Transcript Highlights:

• Forest Service.
• Forest Service.
• </c><00:26:29.600><c> on</c> owners and also the forest service on owners and also the forest service
• We then put together recommendations, bring those to the commission at our May meeting, commission and
• </c><01:20:04.480><c> and</c> the land owners and the commission and the land owners and the commission

Bills: HB0078 , HB0087 , SF0070 , SF0068 , SF0017 , SF0043

Committee: Senate Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> decision unless it holds no public decision unless it holds no public hearing,<00:10:47.040><c>
• </c> Services that I'll present to you after. Services that I'll present to you after.
• It'll be a volunteer commission.
• </c> department of administrative services department of administrative services that<01:09:26.400><c
• Veteran Services. However, testimony um Veteran Services.

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 74, which would require state agencies, especially the Department of Environmental Services and other permitting agencies, to report more detailed data on permit applications, approvals, denials, pending applications, and permits taking longer than 90 days. The sponsor’s representative and a lawyer who helped draft the bill argued that the legislature needs comprehensive permitting data to evaluate whether current timelines are reasonable and whether regulatory delays are burdening property owners and economic activity. They said the information should already be tracked within existing budgets, despite a fiscal note claiming additional staff would be needed. A Business and Industry Association representative supported the bill, saying better data is needed to understand actual permitting timelines and to help streamline the process, especially in light of housing and development concerns. Members asked whether the bill was simply collecting data without a clear next step, and the response was that the data would allow lawmakers to judge whether existing deadlines, extensions, and exemptions are justified and whether changes to permit timelines are needed. Several members agreed the information would be useful and that agencies should already be tracking it. The committee then voted to pass Senate Bill 74 on a roll call, with the motion approved and the bill placed on consent for further consideration, with a note that it would go to finance for review of the fiscal note. The committee then took up Senate Bill 196, which would raise the threshold for certain in-house construction projects handled by the Department of Military Affairs and Veterans Services and two other departments from $500,000 to $1 million, described as an inflationary update. The sponsor said the department’s existing staff can handle these smaller renovation-type projects and that the bill should not require new positions; the deputy adjutant general later confirmed the department does not need additional staff and said the projects are typically roof, boiler, and similar repairs. Members asked about a fiscal note suggesting new positions and about revenue/expenditure impacts, and the sponsor explained that the fiscal note language appeared to reflect an earlier draft and that the budget effect is largely a shift in where the work is performed. The committee recessed briefly for the deputy adjutant general’s arrival, then continued discussion of the bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• The commission will be comprised of seven members or their designees.
• We represent approximately 470 public water agencies statewide.
• Public water agencies are tasked with providing the public with safe and reliable drinking water.
• As amended to the Commission Committee on Appropriations.
• It is with the Office of Emergency Services, training in transnational. repression.

Committee: House Emergency Management

Transcript Highlights:

• And also, you're on the Mojave County Public Lands Commission, a very important commission that we started
• And also, you're on the Mojave County Public Lands Commission, very important commission that we started
• Public Safety. Senate Bill 11, medical examiners on infant death. Health and Human Services.
• Public Safety. House Bill 1070? public records review standard. Government.
• Public Safety. House Bill 1070? public records review standard. Government.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> why cessation services are so important. why cessation services are so important.
• </c> department of uh the liquor commission department of uh the liquor commission is<01:05:11.839><c
• That uh concludes the public Okay.
• </c><01:22:07.280><c> for</c> only police, fire or DPW services for only police, fire or DPW services
• Of the public.

Committee: House Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• So, Transportation Commission since 2019, the transportation commission has had 9 commission members
• Some changes were made on the Transportation Commission today.
• We have a tremendous commission. And our commission is truly a governance commission.
• Public transit now has a presence in all 77 counties.
• The Biggest challenge with Amtrak service is scheduling.

Transcript Highlights:

• program to contract for supplemental caseworker aid services for the Bureau for Social Services.
• program to contract for supplemental caseworker aid services for the Bureau for Social Services.
• program to contract for supplemental caseworker aid services for the Bureau for Social Services.
• The bill requires the Public Service Commission to review and validate load forecasts, coordinate with
• The purpose of this bill is to require the Department of Human Services to create an ALS Care Services

Summary: The Senate met on March 11, 2026, with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, journal approval, and numerous guest and page introductions, including school groups, prayer caucus visitors, and advocates for Home Family Education Day and Women in Blue Day. The chamber then took up committee reports and a large number of House bills, most of them on third reading, along with several resolutions and referrals. Senate Resolution 62, designating March 12, 2026, as West Virginia Athletic Trainers Day, was adopted after remarks emphasizing the value of athletic trainers in preventing injuries and tragedies in school sports. Several other resolutions and concurrent resolutions were referred to the Committee on Rules or laid over under the rules. The Senate passed a wide range of bills addressing economic development, public safety, health, licensing, and state administration. Measures approved included bills on the West Virginia Collaboratory at Marshall University, the Business Ready Sites program, volunteer fire company spending authority, the Load Forecast Accountability Act, funeral service licensure, work zone fines, biennial business reporting, correctional officer retirement law, the Right to Try Act, quick claim deed tax exemptions, an ibogaine drug-development grant program, aggravated vehicular homicide sentencing, 529 savings plan definitions, opportunity zones, barber apprenticeship, municipal and county hotel occupancy fund uses, criminal-record licensing standards, intimate image disclosure remedies, executor training materials, contempt penalties, PEIA treatment flexibility, PANS/PANDAS information, the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact, capitation rate review expansions, convention and visitors bureau board membership, peer support services, cosmetology licensure compacts, natural resource police retirement, DNR fee indexing, ALS care services, the Neighborhood Investment Program, oil and gas well plugging and carbon capture-related provisions, DUI technical changes, abuse intervention program terminology, and a youth summer employment and career readiness program. Most bills passed overwhelmingly, with a few closer votes, including the Load Forecast Accountability Act and the DNR fee-indexing bill. Several bills were amended on the floor, including title amendments and strike-and-insert changes. The Senate also debated the work zone penalty bill, with supporters citing worker safety and fatalities and opponents arguing the bill increased fines too much without requiring removal of outdated work-zone signs. On the energy-related load forecast bill, senators discussed the inclusion of provisions from Senate Bill 420 and concerns about coal plant utilization and utility impacts. After debate, the Senate adopted amendments and passed the bill. In most cases, after passage the Senate ordered the bills communicated to the House, and for a few measures it also adopted title amendments or made bills effective from passage or on a specified date.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:22:10.000><c> I</c> not using a lot of city services. I not using a lot of city services.
• </c> demanding more city services? demanding more city services?
• </c><02:53:02.880><c> a</c> long-term drinking water commission a long-term drinking water commission
• </c> public hearing on HB1409. public hearing on HB1409.
• ,</c> and waiting for that commission, and waiting for that commission, which<04:35:32.799><c> is</c>

Committee: House Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• Are we saying there's no education-related services happening in our public schools?
• Are we saying there's no education-related services happening in our public schools?
• Are we saying there's no education-related services happening in our public schools?
• Are we saying there's no education-related services happening in our public schools?
• We also provide funding for nursing services, for counseling services at our non-public schools. schools

Bills: HF3490 , HF4040

Committee: House Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• those who sit on the boards and commissions.
• So this is a public body. This hearing is a public body.
• So it's not a mandate, a change thing for every public body.
• It's not for the general public. It's for those that actually sit on the commission. Right.
• in a public meeting.

Bills: HB4 , HB206 , HB244 , HB270 , HB361 , HB459 , HB486 , HB540 , HB615 , HB627 , HB648 , HB813 , HB996

Committee: House House and Governmental Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• saying filming somebody in public.
• Secret Service.
• An investigation commission, a committee commissioned by the Attorney General.
• And public officials.
• Of public safety, justice, and protecting public safety dollars.

Bills: HB867 , HB1347 , HB1801 , HB1820 , HB2197 , HB2617 , HB3110 , HB3166 , HB3330 , HB4237 , HB4342 , HB4629 , HB4933 , HJR148

Committee: House Criminal Jurisprudence

Transcript Highlights:

• And then for the public, our time's up, we can go. Okay, first day, we're all...
• So, since we have so many compacts in terms of public comment...
• We dialed in another group at the public school in Ruidoso, for example.
• And it's basically to cover the cost of the administration of the National Commission.
• They desperately need these services. Thank you. My name is Adrian Bratcher.

Committee: House House Health & Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• and Human Services.
• Chair, Representative Nelson, they are two separate services.
• access for those services.
• those services.
• service worker to determine eligibility in those districts.

Committee: House Appropriations

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 2271, which would formally place adult residential facilities in code and rebase their Medicaid reimbursement rates. Sponsor Chairman Ruby and HHS staff explained that these facilities, often serving people with dementia or acquired brain injury, are reimbursed at a much lower rate than skilled nursing care and help reduce bottlenecks in higher-level facilities. Members questioned how the program differs from basic care and nursing facility memory care, and the bill was referred to the HR section for deeper review before possible action on Monday. The committee then took up Senate Bill 2396, as amended, which would authorize an independent third-party performance audit of the Department of Commerce and the North Dakota Development Fund, with findings shared with the state auditor. Sponsors said the proposal was prompted by concerns raised in testimony and that a private audit could begin faster than a state audit. The committee adopted an amendment adding an emergency clause and directing the report to the Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Committee, then passed the bill 20-0 with 3 absent. Next, Representative Clemine presented Senate Bills 2226, 2036, and 2037. SB 2226 would presume an incarcerated person indigent at initial appearance so counsel can be provided at that critical stage; the commission said the appropriation would fund contract attorney hours, and the bill was sent to HR for further review. SB 2036 would create procedures for determining juvenile fitness to proceed in delinquency cases, with a $500,000 appropriation for mental health evaluations, and SB 2037 would begin a juvenile criminal code framework and include a $300,000 appropriation for fitness-to-proceed evaluations; both were also referred to HR, with some concern raised about staffing and overlapping functions. After a short break, the committee heard education-related appropriations bills. SB 2234 would replace expired ESSER funding for Choice Ready grants, but members noted the program was not included in the K-12 budget and sent it to E&E for comparison with existing appropriations. SB 2286, a University of North Dakota request for a new nursing school facility, drew extensive discussion about the age and condition of the current building and the size and scope of the project; the committee ultimately adopted a do-not-pass motion 22-0. SB 2213, the “science of mathematics” bill modeled on the science of reading initiative, would fund math professional development and implementation; it was also referred to E&E for further review. The committee then briefly passed the Racing Commission budget, SB 2023, and began discussion of the Trust Lands budget, SB 2013, including a proposed retention increase for investment-related positions.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:17:47.440><c> school</c> aid lease and public school aid lease and public school infrastructure
• </c><00:18:53.200><c> school</c> aid lease, a public school aid lease, a public school infrastructure
• </c> Human Services got the grant to do that. Human Services got the grant to do that.
• </c><01:25:43.920><c> and</c> Opportunity Employment Commission and Opportunity Employment Commission
• </c> administering uh the state's public administering uh the state's public sector<01:59:38.560><c>

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Three minutes per witness during public testimony.
• Recently, and most recently, the Public Utilities Commission and ERCOT released their Permian Basin Transmission
• They are required to have. it as part of their licensure process with the Health and Human Services Commission
• our critical facilities and associated services.
• Their services are critical. to provide essential services to the residents of our community.

Bills: HB14 , HB 106 , HB146 , HB267 , HB274 , HB 1127 , HB1359 , HB1393 , HB1584 , HB1640 , HB1710 , HB2152 , HCR101 , HJR8 , HR51

Committee: House State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• service announcements,... ...behavioral health, for which he creates social media content, public service
• Utilities Commission until 1982.
• After the Assembly, he served in a number of crucial public service roles, including as the first chair
• of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission in Washington, five years on the Public Utilities Commission
• On a personal level, Bill encouraged me to pursue my goal of public service, often while sitting at his

Summary: The Assembly convened after a quorum call, heard a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and approved the previous day’s journal. Procedural motions were adopted to allow certain members to speak on adjournment in memory and to host guests on the floor, and the chamber suspended Joint Rule 61 to allow the Appropriations Committee to meet and consider AB 1533. The majority leader also requested that SB 272 and HR 44 be removed from the consent calendar. The main floor action was the Assembly’s Pride Month observance, centered on HR 43, which recognizes June 2025 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride Month. Assembly Member Ward and members of several caucuses spoke in support, emphasizing LGBTQ+ history, civil rights, community contributions, and current political attacks on LGBTQ+ rights. Assembly Member DeMaio spoke in opposition, arguing the resolution was divisive and included controversial policy references. After debate, 49 coauthors were added and the resolution was adopted by voice vote. The chamber then held a Pride Month ceremony honoring 14 distinguished individuals for contributions to the LGBTQ+ community, followed by guest introductions recognizing APICA fellows, family members, educators, and community leaders. The Assembly later adopted the consent calendar, with SB 61, SB 66, SB 846, SB 229, and SCR 3 approved, and then heard adjournment-in-memory tributes for John E. Brison and former Assembly Member William T. Bagley. The House adjourned until Thursday, June 26, 2025, at 9 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then, for the public, our time's up, we can go. Okay, first day, we're all set.
• So, since we have so many compacts in terms of public comment...
• People have passed away waiting for ambulance services because there aren't enough.
• Underserved communities can continue to provide essential health care services.
• They desperately need these services. Thank you.

Committee: House House Health & Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• So we don't want public monies to be used to pay off these exorbitant amounts of money.
• support for children in foster care, adoption, and juvenile justice services.
• support for children, foster care, adoption, and juvenile justice services.
• This law allows service directly to their registered agents.
• to intermediate these service of process.

Summary: The Civil Judiciary Committee met with a quorum and took up a long series of Senate bills, adopting a committee substitute for SB 1716 as a working draft before hearing the bill. SB 1716 clarified data privacy language as it applies to utility companies, and it passed on a recorded vote with one nay. The committee then heard and advanced SB 1303, transferring property and records from the Advisory Council on Workers’ Compensation to the Workers’ Compensation Commission, and SB 2180, the Foreign Principal Lobbying Oversight Act, which requires agents of foreign principals to register with the Secretary of State subject to stated exceptions. Both measures passed without opposition. Members also approved SB 504 setting the minimum marriage age at 18, SB 1209 changing eviction timing to exempt only Sundays and holidays, SB 1448 as a Consumer Protection Act cleanup bill, and SB 1597, a mirror CASA bill clarifying that it does not affect receipt of national funds. SB 1679, described as preserving Oklahoma values and protecting against foreign law overriding Oklahoma contracts, also passed after questions about constitutional and interstate issues. SB 2182, creating a Uniform Civil Remedies Act for unauthorized disclosure of intimate images, was adopted after a committee substitute was filed. Later, the committee adopted an amendment to SB 2112 and advanced it as an open-pastures bill for certain county roads in western Oklahoma, then passed SB 2170 requiring supervised visitation for individuals with substantiated DHS findings of sexual abuse. Additional measures approved included SB 2084 limiting settlements in wrongful termination suits involving higher education faculty to two years’ salary, SB 1496 updating OSBI authority and information-sharing rules, SB 1595 restricting state agencies and contractors from steering commercial driver training school choices, SB 1655 expanding post-adoption services through the Children’s Specialty Plan Program, SB 1876 modernizing service of process for foreign insurance companies, SB 1621 allowing county district attorneys to defend county law libraries, SB 1944 clarifying agricultural payroll and independent contractor thresholds, SB 1266 on notary accountability, SB 2072 expanding title-theft investigations and fee waivers, SB 2104 cleaning up the Uniform Trust Code, SB 1769 allowing short-term rental owners to require photo ID from renters and guests age 18 or older, and SB 1827 removing certain University Hospital Trust physician faculty and staff from the Government Tort Claims Act. Most bills passed unanimously or near-unanimously, and the committee adjourned after completing its agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• And with that, we'll conclude our public testimony and public hearing on House Bill 2458, and open our
• Is that a private school or is that a public?
• So all ICW member campuses are accredited by the Northwest Commission, as are our public colleges and
• Rules relating to emergency medical services require that an emergency medical services certification
• So we'll move straight into public testimony.

Summary: The committee held public hearings on several bills related to higher education, workforce training, student protections, campus encampments, and EMT recertification. HB 2427 would require tattoo artists to complete annual human trafficking awareness training through the Department of Licensing; the prime sponsor and supporters said tattoo artists may be among the few people trafficked survivors encounter and could help identify and refer victims, while one opponent argued the bill imposes compelled speech and burdens small businesses. HB 2458 would expand Washington College Grant eligibility to approved non-degree credential programs; supporters from community and technical colleges, workforce organizations, and employers said it would help low-income students access short-term training tied to high-demand jobs, while one member raised concerns about short-term credentials and their long-term value. The committee also heard HB 2474, which would strengthen consumer protections when a private institution or program closes by expanding use of the Student Achievement Council tuition recovery trust fund, requiring teach-out or transfer options, and voiding certain student debts if closure rules are violated. The sponsor and agency witnesses said the bill responds to recent closures and gaps in federal oversight, while Independent Colleges of Washington opposed the bill as overly broad and potentially harmful to program innovation, and asked that private nonprofit campuses be excluded. Testifiers from student groups and a national higher-education advocacy organization supported the measure and argued that protections should also apply to public institutions. HB 2589 would regulate campus encampments at institutions of higher education by requiring advance notice, limiting authorization to registered student organizations or recognized bargaining units, and allowing institutions to impose content-neutral time, place, and manner restrictions to protect safety and access. The sponsor said it codifies existing practice and does not ban protest, but several testifiers described recent encampments as disruptive or unsafe, while others warned the bill could chill student expression and should not apply to private nonprofit campuses. Finally, HB 2540 would extend EMT recertification intervals from every three years to every six years for EMTs certified in Washington for at least 10 years; firefighters and EMS supporters said it would reduce administrative burden without changing training requirements. The committee took no votes and adjourned after hearing all testimony, with a reminder about amendment deadlines for upcoming bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• While shelter services can provide temporary housing to survivors, the need for those services far exceeds
• service to qualifying low-income households participating in public assistance programs.
• AB 747 will protect against fraudulent or improper service of process.
• service, specifying what constitutes reasonable diligence in attempting personal service, and clarifying
• the timing and method of challenging defective service.

Summary: The Assembly convened with a quorum call, prayer, and Pledge of Allegiance, then moved through a long daily file of bills. Early procedural motions included a failed attempt to suspend the rules for AB 1219, followed by consideration of numerous measures on housing, veterans, education, elections, energy, wildfire prevention, public safety, and consumer affordability. Several bills drew bipartisan support and passed overwhelmingly, including AB 878 on safety accommodations for survivors of violence, AB 948 on school district facility maintenance, AB 81 and AB 88 on veterans’ mental health and student aid, AB 640 on school board fiscal training, AB 660 on housing permit timelines, AB 1048 on workers’ compensation billing disputes, AB 1119 on dual credentialing, AB 1172 on inhalable anti-seizure medication access, AB 1227 on wildfire prevention, AB 1285 and AB 696 on lithium-ion battery safety, AB 1417 on offshore wind transparency, AB 1530 on disaster recovery assistance, and AB 353 on affordable home internet. Some measures drew opposition or more divided votes, including AB 704 on sealing certain misdemeanor records, AB 1249 on early voting access, AB 1280 on thermal energy incentives, AB 1448 on offshore oil protections, AB 380 on price gouging, AB 402 on Cal Grant increases, AB 1074 on CalWORKs reunification, and AB 1084 on expedited gender-change and name-change court orders. The Assembly also granted reconsideration on AB 435, a child passenger safety bill, and passed it after debate on the five-step safety-seat standard. The floor debate featured recurring themes of affordability, housing, wildfire preparedness, election access, veterans’ services, and public safety. Supporters of the election bill AB 1249 argued it would simply add a Saturday early-voting option in non-VCA counties, while opponents raised concerns about verification and county staffing. AB 30, authorizing E15 gasoline in California, was presented as an urgency measure to lower fuel costs and passed unanimously on the urgency and the bill. AB 1466 on groundwater disputes was also taken up, with the author arguing it would reduce frivolous litigation and better represent all water users; the vote was 42 ayes and 17 noes. After completing the file, the Assembly recessed for lunch, later returned, and continued with additional file items, with many measures passing on strong bipartisan votes.