SJR 21 West Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Taxpayers' Bill of Rights Amendment

SJR 21 proposes a constitutional amendment (designated "Amendment 1") that would require West Virginia's state government to limit annual spending increases to no more than the combined growth of the state's population plus inflation. This would directly affect state budget decisions by imposing a strict cap on how much spending can rise each year. The amendment would be submitted to voters in the 2026 general election for approval. If adopted, it would become part of the West Virginia Constitution, altering how state expenditures are managed. The resolution includes procedural steps to number and name the proposed amendment as the "Taxpayers' Bill of Rights Amendment."

Issues: ✗ Budget & Taxes

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 20, 2026 Last action Feb 25, 2026

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What changed between versions

Introduced Version → sjr21 sub1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to expand the list of sponsoring senators and update the procedural history to reflect committee reporting. The substantive policy language was clarified to specify that the expenditure limit applies only to the state general revenue fund, and the summary of the amendment's purpose was revised to explicitly state that the measure prohibits increases rather than merely requiring them.

Scope change

The scope of the expenditure limitation was narrowed to apply specifically to the state general revenue fund, rather than state government expenditures in general.

TIMELINE

An effective date of July 1, 2028, was added to the expenditure limitation provision.

SCOPE

The expenditure limit was restricted to apply only to the state general revenue fund.

DEFINITION

The summary of the amendment's purpose was updated to clarify that the measure prohibits increases in expenditures.

TECHNICAL

Sponsorship was expanded to include additional senators, and the procedural history was updated to reflect committee reporting.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 25, 2026

Committee

To Finance

upper

Feb 25, 2026

Committee

Committee substitute reported, but first to Finance

upper

Feb 20, 2026

Committee

To Judiciary

upper

Feb 20, 2026

Introduced

Introduced in Senate

upper

Feb 20, 2026

Committee

To Judiciary then Finance

upper

1 primary · 5 co-sponsors