West Virginia House Bill HB2258

West Virginia 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/12/25
• Refer: 2/12/25
• Refer: 2/18/25

Caption

Relating to authorizing the State Emergency Response Commission to promulgate a legislative rule relating to the Emergency Planning Grant Program

Summary

HB2258 is a rule-authorization bill that allows the State Emergency Response Commission to promulgate a legislative rule for the Emergency Planning Grant Program. The bill does not create a new grant program or substantially rewrite policy on its own; instead, it approves a previously filed and revised administrative rule, identified as 55 CSR 02, so that the rule may take effect under state law. The measure references a rule filed in the State Register on August 29, 2024, later modified to address objections from the Legislative Rule-Making Review Committee and refiled on October 1, 2024. By enacting HB2258, the Legislature would formally authorize that rule under West Virginia law, specifically within the statutory framework governing legislative rule approval.

Impact

If enacted, HB2258 would amend and reenact §64-6-1 of the West Virginia Code to add the Emergency Planning Grant Program rule to the list of authorized legislative rules. Its practical effect is to validate the State Emergency Response Commission’s administrative rulemaking authority for this program and allow the associated grant program rules to operate as part of state law. The bill primarily affects the Commission, emergency planning grant administration, and any local or regional entities that rely on those grants or must comply with the rule’s requirements.

Sentiment

Because the bill is a routine legislative rule authorization measure, the available record suggests a generally procedural and neutral posture rather than a controversial policy debate. There are no recorded committee transcripts or votes in the provided materials, and the bill text indicates the rule was already revised to address prior objections, which suggests the main sentiment is administrative approval and compliance with the rulemaking process.

Contention

The only apparent point of contention is the underlying legislative rule itself, which had previously drawn objections from the Legislative Rule-Making Review Committee and was revised before being refiled. No specific substantive disagreements are documented in the provided materials, but the need for modification implies that committee concerns centered on the rule’s content or form rather than the concept of emergency planning grants generally. No recorded floor debate, vote split, or named opposition is available here.