Budget & Taxes

signed · West Virginia · House of Delegates Jun 29, 2026

HB 5065: Relating to hotel occupancy tax.

HB 5065 amends West Virginia's hotel occupancy tax law to clarify collection requirements for online booking platforms (marketplace facilitators) like Airbnb or Booking.com. It requires these platforms to: (1) separately state the tax on all bills, (2) use geofencing for accurate tax calculation, (3) provide a nine-digit postal code to ensure taxes reach the correct local government (county or municipality), and (4) maintain detailed records of each transaction. The bill directly affects marketplace facilitators that meet sales thresholds ($100,000 revenue or 200+ transactions annually) and hotels using these platforms. It also prohibits businesses from claiming they will absorb the tax, ensuring the tax remains visible to consumers.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesClarifies tax collection for online platforms, ensuring accurate revenue allocation to local governments, strengthening fiscal management and closing potential collection gaps.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes

signed · West Virginia · House of Delegates Jun 29, 2026

HB 4087: To create a West Virginia-Ireland Education Alliance.

HB 4087 establishes the West Virginia-Ireland Education Alliance Partnership to strengthen academic, cultural, and workforce connections between West Virginia and Ireland. It creates a formal partnership requiring five four-year universities and five two-year colleges in West Virginia to collaborate with Irish institutions. The bill provides for five $50,000 grants to fund joint programs between these institutions. This partnership is governed by a commission with specific membership rules, including legislative and community representatives. The bill directly affects West Virginia higher education institutions and their Irish counterparts through structured collaboration and grant opportunities.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesProvides $250,000 in state grants for education partnerships, increasing government spending on higher education programs.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationProvides $50,000 grants for joint higher education programs between WV and Ireland, strengthening academic collaboration and funding international partnerships.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes

signed · West Virginia · House of Delegates Jun 29, 2026

HB 4007: Relating to industrial access roads

HB 4007 amends West Virginia's Industrial Access Road Fund rules to clarify how state funds can be used for constructing or maintaining access roads to industrial sites. The bill directly affects counties and municipalities seeking funding for roads leading to approved manufacturing, distribution, or processing facilities (including West Virginia Business Ready Sites), while restricting the fund from covering roads to schools, hospitals, shopping centers, or private property. Key changes include raising the annual funding cap to $6 million per fiscal year, setting a $800,000 maximum for unmatched funds per county, and requiring counties to certify site construction or provide surety before funds are allocated. The bill also clarifies that funds cannot be used for utility adjustments or roads on private property, and mandates the Division of Highways must review location requests within 90 days.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill clarifies state fund allocation for industrial access roads, directly managing budget appropriations within fiscal management.90% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationClarifies state funding for industrial access roads, directing funds to transportation infrastructure projects while restricting non-industrial uses.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes

signed · West Virginia · Senate Jun 25, 2026

SB 827: Supplemental appropriation to Department of Human Services, fund 0486

SB 827 increases existing funding for several West Virginia Department of Human Services case worker programs in the 2026 fiscal year. It adds specific amounts to budget lines for Child Protective Services, Social Services, Adult Protective Services, and Youth Services case workers. The bill uses unappropriated state funds identified in the Governor’s budget without creating new programs or policies. It directly affects these DHS divisions by providing additional resources for their current operations.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesIncreases funding for DHS case worker programs (Child Protective Services, Social Services, etc.) using existing unappropriated funds, directly supporting essential public services.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes

signed · West Virginia · Senate Jun 25, 2026

SB 826: Supplementary appropriation to Division of Natural Resources, fund 3211

SB 826 is a supplementary appropriation bill that increases funding for the State Parks and Recreation Endowment Fund (fund 3211) within the Division of Natural Resources for fiscal year 2026. It raises current expenses from $13,000 to $25,000 and other assets from $69,000 to $6,500,000. This directly provides additional resources for managing West Virginia's state parks, including operations and facility maintenance during the 2026 fiscal year.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesIncreases funding for state parks operations/maintenance via supplementary appropriation, directly advancing public service funding within budget allocation.95% confidence ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentBill increases funding for State Parks and Recreation Endowment Fund to enhance park operations and maintenance, directly supporting environmental conservation and natural resource management.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes

signed · West Virginia · Senate Jun 25, 2026

SB 825: Supplementary appropriation to Department of Administration, fund 0226

This bill adds $17.6 million in funding to West Virginia's Public Defender Services (fund 0226) for fiscal year 2026. It allocates $2.6 million for "Public Defender Corporations" and $15 million for "Appointed Counsel Fees" using existing unappropriated surplus funds from the State Fund. The funding directly supports public defenders who represent indigent defendants in criminal cases, ensuring legal services for individuals who cannot afford private attorneys. The bill makes no new policy changes but redirects existing surplus state funds to this specific program.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesFunds public defenders using surplus funds, supporting essential legal services without new taxes or policy changes.95% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill allocates $17.6M to public defenders for indigent criminal defendants, directly funding legal representation and supporting access to justice, aligning with criminal justice reform indicators.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes

signed · West Virginia · Senate Jun 25, 2026

SB 875: Supplemental appropriation to Department of Commerce, fund 8703

SB 875 supplements the 2026 budget for the West Virginia Department of Commerce's Division of Forestry (fund 8703) by adding $250,000 for personal services and $500,000 for current expenses. The funds come from unappropriated federal money remaining for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026. This bill directly affects the Division of Forestry's budget allocation, increasing its available funding for staff costs and operational needs during the 2026 fiscal year.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesIncreases budget for Forestry Division's staff and operations using unappropriated federal funds, directly funding public service needs.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes

signed · West Virginia · Senate Jun 25, 2026

SB 843: Supplemental Appropriation to Department of Health, fund 5144

SB 843 is a supplemental budget measure that adds $330,000 to the existing appropriation for the Department of Health's Vital Statistics Account (fund 5144) for fiscal year 2026. It specifically increases funding for "Personal Services and Employee Benefits" within this account, using unspent funds identified by the Governor. The bill directly affects the Department of Health's Vital Statistics program, which handles birth, death, and other vital records. This is a procedural budget adjustment to reallocate existing unappropriated funds, not a new policy or program.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAdds $330k to Department of Health's Vital Statistics budget for employee services, directly increasing funding for a public health program using unspent funds.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes

signed · West Virginia · Senate Jun 25, 2026

SB 749: Relating to county economic opportunity development districts

SB 749 authorizes four West Virginia counties - Ohio, Harrison, Monongalia, and Jefferson - to levy a special sales tax on businesses within designated economic development districts. The bill specifically approves taxes for the Fort Henry District (500 acres in Ohio County), Charles Pointe District (437 acres in Harrison County), University Town Centre District (1,450 acres in Monongalia County), and a Jefferson County district (unspecified acreage). Each district’s tax authority expires in 2053 or 2054, unless terminated earlier under existing law. The bill ensures these taxes won’t reduce state general revenue by requiring individual legislative approval for each district’s tax authorization. This directly affects businesses operating within these defined areas, with tax revenue funding local economic development initiatives.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAuthorizes new county-level sales tax for economic development districts, increasing tax authority to fund local economic initiatives and fiscal management.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes

signed · West Virginia · Senate Jun 25, 2026

SB 1053: Authorizing Unemployment Automation and Administration Fund to modernize and enhance WorkForce West Virginia

SB 1053 creates a new "Unemployment Automation and Administration Fund" to modernize West Virginia's unemployment system. It requires employers to pay 7% of their quarterly unemployment tax contributions into this fund, with limits: deposits stop if the fund reaches $18 million in a year or if the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund falls below $300 million. The fund will cover costs for upgrading the unemployment claims system, improving the job search platform, administrative expenses, and workforce development initiatives. This directly affects employers who pay unemployment taxes in West Virginia, redirecting a portion of their payments toward system improvements.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesMandates 7% of unemployment tax to fund system modernization, creating dedicated tax revenue for essential program upgrades.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentCreates fund to modernize unemployment system, improving claims processing and job search tools, directly supporting unemployed workers' access to benefits.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill creates fund specifically for modernizing unemployment system tech, including upgrading claims platform and job search tools, directly advancing technology infrastructure for government services.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes