Budget & Taxes (State Budget)

in committee · West Virginia · House of Delegates Mar 11, 2026

HB 5311: Supplemental Appropriation to the Department of Homeland Security - Office of the Secretary from the Unappropriated Surplus Balance.

HB 5311 allocates $132,000 from West Virginia's unspent surplus funds to the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Secretary for the Fusion Center during fiscal year 2026. This supplemental appropriation adds a new budget line item to fund the Fusion Center's operations without increasing the state's overall budget. The bill directly affects the Department of Homeland Security's Fusion Center by providing specific funding from existing unappropriated surplus balances. It is a procedural budget adjustment, not a policy change, to reallocate unused state funds.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAllocates unspent surplus funds to DHS Fusion Center without increasing overall budget, promoting fiscal responsibility through existing resources.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations State Budget

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in committee · West Virginia · House of Delegates Feb 6, 2026

HB 5302: Supplemental Appropriation to the Department of Human Services- Foster Care from the Unappropriated Surplus Balance.

HB 5302 reallocates $6,000,000 from unused state funds (unappropriated surplus) to the Department of Human Services' Foster Care program for fiscal year 2026. The funds are specifically directed to the "Bring Them Home Fund" under the Bureau for Social Services. This supplemental appropriation increases funding for foster care services without changing eligibility or program rules. It directly affects foster care programs and children in state custody served by the Department of Human Services.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesReallocates $6M unappropriated surplus to fund foster care services, advancing essential program funding without new taxes or spending changes.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations State Budget

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in committee · West Virginia · House of Delegates Feb 6, 2026

HB 5295: Supplemental Appropriation to the Bureau of Senior Services from the Unappropriated Balance.

HB 5295 adds $266,879 to the Bureau of Senior Services' budget for fiscal year 2026, using unappropriated funds from the State Fund, General Revenue. It directly affects senior services programs by providing supplemental funding for current operational expenses. The bill amends the existing appropriation by creating a new line item under "Current Expenses" for the Bureau of Senior Services (Fund 0420, Org 0508) without creating new taxes or policies. This allocation stems from an unappropriated balance identified in the Governor's January 2026 budget document.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAdds $266,879 to senior services budget using unappropriated funds, increasing public service funding without tax changes or new policies.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations Revenue State Budget Tags Seniors

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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

Sub-Topics Appropriations State Budget

in committee · West Virginia · House of Delegates Mar 11, 2026

HB 5280: Supplemental Appropriation to the Department of Commerce-Workforce West Virginia from the Unappropriated Surplus Balance

HB 5280 adds $2 million from West Virginia's unspent budget surplus to fund WorkForce West Virginia's current operations for fiscal year 2026. It reallocates existing unappropriated funds (money already budgeted but not yet spent) to the department's general budget without creating new taxes or spending. This supplemental appropriation directly supports WorkForce West Virginia's ongoing programs, such as job training and workforce development services. The bill uses surplus funds identified in the Governor's budget document, as noted in the "WHEREAS" clauses, to cover operational costs during the 2026 fiscal year.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesUses unspent surplus funds to allocate $2M for workforce development programs without new taxes, demonstrating fiscal responsibility and funding essential services.92% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentAllocates $2M from surplus to fund WorkForce West Virginia's job training and workforce development programs, directly advancing employment services without restrictions.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations State Budget Workforce Development

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signed · West Virginia · House of Delegates Aug 21, 2026

HB 5682: Supplemental Appropriation to expire funds to surplus balance of General Revenue

HB 5682 redirects $72 million in unused funds from previous fiscal years to support biomedical research at West Virginia medical schools. It expires $37 million from the 2023 Governor’s Civil Contingent Fund and $35 million from the 2017 fund, adding these to the General Revenue surplus for the 2026 fiscal year. The funds are specifically allocated to: $30 million for Marshall University School of Medicine, $5 million for West Virginia University Dental School, $32 million for West Virginia University School of Medicine, and $5 million for the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. This supplemental appropriation expands biomedical research capacity without creating new taxes or spending.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesRedirects $72M in unspent funds to biomedical research, promoting fiscal responsibility by utilizing surplus without new taxes or spending cuts.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationAllocates $72M to medical schools for biomedical research, directly funding higher education institutions as part of education topic.85% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRedirects $72M to biomedical research at WV medical schools, directly funding healthcare infrastructure and research per bill summary.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations Revenue State Budget Higher Education

in committee · West Virginia · House of Delegates Jan 27, 2026

HB 4839: Relating to compensation for sworn members of the WV State Police

HB 4839 creates a geographic compensation differential for sworn members of the West Virginia State Police assigned to areas with significantly higher housing costs than the statewide median. Eligible troopers receive a salary supplement calculated as a percentage of their base pay, based on how much housing costs exceed the state average in their designated zone. The State Budget Office will designate these zones using objective housing data (median home values and rental rates) and update them biennially. The supplement does not count toward retirement calculations, ends if a trooper leaves the zone, and is funded through new legislative appropriations without reducing existing benefits. This bill directly affects State Police personnel in high-cost regions, aiming to improve recruitment and retention.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill increases state budget allocation for police compensation via geographic salary supplement, advancing public safety personnel funding without tax changes.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentProvides geographic wage supplement for state police based on housing costs, directly increasing compensation for a specific worker group.85% confidence

Sub-Topics State Budget

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signed · West Virginia · House of Delegates Jun 26, 2026

HB 4575: Making Supplemental Appropriation to State Board of Education

HB 4575 transfers $8 million from the State Fund's unappropriated surplus balance to the State Board of Education's Temporary Shortfall Supplement Fund for County Boards of Education. This supplemental appropriation directly affects county school districts in West Virginia by providing funds to address budget shortfalls, as authorized under W. Va. Code §18-2E-5b. The bill amends the fiscal year 2026 appropriations for the State Board of Education (Fund 0313) by adding a new line item for this specific purpose. It does not create new policy but reallocates existing state funds to support local school district budgets.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesTransfers $8M from surplus to address school budget shortfalls, funding essential public education services through state appropriations.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationTransfers $8M to address county school district budget shortfalls, directly funding K-12 operations per W. Va. Code §18-2E-5b.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations State Budget School Funding

in committee · West Virginia · House of Delegates Jan 28, 2026

HB 4890: A 10% raise to non-uniformed corrections workers

HB 4890 would provide a 10% annual pay increase for non-uniformed administrative staff and personnel at West Virginia's Division of Corrections, Division of Juvenile Services, and the West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority, effective July 1, 2026. This adjustment aims to address staffing challenges by helping retain current workers and attract new employees to these correctional facilities. Funding would come from general revenue for the Division of Corrections and Juvenile Services, and from a special revenue fund for the Regional Jail Authority, avoiding additional general fund appropriations. The bill also requires that the pay increase be applied even if it exceeds the current maximum pay grade for an employee's position.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesFunds correctional staff pay increases via general revenue, strengthening public service staffing and retention. Directly advances state budget allocation for essential government operations.95% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeFunds correctional staff salaries to address staffing challenges, supporting operational stability in corrections, aligning with funding indicators for criminal justice support.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentDirectly increases wages for correctional workers by 10% to address staffing challenges, advancing worker compensation standards per bill summary.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Revenue State Budget Corrections Juvenile Justice

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in committee · West Virginia · House of Delegates Feb 25, 2026

HB 4027: Budget Bill

HB 4027 is West Virginia's proposed budget bill for fiscal year 2027 (July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027), appropriating state funds for agency operations. It establishes funding categories like "personal services" (salaries), "employee benefits," and "current expenses" to cover routine state operations, while defining how agencies must manage and report these funds. The bill requires agencies to collect specific revenue amounts ("from collections") to avoid budget shortfalls and outlines procedures for handling insurance premiums and other costs through designated funds. As a routine appropriations measure, it directly affects all state agencies and departments that rely on state funding for their annual operations.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAppropriates state funds for agency operations per constitutional requirements, establishing fiscal management procedures and funding categories for routine state functions.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations State Budget

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