's life or major bodily function, as defined in the bill. This directly affects healthcare providers, pharmacies, and anyone involved in distributing abortion-related medications in West Virginia.
Maddy summarySB 646 increases the number of days West Virginia county school boards can use alternative instruction methods (like remote assignments) during weather-related or emergency closures from five to ten days per school year. These days count as full instructional days toward the state’s 180-day requirement, directly affecting county boards (which must get state approval for their plans), teachers (who assign work), and students (who receive instruction during closures). The bill also prohibits using non-instructional "out-of-calendar" days to make up for lost instructional time. This change aims to ensure schools meet minimum instructional requirements without requiring in-person attendance on closure days.
Maddy summarySB 943 clarifies that apiaries (beekeeping operations) are protected agricultural activities under West Virginia law. The bill amends the Code to explicitly state that beekeeping and honeybee colonies are agricultural operations regulated by the Commissioner of Agriculture, directly affecting beekeepers and agricultural regulations. Key provisions include legislative findings that pollinator decline threatens agriculture, that beekeeping supports the economy and food security, and that apiaries are critical to agricultural operations relying on pollinators. This legal clarification ensures apiaries are treated as agricultural operations for regulatory purposes, not subject to conflicting classifications. The bill does not create new regulations but formally recognizes existing beekeeping practices within agricultural protections.
Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a new market pay enhancement for certified teachers in West Virginia to address regional cost-of-living disparities. It calculates an additional payment based on comparing the median home price in a teacher's county (or surrounding region including bordering states) to the statewide median home price, using data from the National Association of Realtors. The state board of education will determine the higher of two multipliers (regional or county-based) to apply to the average teacher base salary, with the enhancement capped at 50% of that base salary. The adjustment will occur annually starting December 1, 2026, aiming to make teacher compensation more competitive with neighboring states.
Maddy summarySB 763, the "Creating Public Electrical Savings Act," establishes rules for solar power agreements between utility customers and third-party providers. It directly affects residential, commercial, and industrial customers installing solar systems, as well as public entities (like schools or government buildings) entering into power purchase agreements (PPAs) for onsite solar. Key provisions include limiting total PPAs to 3% of a utility’s peak demand, setting size caps (50kW for homes, 1,000kW for businesses), requiring 48-hour backup power during outages, and mandating that public entity PPAs offer rates cheaper than the utility’s standard rate for the full agreement term. The bill also requires utilities to notify customers if caps are reached within 30 days or allow agreements to proceed if they don’t respond.
Maddy summaryThis Senate Resolution designates March 27, 2025, as "Local Food and Farm Day" to honor West Virginia farmers and food entrepreneurs. It recognizes their contributions to the state's economy, community well-being, and food systems - including supporting programs like SNAP Stretch, which provided $3.3 million to farmers and rural grocers. The resolution has no new policy requirements; it simply observes the day to acknowledge agricultural efforts.
Maddy summarySB 505 requires West Virginia electric utilities to factor system reliability into their rate-setting decisions, directly affecting utilities and their customers. The bill mandates that utilities consider the "capacity value" and reliability of generation assets when replacing older facilities, ensuring new assets maintain equivalent reliability and affordability. It establishes a legal standard for the Public Service Commission to review rate applications, requiring that only costs for reliable service can be recovered through customer rates. The law applies to all utilities under the Commission's jurisdiction, focusing on maintaining consistent power supply for homes, hospitals, businesses, and critical infrastructure during the energy transition.