Maddy summaryThis bill creates a special revenue account within West Virginia's Department of Human Services to reduce out-of-state residential placements for children in state care. It establishes a Commission with representatives from child welfare, behavioral health, juvenile justice, education, and court systems to study current placement practices and develop strategies to expand in-state treatment capacity. Key provisions require the Commission to report annually with an implementation plan targeting a 50% reduction in out-of-state placements within three years, while promoting collaboration between agencies through joint funding proposals and improved access to in-state facility data. The bill directly affects children in foster care or juvenile justice systems, their families, and state agencies responsible for their care.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summarySB 516 sets a new state minimum salary of $50,000 for all West Virginia public school teachers beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, replacing the previous minimum schedule. It also provides a $2,000 annual base salary increase for every teacher and an additional $1,200 annual increase specifically for teachers providing math instruction or special education services. The bill amends the state salary schedule to reflect these changes, ensuring all teachers meet the new $50,000 minimum regardless of experience level or degree. This policy directly affects every public school teacher in West Virginia, with the changes taking effect for the 2026-2027 school year.
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.
Maddy summaryWest Virginia's SB 498, titled the "Protecting Kids from Porn" Act, requires websites providing adult content (where over 25% of material is explicit) to implement strict age verification before allowing access. It mandates a four-step process: facial recognition, government ID verification, credit card authentication for adults, and third-party checks, with re-verification every 24 hours. The law prohibits bypassing these measures via VPNs or proxies and imposes significant penalties, including $1 million per violation, permanent blocking of non-compliant sites, and civil liability up to $10,000 per minor exposed. It directly affects commercial adult websites operating in West Virginia and aims to prevent minors from accessing pornographic material online.
Maddy summarySB 432 requires West Virginia's Division of Motor Vehicles to provide free identification documents (including photo IDs, driver's license replacements, or birth certificates) to homeless U.S. citizens residing in shelters or served by homeless services providers. To qualify, applicants must live at a shelter, use the shelter's address, have a shelter employee verify their homelessness via affidavit, and provide proof of U.S. citizenship (like a birth certificate or passport). The bill limits recipients to one document per 30 days and mandates the State Registrar to develop application forms. It directly affects homeless youth and unaccompanied homeless individuals who lack stable housing and cannot afford standard ID fees. The law aims to remove barriers to employment, benefits, and housing stability by ensuring access to essential identification.
Maddy summaryWest Virginia's SB 230 requires electricity providers to give customers a choice between smart meters and traditional manual meters for their homes, businesses, or rental units. The bill mandates that utilities must allow customers to opt out of smart meters for manual meters that are read manually, contain no battery, and emit no electromagnetic signal. It specifically clarifies that normal electromagnetic radiation from electricity flow is not considered an "electromagnetic signal" under this requirement. This policy directly affects all residential and commercial electricity customers in West Virginia who currently have smart meters installed.
Maddy summarySenate Bill 80 requires all new West Virginia EBT cards issued after June 1, 2026, to include a photograph of the cardholder. This applies directly to individuals receiving food assistance benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The bill mandates this photo requirement to help prevent fraud by verifying cardholder identity, as stated in the bill's purpose. It does not change eligibility rules but adds a visual authentication step for EBT cardholders.
Maddy summarySB 92 creates a market-based pay enhancement for West Virginia teachers in counties where regional home prices exceed the state average. It directly affects certified teachers employed in counties where the median home price in their county plus neighboring border counties is higher than West Virginia’s statewide median. The bill calculates an annual multiplier using regional vs. state median home prices (from National Association of Realtors data), which is applied to each county’s average teacher salary to determine supplemental pay. This enhancement, added to base salaries, requires annual reporting to the State Auditor and is subject to personal income tax. The program begins July 15, 2026, with updates every five years.
Maddy summaryThis bill modifies West Virginia's State Teachers Retirement System rules to address members serving as officers in statewide teaching associations. It allows these members to be considered "absent from service" while holding such roles, meaning their teaching service time won't count toward retirement credit during that period. However, they must make double the usual retirement contributions for the absence duration (e.g., if they normally pay 10% of salary, they pay 20% during this service). The provision applies only to those serving as officers before January 1, 2025, and service credit for this absence is capped at 10 years.
Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits individuals listed on West Virginia's state sex offender registry from entering public school property, attending school events, or participating in school activities - including those involving their own children - without permission from the county superintendent. It requires parent-teacher conferences involving such individuals to be held via phone or virtual meeting instead of in person. Violating this prohibition carries penalties: a first offense is a misdemeanor (up to six months in jail), and subsequent offenses are felonies (one to five years in prison). The State Board of Education may also develop rules to implement these provisions.