Sen. Mike Woelfel

Maddy summaryWest Virginia's SB 221 creates a refundable state tax credit for working families with children. It allows eligible residents who claim a federal child tax credit or childcare credit to receive either 20% of their federal childcare credit or 10% of their federal child tax credit (whichever is larger), capped at $100,000 in federal adjusted gross income. The credit is refundable, meaning it can be paid as a cash refund if it exceeds state tax liability, but refunds are only issued for amounts over $10. The credit cannot be counted as income for public assistance programs like Medicaid or food benefits.

Maddy summarySJR 4 proposes a constitutional amendment to West Virginia's Bill of Rights, explicitly protecting the right to keep and bear arms. It prohibits state, county, municipal, and local government entities from restricting this right through regulations on ammunition capacity, caliber, carry methods, or other means. The amendment would require voter approval in the 2026 general election to take effect. If adopted, it would directly affect all West Virginians by preventing local and state governments from enacting most gun-related regulations.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the state Treasurer's Office to remove $15 million from the Unclaimed Property Fund for the 2025 fiscal year. The money will be moved to the state's general revenue surplus account instead of being spent on specific programs. This action reduces the available budget for the Unclaimed Property Fund while increasing the unspent balance in the general state fund. The legislation was approved by the governor and enacted as part of the state's budget adjustments for that year.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies West Virginia's personal income tax structure, establishing new graduated tax rates that take effect for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2025. Under the new provisions, the state will lower withholding tax rates on nonresident income, the sale of real estate by nonresidents, and lottery winnings. Additionally, the legislation creates a formula to automatically reduce future personal income tax rates if the state's revenue collections exceed inflation-adjusted baseline levels, with reductions capped at a maximum of 10%. These changes directly affect West Virginia residents and nonresidents earning income within the state, replacing previous tax rate schedules with a new tiered system and a mechanism for potential future cuts.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides an additional $349,715 in state funding for New River Community and Technical College for the fiscal year 2025. The money comes from the state's unappropriated surplus balance and is designated for the college's general operations. Once approved, the funds are available for the college to spend during its 2025 fiscal year.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes an additional $15 million in state funds for the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority in West Virginia. The money is designated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, and will be used to support building-related expenses for correctional facilities. The legislation draws from unspent funds already available in the state treasury to supplement the existing budget for these agencies.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides additional funding to the West Virginia School Building Authority's School Construction Fund for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. The legislation authorizes the release of unspent money from the state treasury to cover expenses related to charter school construction grants. Specifically, it adds a new appropriation item of $5,000,000 to the existing budget for these projects. Once enacted, the funds become available for the authority to use toward building and improving charter school facilities within the state.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides additional funding to West Virginia's Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation for the fiscal year 2025. The legislation directs money from the state's unappropriated surplus balance to support various correctional facilities, including employee benefits, current operational expenses, and inmate medical costs. Specifically, the funds are allocated to six correctional centers - Charleston, Beckley, Anthony, Huttonsville, Northern, and Pruntytown - as well as administrative functions like facilities planning and the Children's Protection Act. By amending the existing budget bill, the measure ensures these correctional units have the necessary resources to maintain operations and care for inmates during the upcoming fiscal year.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes additional funding for the West Virginia State Police to be used during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. The legislation directs the state to take money from an existing unspent surplus in the General Revenue fund and allocate it specifically to the Department of Homeland Security. By adding a new line item to the state budget, the bill provides an extra $175,000 for general operations, repairs, and equipment needs of the police force. The measure was approved by the Governor and enacted into law as part of the state's 2024 legislative session.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides an additional $87 million in funding from the state's general revenue surplus to the Public Employees Insurance Agency for fiscal year 2025. The money is designated to help offset increases in health insurance premiums for public employees, ensuring that the required cost-sharing percentages between employers and employees remain manageable. The legislation also specifies that this supplemental appropriation cannot be used to calculate the aggregate premium cost-sharing rates for the current plan year. Once enacted, the funds are intended to be transferred to a special revenue fund to cover specific benefit changes and premium adjustments.