Creating Office of Entrepreneurship within Office of Secretary of State

Changed state agency data sharing from mandatory ('shall provide') to optional ('are authorized to and may provide'), giving agencies discretion to share data only if they agree to confidentiality terms.

Removed the requirement that the Office of Entrepreneurship must respond to inquiries within 48 hours, eliminating a strict deadline for assistance requests.

Added a new requirement for the Office to submit an annual report to the Joint Standing Committee on Economic Development starting two years after creation.

Added a new section creating a special revenue account (Fund) and authorizing the Office to charge fees for events and services to generate revenue, while keeping government liaison services free.

Added a new definition for 'Scale-up' to describe a startup that has demonstrated long-term viability through increased revenue, cash flow, or a 20% growth rate over three years.

Changed the confidentiality clause from a mandatory agreement requirement to a discretionary one, allowing agencies to set their own terms for sharing sensitive data.

Added Senators Barnhart and Taylor as co-sponsors and updated the reporting committee to the Committee on Finance.

Removed the specific definition of 'State agency' entirely, which may affect which government entities are legally required to share data with the new office.

Deleted the specific annual appropriation amounts ($175,000) and the start dates (July 1, 2026 and 2027) for the Office of Entrepreneurship Fund.

Reorganized the fund section to remove the mandate for state appropriations, focusing the text solely on the Office's authorization to generate revenue through fees.

Corrected a typo in the 'Scale-up' definition changing '20 perecent' to '20 percent' and adjusted minor punctuation in other definitions.

Added a new section creating the "West Virginia Office of Entrepreneurship Fund" with an initial $175,000 annual appropriation and authority to generate revenue through paid services.

Changed the annual reporting deadline to occur on or before November 1, beginning two years after the office's creation, rather than starting immediately.

Converted the requirement for state agencies to designate a point of contact from a discretionary option to a mandatory action that must occur within 48 hours of a request.

Added a new requirement for the office to develop a first-year implementation plan outlining intake, referral, and tracking processes.

Refined the confidentiality agreement provision to explicitly require that any agreement include specific instructions on how sensitive data must be anonymized or redacted.

Simplified the text of the definitions section by removing line numbers and formatting artifacts present in the Enrolled Version.

Created a new special revenue account called the West Virginia Office of Entrepreneurship Fund in the State Treasury to finance the office's activities.

Added a mandatory requirement for the office to submit a detailed annual report to the Joint Standing Committee on Economic Development, including performance rankings and policy recommendations.

Required the office to develop a first-year implementation plan outlining intake, referral, and tracking processes.

Changed the language regarding state agency cooperation from 'shall provide' to 'may provide,' giving agencies more discretion over sharing data.

Changed the definition of 'State agency' to explicitly exclude the legislative and judicial branches of government.

Clarified that liaison services provided by the office must remain free of charge for all entrepreneurs, startups, and scale-ups.

Added a provision stating that the office's role is complimentary to existing agencies and cannot duplicate or supplant their statutory duties.