Legislative Update: Critical Votes Ahead – Here’s What’s at Stake

Here are updates on bills we flagged last week, plus new developments, and ways to take action.

Climate & Energy: The Ratepayer Bill of Rights, HB 5648, is now pending in the House Energy & Public Works Committee.

• Take Action: Call your House Delegate and urge them to support HB 5648 and protect West Virginia ratepayers. Then follow up with a written message.
• Attend Affordability Day at the Capitol on Feb. 26 to meet with lawmakers and show your support. Learn more and sign up here.

Clean Water: The Clean Water Act, HB 5585, remains off the House Energy and Public Works agenda. This bill provides critical emergency funding to bring immediate relief to southern West Virginia.

• Take Action: Add a public comment directly on the WV Legislature website urging the committee to put HB 5585 on its agenda. (Look for the “add a public comment” button next to the bill number.)
• Watch our reel and read coalfield residents’ demands from Rural Advocacy Day at the Capitol.

Data Centers: HB 4983 advances data center certification rules but strips key transparency protections for communities. Amendments addressing water impacts and disclosure were rejected. The bill is now pending in Senate Judiciary. Meanwhile, HB 4013, which would expand tax breaks for data centers, remains off the House Finance agenda.

Healthcare: The Senate passed SB 173, restricting access to abortion pills by mail. The bill is now pending in the House Judiciary Committee. 

• Take action: Attend Reproductive Justice Day on March 6.

At the same time, the Senate is advancing SB 805, framed as “abortion pill reversal,” it passed Senate Health and now heads to Senate Finance, signaling potential state funding for pregnancy care organizations. Learn more and take action here.

Budget Priorities: Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s proposed 10% income tax cut relies on one-time surplus funds to cover ongoing costs like Medicaid after shifting more than $100 million from the agency that pays those bills. The Senate budget includes the tax cut; the House version does not.

Democracy & Human Rights: More than 100 election-related bills have been introduced this session. The Senate has passed four election bills so far, including SB 640, which blocks public access to employer information for political donors. The Senate has also passed SB 643, repealing West Virginia’s public campaign financing program for Supreme Court elections. 

Immigration Enforcement: SB 615 passed the Senate on Feb. 9 and is now pending in the House Judiciary Committee. The bill requires state and local law enforcement to immediately transfer individuals identified as undocumented immigrants to federal authorities.

The Senate has also passed HB 4433, which would criminalize providing certain forms of aid to undocumented residents and exempt undocumented migrants from restitution if they are victims of human trafficking. The Senate has asked the House to concur with its changes.

Read the full update for bill numbers and key details.

Visit our legislative resource page to follow the action from trusted sources. Use the Legislature’s Bill Status page to follow key bills, and the Listen Live page to find committee agendas and tune in.