SB 250: Budget Bill - West Virginia

sb250 hfa riley _ hott 2-23 _1 revised adopted.htm → sb250 sfa barrett 3-5 _1 adopted.htm · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill was completely rewritten to replace a specific amendment regarding corrections agencies with a comprehensive state budget for fiscal year 2027. The new version establishes detailed definitions for spending categories, sets specific appropriation amounts for nearly every state agency, and includes strict rules on how funds can be transferred between departments. This shift moves the document from a targeted amendment to a full legislative appropriation bill.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a narrow amendment affecting only the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation to a comprehensive budget covering all state agencies, including the Legislature, Judiciary, Executive departments, and Education.

FISCAL

Added detailed dollar amounts for appropriations to over 50 state agencies and funds for fiscal year 2027.

Modified funding for the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation by reducing specific line items for correctional centers and parole board salaries while adding new categories for inmate medical expenses and facilities planning.

DEFINITION

Added new definitions for spending categories such as 'Personal services,' 'Employee benefits,' 'Current expenses,' and 'Capital outlay' to standardize budgeting.

REQUIREMENT

Added strict limitations on transferring funds between appropriations, including a five-percent cap on transfers within a department and specific rules for moving money to employee benefit accounts.

SCOPE

Removed the specific amendment language that targeted the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, replacing it with a general budget structure.

sb250 hfa linville 2-23 _1 adopted.htm → sb250 hfa riley _ hott 2-23 _1 revised adopted.htm · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to replace the original Division of Labor funding line item with a comprehensive set of appropriations for the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Bureau of Juvenile Services. This change significantly increases funding for correctional facilities, juvenile centers, and related operations, while also adding specific directives on how funds can be transferred and used.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from a minor adjustment to the Division of Labor budget to a major revision covering the entire Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Bureau of Juvenile Services.

FISCAL

The original appropriation for the Division of Labor was removed and replaced with detailed funding allocations for the Parole Board, Central Office, Correctional Units, and Juvenile Services.

New specific funding amounts were established for various correctional centers (e.g., Huttonsville, Mt. Olive) and juvenile centers (e.g., Robert L. Shell, Kenneth Honey Rubenstein), totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.

A specific provision was added to transfer funds from the Directed Transfer appropriation to the Regional Jails Operating Cash Control Account.

REQUIREMENT

New requirements were added allowing the Commissioner of Corrections to transfer funds between appropriations and directing payments to house inmates in federal, county, or regional jails.

sb250 hfa hornbuckle, et al. 2-24 _1 reformed 2 adopted.htm → sb250 hfa linville 2-23 _1 adopted.htm · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to remove a proposal to fund a new State Resiliency Office Board and instead focus on increasing the Division of Labor's budget by $150,000. This additional funding is specifically designated to hire investigators to perform duties under West Virginia Code §21-3A-1 et seq., likely related to labor law enforcement or compliance. The amendment also requires reconciling the total fund amounts to reflect these changes.

Scope change

The scope shifted from a proposal to establish a new state board with a $25 million appropriation to a targeted increase in existing labor division funding for investigative purposes.

FISCAL

Removed a proposal to create a State Resiliency Office Board and allocate $25,000,000 to the Governor's Office Flood Resiliency Trust Fund.

Added $150,000 to the Division of Labor's budget for Personal Services and Employee Benefits to hire investigators.

Increased the Division of Labor's appropriation by $150,000, changing the amount from $1,484,700 to $1,634,700.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement to reconcile the general fund total and Title I Section 1 total to account for the new appropriation.

sb250 hfa hite 2-23 _1 adopted.htm → sb250 hfa hornbuckle, et al. 2-24 _1 reformed 2 adopted.htm · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was reorganized and the amendment process was updated to reflect a new legislative session. The original amendment by Delegate Hite regarding the reappropriation of specific waiver funds was removed. A new amendment by Delegates Hornbuckle and others was added to establish a $25 million appropriation for the State Resiliency Office Board and transfer those funds to the Governor's Office for flood resiliency.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from a technical amendment on existing waiver fund management to a new funding provision for flood resiliency initiatives.

FISCAL

Removed an amendment that would have reappropriated unspent balances from four specific waiver programs (IDD, Senior Citizens, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Substance Use Disorder) for the 2027 fiscal year.

Added a new provision creating a $25 million appropriation for the State Resiliency Office Board to be transferred to the Governor's Office for the West Virginia Flood Resiliency Office Trust Fund.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill header and sponsor information to reflect the new amendment sponsors and session date.

sb250 hfa funkhouser 2-24 _1 adopted.htm → sb250 hfa hite 2-23 _1 adopted.htm · 4 edits

MODERATE

The amendment shifted from a minor numerical correction on a single line to a major policy change that reappropriates unspent funds for five specific waiver programs into the next fiscal year. It also adds new restrictions preventing the Secretary of Human Services from transferring funds between these specific programs, ensuring money is used only for its intended approved services.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a technical amendment to include new funding continuity rules and strict usage restrictions for five specific waiver programs (IDD, Senior Citizens, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Substance Use Disorder).

FISCAL

Added a provision to automatically reappropriate any unspent balances from five specific waiver programs in fiscal year 2026 to be used in fiscal year 2027.

REQUIREMENT

Added a restriction prohibiting the Secretary of Human Services from transferring funds between the five specified waiver appropriations.

Added a requirement that the Secretary must only use the restricted funds for approved waiver services within their specific appropriation lines.

TECHNICAL

Removed a previous amendment that attempted to change a single number from 23,683 to 2,023,683 on page 32.

sb250 hfa criss _1 2-25 adopted.htm → sb250 hfa funkhouser 2-24 _1 adopted.htm · 1 edit

MINOR

The legislative text was replaced entirely with a single amendment proposal by Delegate Funkhouser. This proposal targets a specific line item in the WorkForce West Virginia budget, increasing the Current Expenses appropriation from $23,683 to $2,023,683. The change is significant because it represents a substantial increase in funding for the Workforce West Virginia program, though the final adoption status of this specific amendment is listed as 'Rejected' in the provided text.

FISCAL

Increased the Current Expenses appropriation for WorkForce West Virginia (Fund 0572, Org 0323) from $23,683 to $2,023,683.

Committee Substitute → sb250 hfa criss _1 2-25 adopted.htm · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten to replace the original text with a new version that reorganizes the budget for Fiscal Year 2027. The new version adds detailed definitions for spending categories, establishes specific transfer rules for funds between departments, and lists numerous new line items for education, health, and corrections funding that were not present in the original text.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a general appropriations framework to a highly detailed budget document with specific funding allocations for dozens of state agencies and programs.

DEFINITION

Added a new section defining key terms like 'spending unit,' 'personal services,' 'employee benefits,' and 'capital outlay' to clarify how money can be used.

REQUIREMENT

Introduced strict rules governing how departments can transfer funds between different budget categories, including a 5% limit on general revenue transfers.

FISCAL

Added specific dollar amounts for numerous new programs, including significant funding for education initiatives, health services, and corrections facilities.

Included detailed line items for the Department of Education, Department of Health, and Department of Human Services with specific allocations for various services.

TECHNICAL

Removed the original Committee Substitute text and replaced it entirely with the new, more detailed legislative language.

Enrolled Committee Substitute → Committee Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill text was converted from a formal 'Enrolled Committee Substitute' format to a 'Committee Substitute' version, which includes the full legislative history and detailed line-item appropriations for the 2027 fiscal year. The primary substantive change is the inclusion of specific funding amounts for every state department and agency, totaling over $2 billion in general revenue appropriations, alongside reappropriations of unspent funds from the previous year. This version serves as the working draft used to negotiate the final budget before it becomes law.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a brief summary of the budget's purpose to a comprehensive financial document detailing specific dollar amounts for every state agency, including new line items for tourism, health facilities, and corrections.

FISCAL

Added detailed line-item appropriations for all state departments, including specific amounts for the Department of Education ($73M), Department of Human Services ($202M), and Department of Health Facilities ($24M+), replacing the general policy language found in the enrolled version.

Included reappropriations of unspent funds from fiscal year 2026 to fiscal year 2027 for numerous agencies, ensuring continuity of funding for programs that did not spend their full allocation.

Introduced new specific funding categories such as the Department of Tourism's brand promotion ($15M) and the Department of Health Facilities' capital projects, which were not detailed in the enrolled version.

TECHNICAL

Changed the document header and formatting from the final 'Enrolled' status to the 'Committee Substitute' status, indicating this is the version currently under legislative review rather than the final enacted text.

Introduced Version → Enrolled Committee Substitute · 5 edits · Mar 13, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was converted from an introduced draft to an official enrolled version, adding complete legislative text, specific fiscal year 2027 appropriation amounts for state agencies, and detailed definitions for how funds must be classified and spent. The change transforms the document from a proposal into a binding law that authorizes specific funding levels for departments like Education, Health, and Corrections while establishing strict rules on how money can be transferred between budget categories.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a general policy proposal to a comprehensive appropriations act covering all state agencies for fiscal year 2027, including specific line-item funding and reappropriation of previous year balances.

FISCAL

Added specific dollar amounts for every state agency and department, such as $223.5 million for the Department of Education and $371.8 million for Corrections, replacing the generic policy language of the introduced version.

DEFINITION

Added detailed definitions for budget categories like 'Personal services,' 'Employee benefits,' and 'BRIM Premiums' to ensure funds are spent correctly and legally.

REQUIREMENT

Added strict rules limiting how much money can be transferred between different budget accounts (e.g., no more than 5% of general revenue funds can be moved between agencies without approval).

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date and fiscal year coverage from the vague '2026 Regular Session' to specific dates: July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.

TECHNICAL

Added reappropriation clauses that allow unused money from fiscal year 2026 to be carried over and used in fiscal year 2027 for the same purposes.

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