SB 627 West Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Relating to Build WV Act

SB 627 amends West Virginia's Build WV Act to reform tax credit eligibility for residential housing projects. It replaces project cost calculations with a new cap on tax credit liability for new approvals, specifically allowing smaller projects in designated rural areas to qualify. The bill requires annual adjustments to the program based on demand and establishes a dedicated Build WV Credit Reserve Fund to manage these changes. This directly affects developers seeking tax credits for new residential construction or rehabilitation of unoccupied housing, clarifying which project expenses (like construction, utilities, and materials) qualify while excluding costs covered by other incentives.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 27, 2026 Last action Jan 30, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Version → Committee Substitute · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to add a new section defining key terms like 'rural area' and 'approved costs,' which clarifies exactly what expenses count toward tax credit limits. It also updated the bill's effective date and reporting status to reflect its progression through the legislative committee. Additionally, a reference to the rural area definition was updated to point to the new definition section instead of an old one.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to explicitly define 'rural area' and 'approved costs,' ensuring clearer application of tax credit rules for smaller projects in rural locations and preventing double-dipping with other incentives.

DEFINITION

Added a new section (5B-2L-3) containing detailed definitions for terms such as 'approved costs,' 'rural area,' 'infrastructure,' and 'timeshare' to clarify eligibility and exclusions.

Updated the definition of 'rural area' in the application criteria to reference the new, specific definition in section 5B-2L-3 rather than a previous section.

TECHNICAL

Changed the bill header and metadata to reflect the 'Committee Substitute' version and updated the introductory summary to include the new definitions.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 30, 2026

Committee

To Finance

upper

Jan 30, 2026

Committee

Committee substitute reported, but first to Finance

upper

Jan 27, 2026

Committee

To Economic Development

upper

Jan 27, 2026

Introduced

Introduced in Senate

upper

Jan 26, 2026

Committee

To Economic Development then Finance

upper

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor