HB 5294 is a procedural budget adjustment that reallocates $150,000 in existing federal funds within West Virginia's fiscal year 2026 budget for the Department of Human Services' Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment program (Fund 8793). It decreases funding from the "Federal Coronavirus Pandemic" line item and increases funding under "Personal Services and Employee Benefits" to cover staffing costs. The bill directly affects the Department of Human Services' substance abuse treatment services, ensuring federal block grant funds are used for personnel expenses rather than other categories. This is a routine budget reallocation, not a new policy change, and does not expand eligibility or services.
HB 5308 adds $30,498 in funding from the state lottery surplus to the Hope Scholarship Program for fiscal year 2026. This supplemental appropriation uses an unappropriated surplus balance identified in the Governor’s budget document to support the program’s existing operations. The bill does not change eligibility, program rules, or student benefits - only increasing available funds for scholarships. It was introduced in the West Virginia House of Delegates on February 6, 2026.
HB 5293 is a procedural bill that adjusts existing federal funding allocations for West Virginia's Community Mental Health Services. It shifts $200,000 from the "Federal Coronavirus Pandemic" funding category to the "Personal Services and Employee Benefits" category within the same fiscal year (2026). This reallocation does not add new funding but modifies how existing federal block grant money will be used for staffing and operations. The bill directly affects the Department of Human Services' Community Mental Health Services program, ensuring funds are directed toward personnel costs. It is a routine budget adjustment, not a policy change, and requires no new legislative action beyond the funding realignment.
HB 5290 adds $250,000 to "Personal Services and Employee Benefits" and $250,000 to "Equipment" within the Department of Health's Laboratory Services Fund (Fund 5163) for fiscal year 2026. This supplemental appropriation reallocates unspent funds from the current fiscal year to cover specific lab staffing and equipment costs. The bill directly affects the Department of Health’s laboratory services operations by providing additional funding for existing budget categories. It does not create new programs or policies but adjusts spending within an existing fund for the 2026 fiscal year. The bill was introduced on February 6, 2026, and referred to the House Finance Committee.
HB 5306 is a supplemental appropriation bill that increases funding for West Virginia's Medicaid program by $128,383,090 for "Medical Services" and $268,451 for "Administrative Costs" within the Department of Human Services' Health Care Provider Tax - Medicaid State Share Fund (Fund 5090). It uses unappropriated funds from the 2026 fiscal year budget to cover existing Medicaid provider payments and administrative needs. The bill directly affects Medicaid healthcare providers and state agencies managing Medicaid services by ensuring funding availability for current obligations. Introduced on February 6, 2026, it is currently pending in the House Finance Committee. This is a procedural budget adjustment, not a policy change.
HB 5276 is a procedural budget bill that reallocates $40 million from West Virginia's unappropriated surplus balance to the Department of Commerce's Division of Economic Development. It adds a new appropriation line item (70099) to transfer these funds to the Economic Development Promotion and Closing Fund (fund 3171) for the 2026 fiscal year. This bill does not create new programs or policies - it simply moves existing surplus funds that were identified in the Governor's budget document to support economic development activities. The funds would be available for expenditure during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026.
HB 5179 modernizes West Virginia's auctioneer licensing regulations. It directly affects licensed auctioneers, auction firms, and the Department of Agriculture by updating definitions (like "absolute auction" and "estate auction"), raising the required bond amount for auctioneers, and requiring fees to be set via legislative rules instead of administrative action. Key provisions include extending the time an apprentice auctioneer can operate after a license expires, clarifying complaint investigations, and directing civil penalties to the Department of Agriculture. The bill also revises exceptions for self-sellers (limiting personal property sales to once yearly) and clarifies advertising rules to prevent misleading promotions. These changes aim to streamline oversight while increasing accountability for auction professionals.
HB 5064 addresses municipalities in West Virginia that fail to complete required annual financial audits for three consecutive years (defined as "chronic audit noncompliance"). It authorizes the State Auditor to evaluate a municipality's financial recovery potential, requires the municipality to submit a recovery plan, and allows for a structured transition to dissolution if recovery is unlikely. The bill mandates specific notice requirements to affected municipalities and clarifies the duties of a financial receiver during dissolution, including how dissolution affects utilities regulated by the Public Service Commission. This directly impacts local governments that miss audit deadlines, creating a formal process to address fiscal instability.
HB 5196 allows West Virginia local governments (counties or municipalities) to enter formal agreements with the West Virginia Land Stewardship Corporation to have it operate as their designated land reuse agency. This bill amends land reuse agency law to explicitly permit such partnerships, requiring agreements to specify agency structure, board composition, and public input processes. The Land Stewardship Corporation, a state-created nonprofit, would then manage land reuse programs - like repurposing vacant properties - within the local government's jurisdiction under these agreements. This change streamlines collaboration between local governments and the state entity for economic development initiatives.
HB 5100 transfers regulatory and enforcement authority for CBD (cannabidiol) and Kratom products from the West Virginia Department of Agriculture to the Alcohol Beverage Control Administration (ABCA). This change affects businesses selling CBD or Kratom products in West Virginia, including both in-state retailers and out-of-state sellers shipping products into the state. The bill updates existing laws to make the ABCA Commissioner responsible for issuing permits, enforcing labeling rules, and handling product safety checks for these products. The key mechanism shifts oversight from agricultural regulators to a beverage control agency, aligning CBD/Kratom regulation with similar product frameworks.
HB 5055 changes West Virginia's hunting and fishing license expiration policy from the last day of the calendar year to exactly one year after the purchase date. This means a license bought on January 15, 2026, would expire January 15, 2027, rather than December 31, 2026. The bill directly affects all residents and visitors purchasing hunting or fishing licenses in the state by replacing the current calendar-year expiration with a fixed one-year validity period. The change simplifies license timelines and aligns expiration with the actual date of purchase.
This bill would permit recreational gold panning in West Virginia rivers and streams under specific conditions, directly affecting individuals who pan for gold and the Division of Natural Resources (DNR). The DNR must establish seasonal dates for panning based on fish spawning seasons and publish these dates for public access. It requires that panning be done using only a standard gold pan, with any sluice (a tool for concentrating gold) limited to no wider than four inches. This change creates a regulated framework for the activity, replacing previous restrictions with defined seasonal windows and equipment limits.
