The Voice of Agriculture in the Mountain State
2026 Legislative Handbook
Would you like to become more involved in the legislative process but don’t know where to start? Well, look no further!
This 12 page guide will help you find your representative’s contact information, the committees upon which they serve, and will even give you tips on how to most effectively communicate with them. A must-have for every civic-minded voter.
Today in the Legislature
Legislative Action Report
Today in the Legislature is a daily synopsis of legislative activities maintained by the West Virginia Legislature’s Office
January 30, 2026
The 2026 West Virginia Legislative Session began on January 12. Governor Patrick Morrisey presented his state-of-the-state address that concentrated on economic development, state employee pay raises, and further reductions of personal income tax. Staff budget presentations before the House and Senate Finance Committees indicate a proposed $5.49 billion general revenue budget, an increase of 3.2 percent over last year. A total of $10 billion in federal funds is anticipated to be available for expenditures. Rainy day and pension funds appear to be very positive. The current rainy day fund has a balance of $1.4 billion. The Governor proposed a fully funded budget for public education at a little over $2 billion, the Hope Scholarship at $230 million, and teacher pay raises of $78 million. Economic development support, school aid formula issues, and child welfare reform will be priority topics.
The West Virginia Senate, under direction of President Randy Smith, began the 87th Legislature session. The House of Delegates was convened by Speaker Roger Hanshaw.
Over 800 bills were submitted for consideration during the opening week. All proposed legislation and committee assignments may be found at www.wvlegislature.gov. Those of interest to agricultural producers and rural West Virginians are included in this report. Updates are in bold.
Updates are in bold. All bills not passing one chamber have been deleted.
The following bills were introduced during Week 1 (January 14-16) of the 60-day session.
SB 15 By Senator Rose. Bill protects coal and gas mineral interests from carbon sequestration storage practices that prevent or limit development. Sent to Energy, Industry & Mining. Passed on Second Reading Full Senate. Passed Full Senate. Sent to House Energy. WVFB supports.
SB 19 By Senator Rose. Bill limits the purchase or acquisition of title to real property by certain aliens or foreign entities. Sent to Judiciary. WVFB monitoring.
SB 27 By Senator Barrett. Bill reduces the time to bring action on statute of limitations on oral or written contracts from 10 years to 5 years. (Similar bill SB 85.) Sent to Judiciary. WVFB monitoring.
SB 40 By Senator Rucker. Bill provides for reciprocity for licensed veterinarians and veterinary technicians who are licensed in another state, providing they are in good standing in the other state. Sent to Government Organization. (Similar bill HB 4762.) WVFB supports.
SB 44 By Senator Rucker. Bill allows for the sale of homemade food items under certain conditions as per WVDA and federal regulations. (Similar bill HB 4076.) Sent to Health & Human Resources. WVFB monitoring.
SB 45 By Senator Thorne. Bill authorizes reduced property appraisals to certain corporate owners of farm property. Sent to Agriculture. WVFB monitoring.
SB 62 By Senator Rucker. Bill allows Agriculture Commissioner to have final authority on agritourism activities, provided activities adhere to fire protection rules. Sent to Government Organization. WVFB monitoring.
SB 73 By Senator Rucker. Bill clarifies that property used for solar installations are not agricultural operations. Sent to Agriculture. WVFB monitoring.
SB 84 By Senator Thorne. Bill prohibits surveillance cameras or game cameras on certain private land without proper consent. Bill provides for certain exceptions for law enforcement officers. Sent to Judiciary. Passed as amended. Sent to Full Senate. Passed Full Senate. WVFB supports.
SB 95 By Senator Hamilton. Bill creates a WV educational pilot program for farm equipment right to repair. Sent to Education. WVFB monitoring.
SB 97 By Senator Hamilton. Bill creates Equipment Right to
Repair Act and authorizes Agriculture Commissioner’s jurisdiction and implementation of 19-40-1-7 of WV Code. (Similar bill HB 4814.) Sent to Agriculture. WVFB monitoring.
SB 118 By Senator Tarr. Bill establishes WV forest carbon registry by Division of Forestry and provides a $2,500 penalty for first offense non-compliance. Sent to Energy. Passed. Sent to Senate Finance. WVFB opposes.
SB 165 By Senator Thorne. Bill amends Right to Farm legislation to prevent any city or political subdivision from complaint or action on agricultural residential land used for urban agriculture. (Similar bill HB 4498.) Sent to Agriculture. WVFB monitoring.
SB 201 By Senator Weld. Bill establishes felony offense to WV Code for animal cruelty. Bill has several undefined ambiguous terms, with $1,000 to $3,000 fines and imprisonment. Bill does have some agricultural protections. Sent to Judiciary. WVFB opposes.
SB 225 By Senator Hart. Bill prohibits manufacture, sale, or distribution of cultivated meat products for a 5-year period. Sent to Agriculture. WVFB monitoring.
SB 245 By Senator Clements. Bill requires declaration of pooled units to be filed with clerk of county in which all wells are to be drilled. Sent to Energy. WVFB supports.
SB 387 By Senator Thorne. Bill authorizes Agriculture Commissioner to certify a farm for certain tax purposes, starting in 2027. Sent to Agriculture. WVFB monitoring.
HB 4030 By Delegate Mallow. Bill requires standardization of all oil and gas leases. Sent to Judiciary. WVFB opposes.
HB 4042 By Delegate Mallow. Bill exempts farm structures from property taxes if 40 percent of owner’s income comes from farmland. Sent to Finance. WVFB supports.
HB 4043 By Delegate Mallow. Bill provides additional homestead exemption of property tax for WV families if more than 50 percent of income is produced on the farm. Sent to Finance. WFB monitoring.
HB 4129 By Delegate Horst. Bill clarifies process for law enforcement to enter private land, addresses the use of surveillance cameras, and abolishes open field doctrine. Sent to Judiciary. WVFB supports.
HB 4338 By Delegate Kump. Bill amends eminent domain for blighted property. Sent to Judiciary. WVFB monitoring.
The following bills were introduced during Week 2 (January 19-23):
SR 7 By Senator Oliverio. Resolution supports U.S. Congress Bill HR 5966 which provides funding for Ohio River Basin Restoration Program. Passed Full Senate.
SB 550 By Senator Woelfel. Bill changes Public Service Commission members from appointed to non-partisan 6-year terms. Sent to Judiciary. WVFB monitoring.
HB 4056 By Delegate Mallow. Bill equips county commissioners with full authority to require removal of certain buildings by resolution. Sent to Judiciary. WVFB opposes.
HB 4130 By Delegate Mallow. Bill enhances animal control officers’ authority, selling of dogs, and establishes broad, unreasonable animal welfare standards. Bill increases fines for violations by commercial dog breeders and elevates some violations of Chapter 61 of the WV Code to 1 to 5 years imprisonment and $1,000 to $5,000 fines. Sent to Government Organization. WVFB opposes.
HB 4416 By Delegate Hott. Bill classifies forestry harvesting equipment as Class I property and recognizes forestry as a component of agriculture and therefore to be tax exempt. Sent to Finance. WVFB monitoring.
HB 4462 By Delegate Heckert. Bill prohibits sale of cell-cultured products. (Similar bill SB 225.) Sent to Government Organization. WVFB monitoring.
HB 4479 By Delegate Howell. Bill provides tax credits to processors of round wood into value-added products in West Virginia. Sent to Finance. WVFB monitoring.
HB 4498 By Delegate Linville. Bill expands right to farm legislation to include urban agriculture. Bill prohibits municipalities or cities from establishing rules for beekeeping. (Similar bill SB 165.) Sent to Government Organization. WVFB monitoring.
HB 4499 By Delegate Funkhouser. Bill addresses eminent domain for property taken for public projects. Sent to Judiciary. WVFB monitoring.
HB 4632 By Delegate Dillon. Bill expands right to keep bees and gives Agriculture Commissioner certain inspection and quarantine authority on beekeeping operations. Sent to Government Organization. WVFB monitoring.
HB 4675 By Delegate Anders. Bill prevents county governments from imposing a fee on property with regard to the amount of storm water or rain that emits from the tract of land. Sent to Energy. WVFB supports.
HB 4676 By Delegate Anders. Bill abolishes open field doctrine as known in common law. Sent to Judiciary. WVFB supports.
HB 4677 By Delegate Anders. Bill requires DNR officials to obtain warrants to enter private property unless in the case of emergency, accidents, or imminent threats to public safety. (Similar bill HB 4129.) Sent to Judiciary. WVFB supports.
The following bills were introduced during Week 3 (January 26-30):
SB 603 By Senator Thorne. Bill requires one citizen member on the State Property Valuation Training & Procedures Committee to have a background or knowledge of agriculture. Sent to Government Organization. WVFB supports.
SB 631 By Senator Smith. Bill transfers all interest of conservation districts in flood control dams, including associated property and related funds, to the State Soil Conservation Agency by July 1, 2026. Sent to Natural Resources. WVFB monitoring.
SB 651 By Senator Smith. Bill creates process for sale of tax lien affected property by State Auditor. Bill directs that the land sells within 150 days after certified for sale and includes guidelines for distribution of sale proceeds. Sent to Government Organization. WVFB monitoring.
SB 665 By Senator Hamilton. Bill provides new code language to address geo-engineering and weather modification activities. Bill equips DEP to investigate credible reports on geo-engineering. Sent to Natural Resources. WVFB monitoring.
HB 4800 By Delegate Pinson. Bill expands Chapter 19 of the WV Code to require all livestock to be protected as pertains to dogs wounding livestock. Sent to Government Organization. WVFB monitoring.
HB 4813 By Delegate Cooper. Bill exempts sales tax on all-terrain vehicles used as farm equipment. Sent to Finance. WVFB supports.
HB 4867 By Delegate Willis. Bill addresses oil/gas well reporting requirements to mineral owners. Bill clarifies payment requirement and provides for penalty for failure to pay in a timely fashion. Sent to House Energy. WVFB supports.
HB 4907 By Delegate Burkhammer. Bill outlaws certain federal registered herbicide products from application within 1,000 feet of schools. Bill also applies to fluorinated chemicals that contain at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom. Sent to Health. WVFB opposes.
HB 4913 By Delegate Anders. Bill establishes Working Farm Protection Act. Bill exempts first 100 acres of agricultural property from all state or county ad valorem property taxes. Sent to Government Organization. WVFB monitoring.