Sen. Mike Woelfel

Maddy summarySB 843 is a supplemental budget measure that adds $330,000 to the existing appropriation for the Department of Health's Vital Statistics Account (fund 5144) for fiscal year 2026. It specifically increases funding for "Personal Services and Employee Benefits" within this account, using unspent funds identified by the Governor. The bill directly affects the Department of Health's Vital Statistics program, which handles birth, death, and other vital records. This is a procedural budget adjustment to reallocate existing unappropriated funds, not a new policy or program.

Maddy summarySB 796 would repeal a specific section (§51-8-5) of West Virginia law that currently governs how certain official state reports must be distributed. This bill removes the existing legal requirement for distributing these reports but does not establish a new distribution process. The repeal directly affects state agencies responsible for producing and sharing these reports, eliminating the current procedural framework. No new mechanisms or alternatives are specified in the bill text.

Maddy summarySB 793 defines a "day of local significance" as a date when local events like fairs, festivals, parades, or celebrations make court business impractical in a county. It establishes that county courts may designate such days through the chief justice of the Supreme Court or local chief judge, allowing courthouses to close without disrupting court schedules. If a court proceeding is scheduled on a designated day of local significance, it automatically moves to the next non-holiday, non-emergency weekday. This bill clarifies courthouse closure rules for local events while maintaining consistent court operations on standard legal holidays.

Maddy summarySB 868 increases funding for payments to claimants who have filed claims against the State of West Virginia. It amends the existing budget allocation by raising the total amount from $864,750 to $2,314,750 (split as $1.1 million general revenue, $250,000 special revenue, and $964,750 state road funds) to cover a higher volume of claims. This adjustment directly affects individuals and entities seeking compensation for claims against the state, which have risen due to expedited payment processes established by prior legislation. The bill does not create new policies but adjusts existing fiscal provisions to address increased claim volumes.

Maddy summaryThis bill adds $13,099 to the Department of Administration's Office of the Secretary (Fund 0186) for "Current Expenses - Surplus" in fiscal year 2026. It directly affects the Department of Administration by allocating an existing unappropriated surplus balance identified in the Governor's budget. The bill makes a minor procedural budget adjustment to use leftover state funds without creating new programs or impacting citizens or organizations. It is a routine fiscal amendment, not a substantive policy change.

Maddy summarySB 821 is a budget reallocation bill that moves $21 million from the Premium Tax Savings Fund (fund 2367) to the Public Entity Insurance Trust Fund (fund 2363) within the Department of Administration. It uses unspent funds from the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, to supplement the Public Entity Insurance Trust Fund's budget. This bill directly affects state insurance funds and administrative operations, not individual citizens or new policies. The change is purely procedural, transferring existing unappropriated funds between two state insurance trust funds without creating new programs or changing laws.

Maddy summarySB 823 is a procedural budget adjustment that adds $13,000 to the existing appropriation for the West Virginia Department of Revenue's Alcohol Beverage Control Administration (fund 7352) for fiscal year 2026. This supplementary funding covers current operational expenses already allocated within the agency's budget. The bill does not create new policies or affect citizens directly - it simply adjusts an existing budget line item using unspent funds. The measure was introduced at the executive branch's request and refers to the agency's current fiscal year 2026 budget.

Maddy summaryWest Virginia's SB 800 updates jury selection procedures to ensure a fair cross-section of the population. It requires counties to compile a master list of potential jurors using voter registration, driver's license records, or state tax returns (selecting the same percentage from each source), replacing outdated methods like physical "jury boxes" with electronic systems. The bill clarifies that court clerks must maintain these lists, remove jurors who served within the past two years, and make the lists publicly accessible. This directly affects citizens summoned for jury duty and streamlines administrative tasks for court clerks and the state's administrative director.

Maddy summarySB 830 adds $7.77 million to the Department of Human Services' Adoption program (fund 0488), $19.69 million to Foster Care (fund 0489), and $1 million to Adult Services (fund 0492) for fiscal year 2026. It uses unappropriated surplus funds from the State General Revenue Fund, as identified in the Governor's 2026 budget document. The bill directly affects these three DHS bureaus by providing additional funding for their existing programs without changing eligibility or service requirements. This is a procedural budget adjustment, not a new policy.

Maddy summarySB 817 adds $1,000,000 in supplemental funding to West Virginia’s Northern Regional Juvenile Center (part of the Bureau of Juvenile Services under the Department of Homeland Security) for fiscal year 2026. The funds come from an unappropriated surplus balance in the State Fund, General Revenue, as identified in the Governor’s 2026 budget submission. This allocation specifically supports the existing operations of the Northern Regional Juvenile Center without creating new programs or altering service requirements. The bill does not change eligibility, funding formulas, or policy standards - it simply reallocates unused state funds to a designated facility.