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
March 6, 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 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. Passed as amended Full Senate. Ordered to House. 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. Sent to House Judiciary. Passed Full House. Communicated to Senate. WVFB supports.
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. (Similar resolutions HR 10 and HR 13.) Passed Full Senate. HR 13 passed Full House.
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. (Similar bill SB 693.) Sent to Finance. On second reading Full House. Passed Full House. Sent to Senate. WVFB monitoring.
HB 4462 By Delegate Heckert. Bill prohibits sale of cell-cultured products. (Similar bill SB 225.) Sent to Government Organization. Passed Full House. Sent to Senate Agriculture. WVFB monitoring.
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. Bill combined with SB 642. Passed Senate Finance. Passed Full Senate. Sent to House 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. Amended in to SB 894. Passed Full Senate. 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. On third reading Full Senate. Passed Full Senate. Sent to House Judiciary. WVFB monitoring.
The following bills were introduced during Week 4 (February 2-6):
SB 686 By Senator Rose. Bill establishes coal co-tenancy procedures, including mineral lease terms, and addresses non-consenting and unlocatable owners’ interest. Passed Senate Energy. Sent to Senate Judiciary. Passed Full Senate as amended. Sent to House. WVFB monitoring.
SB 712 By Senator Morris. Bill permits installation of cattle guards on certain public roads. Sent to Agriculture. Passed on first reading Full Senate. Passed Full Senate. Sent to House Energy & Public Works. On first reading Full House. WVFB supports.
SB 714 By Senator Rucker. Bill provides for extensive update to West Virginia law for practice and requirements for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and certified animal euthanasia technicians. Bill increases certain criminal penalties. Sent to Government Organization. On third reading Full Senate. Passed Full Senate. Sent to House Government Organization. WVFB monitoring.
SB 759 By Senator Thorne. Bill updates and clarifies West Virginia auctioneer law and redefines auction definition to include on-line sales. Bill provides for rules for subcontracting auctions and disclosure of buyer fees. (Similar bill HB 5179.) Sent to Government Organization. Passed. Sent to Finance. Passed Full Senate. Sent to House Government Organization. WVFB supports.
The following bills were introduced during Week 5 (February 9-13):
SB 925 By Senator Hart. Bill provides that activity or program sanctioned by Future Farmers of America shall not count toward 10-day school absence standards. Sent to Education. Passed Full Senate. Sent to House Education. WVFB supports.
SB 927 By Senator Hart. Bill provides Agriculture Commissioner with exclusive authority to register, permit, and regulate bees, bee equipment, and apiaries in West Virginia. Bill amends Right to Farm legislation to include clear and convincing evidence regarding agricultural operations in court proceedings. Bill prevents counties or other political subdivisions to bring civil or criminal action to be brought as long as the farm operator is in material compliance with state law. Sent to Agriculture. Passed. Sent to Full Senate. Passed Full Senate. Sent to House Government Organization. WVFB supports.
The following bill was introduced during Week 6 (February 16-20):
HB 5381 By Delegate Hanshaw. Bill is requested by the Governor and provides for a comprehensive consolidation and development of energy in West Virginia to be accomplished by the West Virginia Office of Energy. WVFB generally supports energy development; however, this bill allows the entering of any land to conduct surveys and narrows market value of property used in energy development. On second reading Full House. Passed Full House as amended. Sent to Senate. WVFB monitoring.
The following bill was introduced during Week 8 (March 2-6):
HJR 42 By Delegate Criss. Resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to the State Constitution for a five-year phased in increase to the homestead exemption up to $50,000, to be applied to residential or farm property. WVFB supports.