This bill directs the West Virginia Legislature to allocate surplus state funds to the Department of Homeland Security for fiscal year 2026. The appropriation specifically supports the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation within the department, funding information technology services and special services for correctional units. The legislation uses existing unappropriated surplus money from the State Fund's General Revenue rather than creating new revenue sources. This action increases the available budget for these specific correctional facility operations during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026.
HB 5353 requires virtual currency kiosks (machines for buying/selling digital currencies like Bitcoin) to obtain a money transmission license, bringing them under the same regulatory framework as traditional money transfer services. The bill sets daily transaction limits for all customers and mandates clear disclosures about terms, risks, and fees before transactions occur. It also clarifies that kiosks operate as delegates of licensed money transmitters and resolves conflicts between state and federal money transmission laws. This law directly affects kiosk operators and their customers in West Virginia.
HB 5438 modifies West Virginia's school funding formula to direct additional resources toward instructional improvements and technology. It allocates 10% of the local share increase for instructional programs (with $150,000 minimum per county) and 20% for instructional technology (with $30,000 minimum per county), both calculated based on attendance and enrollment data. County school boards may use up to 50% of instructional funds for hiring educators or technology specialists, subject to state superintendent approval, but cannot increase central office staff beyond four positions. The bill also requires funding for the Third Grade Success Act and allows county boards to use allocated funds for Safe Schools Fund projects. This directly affects all West Virginia county school districts and their budgeting for classroom programs and technology resources.
HB 5528 requires West Virginia state agencies, counties, municipalities, and political subdivisions to remove or redact personal residential information - including home addresses, personal phone numbers, and personal cell numbers - from public records upon written request by certain public officials. It directly affects elected/appointed officials (like judges, prosecutors, law enforcement officers, and legislators), their immediate family members living with them, and their employers. The bill mandates immediate removal of such information from publicly accessible databases or websites after a valid written request, with civil penalties including attorney fees for non-compliance. Permitted disclosures include those required by federal law, court orders, law enforcement needs, or voter registration purposes, but not general public access.
HB 5638 establishes the West Virginia Cybersecurity Office within the Office of Technology, led by a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), to manage the state's cybersecurity program. It requires most state agencies (excluding higher education, the State Police, constitutional officers, the Legislature, and Judiciary) to follow standardized cybersecurity practices, conduct risk assessments, and implement security controls for protecting information systems. The CISO is tasked with developing agency-wide cybersecurity policies, creating a risk management service to clarify agency responsibilities, and setting cyber risk standards based on federal and industry best practices. The bill aims to strengthen the state's ability to prevent, detect, and respond to cyber threats across government operations.
SB 640 prohibits the public release of contributors' addresses and employer information for political election donations exceeding $250 in a single election cycle. It amends West Virginia election law to require this information to be reported in financial statements but bans its disclosure to the public, while maintaining the requirement for contributors to provide it. The bill directly affects political donors over $250 and election committees that file financial reports. A violation constitutes a misdemeanor offense under the new provisions. This change modifies existing disclosure rules to protect contributor privacy for specific details, without altering contribution limits or reporting requirements.
SB 84 prohibits West Virginia law enforcement officers from installing surveillance cameras on private property without either the property owner's consent or a valid search warrant. This directly affects police departments and private landowners by requiring legal authorization before placing cameras on fenced, posted, or cultivated land owned by non-government entities. Exceptions allow installation in areas visible to the public without authorization or during emergencies where obtaining consent/warrant isn't feasible. The bill defines "surveillance camera" to exclude police vehicle dash or body cameras but explicitly covers devices like game cameras used for observation. It applies to all law enforcement officers, including state natural resources agents, under West Virginia law.
HB 4352 prohibits cameras and recording devices in the bedrooms and bathrooms of foster children in West Virginia foster homes. The bill directly affects foster children and their caregivers, banning all such devices except under specific medical exemptions. Exemptions apply only if a child has a medical diagnosis of severe physical, behavioral, cognitive, or psychological disability, and even then, any permitted devices must be placed visibly - not hidden. The law requires foster homes to maintain privacy in these personal spaces while allowing limited medical monitoring with clear visibility.
HB 5454 creates a legislative select committee to oversee West Virginia's Fusion Center, which collects and shares law enforcement intelligence. The committee - composed of balanced House and Senate members with security clearances - gains access to Fusion Center operations for review, but cannot view classified federal information or personal details like addresses or identities. The bill mandates annual audits of the Fusion Center, establishes privacy safeguards for handling sensitive data, and requires committee meetings to remain confidential under state law. This directly affects the Fusion Center's oversight structure and its interactions with state legislators.
HB 4462 bans the sale of cell-cultured food products (like lab-grown meat, eggs, fish, or poultry) for human consumption in West Virginia. It defines these products as those made by growing animal cells in a lab to mimic traditional food items, and removes any requirement for labeling them as "lab-grown" or similar. The bill specifically targets cell-cultured products, not plant-based alternatives (defined as "analogue products"). This is a direct sales prohibition with no new labeling rules for the banned products.
