HB 4905 removes all fees West Virginia teachers pay to the state for obtaining or renewing teaching licenses, certifications, and registering continuing education credit hours. The bill requires the West Virginia Department of Education to eliminate these fees by January 30, 2027, and to reimburse teachers for tuition and fees related to courses taken for certification renewal or additional endorsements in subject areas with teacher shortages. Reimbursement is capped at 15 semester hours per teacher per year for either purpose. This directly affects West Virginia teachers seeking to maintain or expand their teaching credentials through state-recognized pathways.
SB 202 would exempt certain military veterans and their families from tuition and fees at West Virginia’s public colleges and universities. It specifically covers: (1) spouses and children of veterans killed in action, missing in action, or who died while serving; (2) disabled veterans with 90%+ service-connected disabilities (since 9/11); and (3) spouses and children of active-duty veterans who died or went missing in service. To qualify, applicants must be West Virginia residents, apply for FAFSA, exhaust other tuition aid, and maintain academic standards. The exemption applies only to undergraduate programs and does not cover special fees like lab costs or parking. The bill is pending in committee and not yet law.
HB 4533 amends West Virginia law to permanently include Potomac State College of West Virginia University as an eligible institution for the "Learn and Earn Program." This program allows students to work with employers while studying technical programs, earning a salary and gaining work experience. The bill removes the previous "pilot" designation for Potomac State, making its participation in the program permanent rather than temporary. This directly affects Potomac State students seeking affordable, work-based technical education opportunities.
HB 4697 requires West Virginia high schools to inform 11th and 12th grade students placed in "free" or "teacher-assistant" periods about available online college course opportunities. This applies specifically to students not enrolled in a regular class during those periods, such as during unscheduled free time or while assisting teachers. Schools must provide information on accessible online college courses but do not need to guarantee enrollment or cover costs. The bill aims to expand access to college-level coursework for high school students in non-traditional class settings. It adds this requirement to existing education code provisions without altering current course mandates.
Senate Bill 618 prohibits West Virginia state and local public funds from supporting postsecondary degree programs identified as having "low-earning outcomes" under federal standards. It requires the Higher Education Policy Council to adopt rules blocking state funding - covering student aid, operational costs, grants, and facilities - from such programs and to annually report on blocked programs and fiscal impacts. This directly affects public universities and colleges receiving state funding, as well as students enrolled in designated programs. The bill implements a policy change by tying state education funding eligibility to graduate earnings data, rather than program content or accreditation.
SB 177 provides tuition-free education for West Virginia certified law enforcement officers (LEOs) at public and private colleges, up to the highest public tuition rate in the state. It covers certificates, undergraduate degrees, master's degrees, and medical degrees (MD/DO), with officers limited to one degree per level (except for two MD/DO slots annually). Officers must serve one year for every year of tuition covered, and payments coordinate with existing benefits like the GI Bill or PROMISE Scholarship. The program is administered by the Secretary of Homeland Security, requiring legislative funding for implementation.
SB 675 requires each of West Virginia's 19 public colleges and universities to elect a student representative who serves with voting power on their governing board. It specifies board sizes (12-19 members), mandates that appointed members reflect political party balance (e.g., no more than 5 of 9 from one party), and requires at least 5 of 9 appointed members to be state residents. For West Virginia University specifically, the bill adds requirements for an agriculture representative and a graduate of WVU Institute of Technology. The bill maintains non-voting advisory roles for elected faculty and employee representatives at all institutions.
SB 414, the "Keep Accreditation About Academics Act," prohibits accrediting agencies from considering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in accreditation decisions for West Virginia public colleges and universities. The bill defines DEI as any practice involving differential treatment based on race, gender, or other protected characteristics and bans accrediting agencies from collecting, reviewing, or requiring such initiatives. It allows students, employees, or the Attorney General to sue accrediting agencies for violations, with penalties including triple damages and attorney fees. The law directly affects West Virginia's public higher education institutions and their accreditors by restricting how accreditation decisions are made. This bill aims to limit accreditation processes to academic standards alone, removing DEI considerations from evaluation criteria.
HB 4914, the West Virginia Education Freedom and Parental Empowerment Act, creates education savings accounts (ESAs) funded by federal block grants to give parents direct control over K-12 education spending. It requires state funds to be allocated equally per student into parent-controlled accounts, usable for tuition at private/charter schools, tutoring, materials, and other qualified educational expenses. The bill dissolves the State Board of Education’s regulatory powers over K-12 education, limiting it to only transferring federal funds to the State Treasurer, who administers the program and tracks spending. This directly affects all West Virginia K-12 students and their families by shifting educational funding and decision-making from state authorities to parents.
HB 4446 establishes a four-year pilot program in Kanawha, Ohio, Mineral, and Raleigh counties to provide free Fire Fighter I and II training through community colleges. It directly affects eligible high school and college students in those counties by covering tuition and fees for courses meeting West Virginia State Fire Commission standards. The program requires each county to provide at least one certified fire service instructor, funded by the Higher Education Policy Commission, with annual reports tracking participation, certifications earned, costs, and student employment. The pilot runs from July 2026 through June 2030, with mandatory evaluations to determine future expansion or termination.
