Rep. Dave McCormick

Maddy summaryHB 2422 would require all municipal elections in West Virginia to be held on the same day as statewide primary or general elections, which occur on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November during even-numbered years for general elections. This change would directly affect cities and towns (municipalities), eliminating separate local election dates and mandating coordination with county commissions on election timing, administrative costs, and election official use. Municipalities would share election costs based on their proportion of registered voters in the county, and must comply with existing rules for county election official coordination. The bill aims to streamline election administration by aligning municipal elections with the established statewide election cycle.

Maddy summaryHB 2475 raises pay for special education staff in West Virginia. It matches the salary of Special Education Aides (Aide V) to Early Childhood Classroom Assistant Teachers' pay scale and adds a 5% increase for those aides. It also provides a 10% pay increase for self-contained special education teachers. The bill defines a "critical vacancy" as a position needed for student safety or compliance, requiring certified staff to fill such roles immediately until a new hire is secured. This directly affects special education aides and teachers in self-contained classrooms across West Virginia school districts.

Maddy summaryHB 2939, the Remote Schools Support Act, creates a new definition for "extremely remote schools" in West Virginia and provides specific state funding to support them. The bill requires counties to keep these schools open by providing additional state aid, with enrollment in such schools counted as 2.5 students for funding calculations. It mandates state funding to cover building operations, extreme weather preparedness, and professional development for staff at these schools. This directly affects rural schools in sparse-density counties by altering how they receive state education funding to prevent closures.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates West Virginia's campaign finance rules by allowing corporations and membership organizations (including nonprofits and LLCs) to directly contribute to candidates, candidate committees, or political action committees. It clarifies reporting requirements for these contributions and defines key terms like "corporation" and "contribution" to improve transparency. The changes affect candidates, their committees, and corporate donors by streamlining disclosure rules for campaign spending. The bill focuses on modernizing reporting standards rather than restricting contributions.

Maddy summaryHB 3293 amends West Virginia's corporate tax code to reduce the net income tax rate from 7% to 6.75% for taxable periods beginning January 1, 2025. It directly affects all domestic and foreign corporations operating in West Virginia or earning income from state sources, excluding certain exempt entities. The bill implements this specific rate change through a straightforward adjustment to the existing tax code section without altering exemption rules or complex mechanisms. This reduction would lower tax payments for qualifying corporations starting in 2025, with no mention of additional conditions or revenue impacts in the bill text.

Maddy summaryHCR 81 is a concurrent resolution requesting the West Virginia Department of Tourism to collaborate with the West Virginia Golf Association to develop a plan for a "West Virginia’s Almost Heaven Golf Trail." The plan must include at least one public golf course in each of the state’s nine tourism districts, incorporating five specific state park courses (Stonewall, Cacapon, Pipestem, Twin Falls, and Canaan Valley Resorts). The Department of Tourism must submit this plan to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance by December 1, 2025. This resolution does not fund or create the trail but directs a feasibility study for tourism promotion.

Maddy summaryHB 3132 sets new requirements for commercial dog breeders in West Virginia, defined as those maintaining 11 or more unsterilized dogs over one year for breeding. It mandates annual permits with county-set fees (capped at $350 for smaller "Class I" operations and $750 for larger "Class II" operations), with funds directed to animal shelters and spay/neuter programs. Breeders must obtain annual vet certifications for breeding females, maintain rabies certificates for all dogs, include permit numbers in advertisements and on cages, and provide written buyer disclosures. The bill directly affects commercial breeders operating at scale, aiming to standardize care and transparency in dog sales.

Maddy summaryHB 3239 establishes the West Virginia Tri-Share Child-Care Assistance Program to help families who do not qualify for existing state child-care subsidies. The program requires employers (with 20+ weeks of employees) to contribute toward child-care costs for their employees, while the state matches those contributions up to 100% using funds administered by the Department of Economic Development. Eligible employees must have household income below the state median, and the state match is paid directly to child-care facilities, not employees. This program fills gaps in current state subsidies by creating a public-private partnership where employers, the state, and employees share costs for child-care services.

Maddy summaryHB 2437 clarifies enhanced penalties for crimes involving fentanyl, specifically targeting individuals convicted of possessing, delivering, or manufacturing fentanyl as a Schedule II substance. It increases penalties for these offenses: a $50,000 fine or 3-15 years in prison (instead of the standard $25,000 fine or 1-15 years), directly affecting those convicted of fentanyl-related crimes. The bill amends West Virginia law to explicitly state these higher penalties when fentanyl - alone or mixed with other substances - is the Schedule II controlled substance involved. It does not change penalties for other drugs or create new offenses, only clarifying existing sentencing for fentanyl cases. The bill passed the House on March 5, 2025, and is now pending in the Senate.

Maddy summaryHB 3069 creates a salary adjustment for West Virginia teachers based on regional housing costs. It provides a "market pay enhancement" to certified teachers in counties where base salaries fall below competitive levels relative to neighboring areas, calculated using median home prices from the National Association of Realtors. The enhancement amount is determined annually by comparing the median home price in a teacher’s county and adjacent counties (including border states) to West Virginia’s statewide median, then applying a percentage-based multiplier to the county’s average teacher salary. This adjustment applies only to teachers in counties where base pay is deemed insufficiently competitive, with the first calculation effective July 15, 2025, and updated every five years thereafter. The policy directly affects public school teachers in West Virginia counties facing regional pay disparities.