Day 14: Reorganizing the Executive, school discipline & defining 'men' and 'women'

The West Virginia Weakly Legislative Daybook for February 25, 2025

Today is Tuesday, February 25, 2025 — the 14th day of the West Virginia Legislature’s regular session.

Today is Association of Rehabilitation Facilities Day at the Capitol. Those who operate and work in rehabilitation facilities around the state will be in the upper and lower rotunda throughout the day.

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Highlights (all times and agendas subject to change)

• 9:00 a.m. — As budget hearings continue, the House Finance Committee will hear from the Department of Homeland Security and the Attorney General’s office.

• 9:30 a.m. — The Senate Government Organization Committee will take up four bills, half of which deal with elections law or seating public officials. SB 586 appears to be a direct response from Democrats who were upset by Republican Del. Ian Masters being appointed to the Berkeley County seat won in November 2024 by Joseph De Soto, who was elected as a Republican but switched parties just before the House adopted a resolution declaring the seat vacant following his arrest for threatening other lawmakers. Another measure, SB 483, would increase penalties for failing to file campaign finance reports.

• 11:00 a.m. — The House and Senate will each gavel in at their standard start time this morning. The Senate’s floor votes will include:

  • Eng. Com. Sub. SB 136: Increasing penalties and parole eligibility requirements for homicide

  • Eng. Com. Sub. for SB 270: Declaring sale and manufacture of firearms essential business during declared emergency

  • Eng. Com. Sub. for SB 336: Authorizing Department of Homeland Security to promulgate legislative rules

And the House will also put three measures to a vote today:

• Com. Sub. for HB 2042 - Relating to allowing a guardian ad litem to request the appointment of a court appointed special advocate

• Com. Sub. for HB 2066 - Creating a crime for the destruction of first responder equipment.

• Com. Sub. for HB 2363 - Clarifying the groups of persons to whom the criminal prohibitions related to child pornography are inapplicable when such persons are performing their official or employment duties

• 1:00 p.m. — A measure that deals with school discipline will head to an up or down vote in the House Education Committee this afternoon. HB 2515 mandates disciplinary procedures, including the removal of disruptive students as well as creating a statewide disciplinary policy.

• 1:00 p.m. — In it’s stack of bills today, the House Government Organization Committee will tackle HB 2008, which reorganizes the Executive Branch by renaming, consolidating or changing the authority of a number of state departments and agencies.

• 3:00 p.m. — SB 456, which defines the words “men” and “women” — and is part of Gov. Morrisey’s efforts to combat “gender ideology” — will get a look in the Senate Judiciary Committee. A similar bill (HB 2006) appeared this week in House Judiciary and is still pending. The House version is slated for markup and passage out of that committee today.

• 3:00 p.m. — The Senate Finance Committee will hear from three departments/agencies for budget hearings: the West Virginia School Building Authority, the Department of Arts, Culture and History and the Department of Tourism. Keep in mind, though, the governor has floated consolidating Arts, Culture and History and Tourism into a single department as a means to streamline state government. (A bill addressing this and other changes to the executive branch will be taken up by House Government Organization today.)

Senate Floor Calendar Senate Committee Schedule

House Floor Calendar House Committee Schedule

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Weakly Links: News and opinion from around West Virginia

• Save the Children non-profit seeks to get state funding back after being taken off budget ~ Katherine Skeldon, WVMetroNews

• WV lawmakers advancing bills that risk worsening the state’s already poor water quality ~ Mike Tony, The Charleston Gazette-Mail

• School discipline bill returns, but questions remain over where kids kicked out would go ~ Brad McElhinny, WVMetroNews

• House Health votes 13-12 against bill to repeal Certificate of Need in WV ~ Caity Coyne, West Virginia Watch

• Moving mountains made of molehills ~ Steven Allen Adams, The Intelligencer