2026 Bill Descriptions
What is in Bill Descriptions? | |
Bills by LWVWV priority area:
| Content:
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Bill Summaries – Strengthening Democracy – 2026
Legend: | Support | Oppose |
| Bill | Title | Status | Effective Date | LWVWV Position | Explanation | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SB 59 | Relating to voter eligibility and residency requirements | Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 – House Journal | Effective January 1, 2027 | OPPOSE | Adds definition of “legal resident” to voter registration requirements, specifying factors that may demonstrate residence (vehicle registration, driver”s license address, where taxes are paid, etc.). While framed as clarification, stricter residency definitions could create barriers for students, mobile workers, and others with complex residency situations. As defined in this bill, voter eligibility relies not just on current residence but intent to remain at that residence indefinitely. | The Daily Athenaeum |
| SB 640 | Prohibiting release of certain personal information of contributors to political elections | Approved by Governor 3/2/2026 | Effective Ninety Days from Passage – (May 24, 2026) | OPPOSE | Prohibits release of some info of political election contributors. Issue is donor privacy vs. transparency. Makes distinction between individuals & organizations. LWV believes West Virginians deserve transparency about how and where industry money is influencing candidates and elections. | WV Watch |
| HB 4025 | Exempting certain employees from the classified civil service system | Approved by Governor 3/27/2026 – Senate Journal | Effective Ninety Days from Passage – (June 12, 2026) | OPPOSE | New hires or promoted employees in the Department of Health, Human Services, and Health Services, no longer eligible to avail themselves of the current grievance procedures under Civil Service Act. Creates divisions among classified civil servants. HB 4025 is bad for workers, but also bad for the stability and quality of the state workforce. | WV Gazette Mail |
| HB 4865 | Providing for a program allowing election official trainees to be appointed as election officials | Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 | Effective Ninety Days from Passage – (June 12, 2026) | SUPPORT | Allows election official trainees to be appointed as election officials. May help build a much needed election workforce. | Blog – WV Legislature |
Bill Summaries – Safeguarding Equal Rights – 2026
Legend: | Support | Oppose |
| Bill | Title | Status | Effective Date | LWVWV Position | Explanation | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SB 947 | Providing birth certificate copies to homeless individuals under 18 | Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 – House Journal | Effective Ninety Days from Passage – (June 12, 2026) | SUPPORT | Requires WV to provide a certified birth certificate free of charge to youth experiencing homelessness. | |
| HB 4196 | To offer long-acting reversible contraception to patients receiving methadone and suboxone at the treatment facility for the methadone and suboxone | Approved by Governor 2/27/2026 – House Journal | Effective Ninety Days from Passage – (May 21, 2026) | SUPPORT | Requires licensed medication-assisted substance use disorder providers to offer non-coercive counseling on options for long-acting reversible contraception to male and female patients recovering from addiction. Requires trained medical providers counsel patients. | |
| HB 4433 | Prohibiting Human Smuggling and Trafficking | Approved by Governor 3/14/26 | Effective Ninety Days from Passage – (June 4, 2026) | OPPOSE | Defines an offensive term “illegal alien” in state code despite immigration policy being under federal, not state, jurisdiction. Creates penalties for anyone “transporting, transferring, receiving, isolating, enticing, or harboring” undocumented immigrants. Particularly concerning for samaritans or members of religious or nonprofit organizations. Some exceptions for family members, medical and legal professionals. | WV Watch |
Bill Summaries – Protecting Children & Families – 2026
Legend: | Support | Oppose |
| Bill | Title | Status | Effective Date | LWVWV Position | Explanation | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HB 4390 | Relating to the temporary payment to a kinship parent of a subsidy equal to that of a foster parent | Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 | Effective Ninety Days from Passage – (June 9, 2026) | SUPPORT | Increases temporary payments to kinship parents equal to payments for foster parents, subject to certain criteria | |
| HB 5582 | Extending program for drug screening of applicants for TANF | Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 | Effective Ninety Days from Passage – (June 12, 2026) | OPPOSE | Extends drug screening and testing for TANF applicants and creates a requirement that CPS become involved in cases of positive testing where there is a child welfare concern. Although touted as child welfare measure, such policies are geared toward shrinking social support programs that families rely on and is not cost-effective or best practice to ensure child welfare. | |
| SB 250 | Budget Bill | Approved by Governor with deletions 3/12/2026- House Journal | Effective from passage – (March 5, 2026) | OPPOSE | LWV believes budgets are statements of values. LWV opposes this budget bill for its lack of prioritization for the social safety net. | WV Public |
| SB 392 | Relating to personal income tax reduction | Approved by Governor 3/31/2026 – House Journal | Effective Ninety Days from Passage – (June 12, 2026) | OPPOSE | WV already has in place a law to cut personal income taxes when objective criteria are met. This bill creates an additional 5% income tax cut without those triggers being met. Thus, WV is prioritizing unsustainable tax reduction, costing the state as much as $125 million per year. Such revenue will not be available for other priorities, such as road maintenance, public education and the care of struggling children and families. Evidence shows that the bulk of tax relief under this bill will go to the wealthy while the majority of West Virginians will see little benefit. | WV Watch |
| HB 4191 | Relating to providing child care generally | Became law without Governor”s signature- House Journal | Effective July 1, 2026 | SUPPORT | Four-part bill to stabilize the struggling early education industry: Increases tax credit for employers providing or contributing to childcare for employees; Changes childcare subsidies to be based on monthly enrollment, not attendance; Mandates that childcare reimbursement in the future be calculated for true cost of care; and Allows subsidy rates to be gradually adjusted to reduce the “cliff effect” on families as their earnings increase | Blog – WV Legislature |
| HB 4749 | Relating to adding requirements to the foster child bill of rights | Approved by Governor 3/13/2026 – House Journal | Effective Ninety Days from Passage – (June 3, 2026) | SUPPORT | Adds rights to foster child bill of rights for certain children in foster or kinship care. | WSAZ |
Bill Summaries – Creating a Sustainable Future – 2026
Legend: | Support | Oppose |
| Bill | Title | Status | Effective Date | LWVWV Position | Explanation | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SB 686 | Coal Co-tenancy Modernization and Miners Protection Act | Approved by Governor 3/27/2026 – Senate Journal | Effective Ninety Days from Passage – (June 12, 2026) | OPPOSE | Provides an exception to waste and trespass for certain coal estates to encourage more efficient extraction and production of coal. In practice, SB 686 will allow more people’s homes and water supplies to be damaged or destroyed by longwall coal mine subsidence. Does not provide homeowners full replacement cost of homes destroyed by subsidence from longwall coal mining. | |
| HB 4126 | To modify the funding distribution to the state park endowment fund and the State Parks Operational Fund | Approved by Governor 3/17/2026 – House Journal | Effective July 1, 2026 | OPPOSE | Diverts revenues from oil and gas leases under the Ohio River to the State Park Operational Fund from the State Park Endowment Fund, without clear or direct impacts on conservation outcomes, environmental protections, or resource management policy. | |
| HB 5364 | Reforming Boards and Commissions | Approved by Governor 3/27/2026 – Senate Journal | Effective Ninety Days from Passage – (June 12, 2026) | OPPOSE | Eliminates WV Public Land Corporation and transfers its responsibilities to the Division of Natural Resources in the Department of Commerce. | |
| SB 641 | Relating generally to aboveground storage tanks | Approved by Governor 3/27/2026 – Senate Journal | Effective Ninety Days from Passage – (June 11, 2026) | OPPOSE | Alters the definition of aboveground storage tanks under WV law. Another attempt to weaken protections added after 2014 chemical spill in Charleston. Weakens regulations for some tanks located in Zones of Critical Concern (ZCC) closest to drinking water intakes. | WV Watch |
| SB 648 | Strategic and Critical Resources Act | Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 – House Journal | Effective from passage – (March 14, 2026) | OPPOSE | Sets statewide rules for extraction and regulation of strategic and critical resources—important minerals and materials related to national security, energy reliability, infrastructure, and economic stability. Preempts local regulation except as expressly provided. | News and Sentinel |
| HB 4983 | Authorizing the Department of Commerce to promulgate a legislative rule relating to certification of a microgrid district or certification as a high impact data center | Approved by Governor 3/27/2026 – Senate Journal | Effective from passage – (March 13, 2026) | OPPOSE | Includes authority for rules proposed by WV Department of Commerce related to a 2025 law encouraging development of data centers. Amendments to address the lack of transparency and provide the public with more information about proposed data centers were rejected. Language was added to require developers to assess whether their projects would place an inordinate burden on water access and share how they plan to offset potential harms. While this provides the Department with clearer authority to consider water availability and impacts, these application details would remain confidential. Concerns about local control, tax distribution, and siting issues remain unaddressed. | WV Watch |
| HB 5381 | Relating to developing a comprehensive energy development policy and plan for the Office of Energy | Approved by Governor 3/27/2026 – Senate Journal | Effective Ninety Days from Passage – (June 12, 2026) | OPPOSE | Revises WV energy policy framework by restructuring energy-related agencies and establishing a comprehensive statewide energy plan under the West Virginia Office of Energy. Prioritizes fossil fuels and excludes renewables from planning and financial support. | WV Gazette Mail |