Sen. Mike Woelfel

Maddy summarySB 894 eliminates 30+ outdated or unnecessary state boards, commissions, and committees (like the Public Land Corporation, Women’s Commission, and Medicaid Enhancement Boards) and transfers their duties, funds, and property to existing agencies. Key changes include moving the Public Land Corporation’s assets to the Division of Natural Resources, ending the Southern West Virginia Lake Development Study Commission, and shifting the Motorsport Committee’s composition. The bill also removes redundant reporting requirements and streamlines responsibilities for entities like conservation districts. This procedural reform aims to reduce government redundancy without creating new policies or altering public services.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new criminal offense called "child torture" in West Virginia law, targeting caregivers, parents, or others with a duty of protection who intentionally or recklessly subject a child under their care to severe physical or psychological acts. It defines torture as including acts like breaking limbs, inflicting prolonged pain, depriving food/water for unreasonable periods, sexual abuse, or terrorizing the child to cause significant emotional distress. The bill establishes felony penalties: 1-5 years in prison if no bodily injury occurs, and 2-10 years if bodily injury results. It directly affects individuals in positions of trust over children, such as parents, guardians, or custodians, by imposing specific criminal consequences for documented severe abuse.

Maddy summarySB 583 creates a free, honorific "emeritus physician license" for retired physicians, podiatric physicians, and physician assistants in West Virginia who have fully retired from clinical practice after at least 10 years of active practice in the state, with no current disciplinary issues. The license allows no clinical practice, exempts holders from continuing education requirements, and remains valid for life unless the holder returns to active practice or the board revokes it. It explicitly prohibits using the emeritus status to obtain licenses in other states or to reactivate active practice. The bill establishes application criteria and revocation grounds, including proof of voluntary retirement and absence of pending investigations.

Maddy summarySB 669 clarifies when West Virginia's Public Service Commission (PSC) can approve utility rate increases and requires a biennial review of these increases. It directly affects utilities, particularly small municipal water/sewer systems serving fewer than 4,500 customers or with under $3 million in annual revenue, and their wholesale/resale customers. Key provisions include: a 30-day window for customers to file rate complaints after municipal changes, a 120-day resolution deadline for the PSC, and a requirement that rate increases must be supported by evidence showing costs are fairly matched to benefits received by customers. The bill also restricts the PSC from ordering refunds for rates collected during complaint proceedings unless specific refund conditions apply.

Maddy summarySB 657 creates the Cohen Craddock Student Athlete Safety Act, requiring West Virginia high school and middle school athletic programs to adopt concussion safety protocols and use specific safety equipment. The bill mandates schools to implement a Concussion Education, Prevention, and Response Plan by July 2026 and requires student athletes in football practices to wear impact-reducing soft-shell helmet covers attached to their helmets during collision-prone activities. It establishes the Cohen Craddock Memorial Grant Fund to help schools purchase safety equipment and includes protections ensuring helmet covers don’t void helmet warranties if properly attached. The law directly affects all student athletes in West Virginia public schools participating in interscholastic sports, with a specific focus on reducing head injury risks in football.

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 114 creates a pilot program offering 12 weeks of paid parental leave for eligible West Virginia state employees during the birth or adoption of a child under age 12, covering July 2026 through July 2028. Employees receive 90% of their average weekly wage (capped at $1,000 weekly) and may combine this with unpaid leave for up to 18 weeks total per 12-month period. The program applies only to full-time state government employees who have worked 12 consecutive weeks, excluding part-time workers, elected officials, and certain vocational program participants. It requires employers to maintain health coverage during leave and mandates a Department of Labor report to the legislature on the pilot’s outcomes. This is a temporary initiative with a sunset date, not a permanent policy.

Maddy summarySB 151 exempts the first $25,000 of cash value in a life insurance policy from Medicaid eligibility calculations in West Virginia. This directly affects individuals applying for Medicaid who hold life insurance policies with accumulated cash value. The bill changes how Medicaid assesses assets by excluding this specific amount, rather than counting it toward the applicant's total resources. This policy adjustment aims to prevent applicants from losing Medicaid eligibility due to modest life insurance savings.

Maddy summarySB 795 allows parents, guardians, or custodians to pay for an independent medical evaluation of their child when the child is in temporary protective custody due to emergency medical needs. This bill explicitly clarifies that parents cannot be denied the right to obtain such an evaluation at their own expense, addressing a gap in current law. It directly affects families whose children are held in protective custody for medical reasons, ensuring they can seek a second medical opinion if desired. The key provision amends existing law to state this right clearly, without changing custody decisions or medical treatment requirements.