WV Legislature: A look at some notable bills from the recent legislative session that made it into law

By Autumn Shelton, RealWV

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia now has over 200 new laws following the end of the recent legislative session.

In addition to new laws that have received widespread attention, such as the statewide classroom ban on cell phones, the statewide ban on certain food dyes, the Power Generation and Consumption Act, and the Riley Gaines Act, other notable laws include: 

• Senate Bill 50 – This bill requires that municipal elections be held on the same day as statewide elections. Any municipality must have an amended charter reflecting this change by 2032. 
• Senate Bill 154 – This bill prohibits public schools from instructing students on gender identity or sexual orientation. Teachers may respond to student questions regarding sexual orientation or gender identity as long as the question relates to the topic of instruction, if referring to sexual orientation or gender identity is necessary for the topic of instruction or if reference to sexual orientation or gender identity is necessary to address a disciplinary matter. The bill becomes effective on July 11, 2025. 
• Senate Bill 299 – This bill modifies state regulations on prescribing hormonal therapy medication and providing gender reassignment surgery to those under the age of 18. It provides for revocations of professional licenses for allopathic physicians, osteopathic, physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses if they have provided either gender reassignment surgery or gender altering medication to a person who is under age 18, and allows the state’s Attorney General to bring an enforcement action. The bill becomes effective on July 11, 2025. 
• Senate Bill 427 – This bill repeals a law that requires 14 and 15 year olds to obtain a work permit as a condition of employment – as long as they have parental permission and an age certification from the state Commissioner of Labor. This bill becomes effective in July. 
• Senate Bill 474 – This bill was requested by Gov. Morrisey. It ends diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in the executive branch, public schools and public charter schools, and institutions of higher education in West Virginia. It also prohibits the establishment of an office or division that promotes DEI, the hiring of an employee to promote DEI, and giving preference to a job applicant on the basis of DEI. This bill takes effect on July 11, 2025. 
• Senate Bill 586 – This bill requires the Governor to appoint an individual to fill a legislative vacancy from the same political party that held the seat at the time of the election. Additionally, the person appointed to the seat must have been a “member of his or her registered political party for at least one year prior to the occurrence of the vacancy.” This bill became effective on the day of passage – April 12. 
• Senate Bill 627 – This bill allows for the leasing of state-owned pore spaces under state parks, natural and scenic areas, and wildlife management areas for carbon sequestration. This bill becomes effective on July 8, 2025. 
• Senate Bill 837– This bill eliminates the West Virginia Office of Equal Opportunity. It does allow for the position of a State Equal Opportunity Coordinator who must have an “in-depth working knowledge of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, The Equal Pay Act of 1963, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1977, Sections 102 and 103 of the Civil Rights Act of 1991, Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008.” 
• House Bill 2434 – This bill, the Stop Squatters Act, provides for the immediate removal by a law enforcement officer of a person unlawfully occupying a residential dwelling or commercial building and provides a civil cause of action for unlawful removal. This bill becomes effective July 10, 2025. 
• House Bill 2528 – This bill allows students in private, parochial or other nonpublic schools to participate in county athletic tournaments. This bill becomes effective on July 10, 2025. 
• House Bill 2576 – This bill, the NIL Act, provides rights, authorities and limitations on the name, image and likeness of a student-athlete in an institution of higher education. It became effective upon passage in April. 
• House Bill 2595 – This bill, the Nonprofit Athletics Act, authorizes “institutions of higher education to contract with a private corporation to operational, economic, fiscal, and educational development activities and services related to intercollegiate athletics’ programs of the state institution of higher education.” It became effective upon passage in April. 
• House Bill 2695 – This bill adds the Raleigh County and Mason County Commissions to the list of those who may levy a special district excise tax. In Raleigh County, the special district excise tax will benefit the Raleigh County Economic Opportunity Development District which comprises approximately 1,600 contiguous acres of land, subject to holding a public hearing.” In Mason County, the special district excise tax will benefit the “Town of Henderson Economic Opportunity District which comprises approximately 150 contiguous acres of land, subject to holding a public hearing.” This bill takes effect on July 11, 2025. 
• House Bill 3164 – This bill requires those who must be listed on the Central Abuse Registry, including sex offenders, to pay an annual $125 fee credited to the account of the West Virginia State Police. The fees collected by the State Police must first be used to enhance mental health services for State Troopers and then to fund general operations of the State Police. The bill takes effect on July 11, 2025. 
• House Bill 3263 – This bill requires utility companies to “have an outage communication plan in place to notify customers of any planned and any unexpected disruption of utility services.” It becomes effective on July 10, 2025. 
• House Bill 3492 – This bill allows the city of Huntington to join South Charleston as a municipality that may levy a special district excise tax. The special district excise tax in Huntington will benefit the “City of Huntington Economic Opportunity Development District which comprises 146 acres of land, subject to holding public hearing.” 

Twenty-nine additional bills that have been signed into law are discussed here. 

Of the hundreds of bills that were signed into law in the previous weeks by Gov. Morrisey, only six were vetoed.

Morrisey has indicated that he will call a special legislative session to discuss the Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) and more topics that weren’t addressed during the regular session.