HB 4765 increases annual base salaries for West Virginia State Police officers, public school teachers, school service personnel, and forensic laboratory staff, effective July 1, 2026. The bill establishes specific salary schedules for police ranks (e.g., troopers, sergeants, captains), school personnel, and forensic roles (e.g., evidence custodians, forensic scientists), with detailed pay tables showing incremental increases. It directly affects over 10,000 state employees across law enforcement, education, and forensic services. The legislation provides fixed annual salary adjustments based on position and length of service, with no additional provisions beyond these compensation changes.
HB 4005, "Skills to Work," creates a state-funded Youth Apprenticeship Program for West Virginia students aged 16 or older in 11th or 12th grade. It allows these students to earn high school credit and job skills certifications through structured apprenticeships in fields like manufacturing, healthcare, and office technology, requiring 135 classroom hours and 400 on-the-job training hours per program. The bill mandates schools to partner with employers to develop approved apprenticeships, with standards including progressive wages, performance evaluations, and school approval. It also clarifies that apprenticeships cannot include hazardous occupations prohibited for minors under federal and state child labor laws. The program must be fully implemented across all school systems by the 2025-2026 school year.
HB 4028 exempts construction contractors from West Virginia's sales and use taxes on building materials and services used for constructing, repairing, or improving public elementary, secondary, or vocational school facilities. This applies to materials permanently installed in school buildings (like framing, wiring, or plumbing), but excludes tools, equipment, gasoline, or motor vehicle purchases. The bill directly affects contractors working on public school projects by reducing their costs for qualifying materials. It clarifies that this exemption applies to both state-level and municipal sales taxes on eligible school construction work. The policy change takes effect July 1, 2026, with no new revenue impact on the state.
SB 841 adds $30,498 to the State Board of Education's fund 3951 for the Hope Scholarship Program, using an unappropriated surplus from lottery net profits. This supplemental appropriation allocates existing lottery revenue - specifically from the surplus balance not included in the initial budget - to fund the Hope Scholarship Program during fiscal year 2026. The bill does not change the program's eligibility or structure but provides additional funding for student scholarships. The funds are designated for expenditure before June 30, 2026, as part of the state's budget process.
SB 871 allocates $12.66 million from West Virginia's Excess Lottery Fund to the Hope Scholarship Program for fiscal year 2026. This supplemental appropriation adds a new funding line (Fund 3517) to the State Board of Education's budget, directing unappropriated lottery surplus funds toward scholarship payments. The bill does not change program eligibility, rules, or structure - it only provides additional funding for existing scholarship disbursements. It is a procedural budget adjustment, not a new policy.
SB 502 establishes permanent endowments to protect women’s collegiate Olympic sports programs at West Virginia’s public NCAA Division I universities. It requires that only endowment earnings - not principal - fund scholarships, coaching, equipment, and facilities for these programs. The bill creates tax credits (50% of donations) for private contributions and matching funds for institutions that document verified operational savings (e.g., energy efficiency, shared services), while prohibiting cuts to academic programs or Title IX compliance. All endowments must undergo annual audits, and institutions must report on cost savings, donations, and Title IX adherence to the state education commission.
This bill establishes a process for determining which short-term workforce training programs in West Virginia qualify for federal Workforce Pell Grants. It directs the West Virginia Workforce Development Board to assess programs against federal criteria, define key terms, and require reporting from institutions offering eligible programs. The bill directly affects short-term training providers (like vocational courses or certifications) seeking federal funding to help workers access career-focused education. It creates a state-level mechanism to align local programs with federal grant requirements without changing the federal Pell Grant program itself. The summary focuses solely on the eligibility process, as described in the bill's provisions (§5B-12-1 through §5B-12-6).
SB 402 expands West Virginia's apprenticeship tax credit to $2 per hour (capped at $2,000 annually per apprentice) for wages paid to registered apprentices in construction trades, directly benefiting employers and apprentices. It creates a new West Virginia Micro-Credential Program under the Higher Education Policy Commission to support workforce training. The bill also modifies tax rules to allow deductions for contributions to and receipts from voluntary portable benefits plans, and removes proficiency exam requirements for military-trained applicants seeking professional licenses. These changes aim to increase workforce participation and simplify licensing for veterans.
This bill creates a new adjunct teaching permit in West Virginia that allows individuals without full teaching certification to fill vacant teaching positions, offer new programs, or supplement existing ones when certified teachers are unavailable. The permit is valid for one year and requires county school boards to repost the position annually, with renewal contingent on meeting basic performance standards. Key provisions include requiring mentor assignment, completion of specific training, prohibition on special education instruction, and flexible employment terms where compensation and benefits are mutually agreed upon between the school board and teacher.
This bill (SB 814) allocates $70,357,538 in unappropriated surplus funds from the State General Revenue Fund to the Hope Scholarship Program under the State Board of Education. It directly affects the Hope Scholarship Program by providing supplemental funding for fiscal year 2026. The bill does not change program rules or eligibility - it simply reallocates existing surplus funds to cover program costs. This is a routine budget adjustment, not a new policy.
