This bill provides additional funding to the West Virginia Department of Education for fiscal year 2026 by allocating money from the state's unappropriated surplus revenue. The legislation directly affects the State Board of Education and State Department of Education by supplementing their existing budget appropriations. Key provisions include specific funding allocations for various programs such as teacher retirement, child nutrition, technology modernization, scholarship programs, and special education services. The bill amends the state budget act to formalize these financial transfers from the general revenue fund to the education department's designated fund.
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 5327, the West Virginia ALS Care Services Act, establishes a state program to provide targeted support for residents living with ALS and their caregivers. The bill requires the Department of Human Services to fund three key services: care coordination and education to help navigate healthcare systems, loan programs for assistive technology and reusable ramps (addressing a common financial barrier as ramps aren't typically covered by insurance), and access to multidisciplinary ALS clinics. These clinics consolidate specialized care, reduce the need for repeated specialist visits and emergency care, and aim to improve patient outcomes while lowering long-term healthcare costs. The program directly affects West Virginia ALS patients and their families by enabling them to remain safely at home longer, reducing reliance on costly institutional care.
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 228 establishes a two-county pilot program requiring child protective services workers in West Virginia to use mobile devices (like tablets) during child abuse and neglect investigations. The bill mandates that these devices must create digital records in real time, automatically upload data daily to department servers, and meet specific technical requirements for security and interoperability with existing systems. The pilot, starting October 2027, requires mobile technology use in at least 70% of cases in the participating counties and runs for five years. The Department of Human Services must report annually on the program’s progress to the Legislative Oversight Commission.
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.
This bill authorizes West Virginia county commissions to lease or permit the use of county-owned wireless towers to private entities, provided those entities meet specific security and compliance requirements. The legislation mandates that any lessee must not be associated with foreign adversaries, terrorist organizations, or entities linked to countries supporting terrorism, and must use secure cellular and cyber defense measures that do not threaten critical infrastructure like voting systems. County commissions are required to conduct due diligence before approving any tower use and are granted immunity from liability if they perform this review in good faith. Additionally, the bill prohibits counties from charging fees for tower use by public safety agencies, state departments of transportation, and other state agencies, though counties may recover actual costs for installation and maintenance.
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.
The Future Ready Education Act allows West Virginia school districts to enter multi-year contracts for educational technology with a technology licensing component, provided they document fiscal savings and include a 30-day cancellation clause. It extends the Mountain State Digital Project to cover grades 9-12 and adds tutoring in reading, math, science, and career-technical education. Starting in the 2026-2027 school year, all kindergarten through fifth-grade teachers must complete training in the science of reading, with public charter school educators permitted to voluntarily participate. The bill directly affects school districts, K-5 teachers, and students in public schools across West Virginia.
