West Virginia Senate Bill SB773

West Virginia 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/17/25
• Refer: 3/17/25

Caption

Adding new item of appropriation to State Board of Education

Summary

SB773 is a supplemental appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that adds a new appropriation item to the State Board of Education’s budget from the State Fund’s Lottery Net Profits surplus. The bill specifically directs $83,804,764 in lottery surplus funds to the Hope Scholarship Program, a state education-related program administered through the State Board of Education. It is framed as a one-time addition to the FY 2025 appropriation rather than a permanent change to the underlying program structure. The bill’s practical effect is to authorize spending of unappropriated lottery surplus money for the Hope Scholarship Program during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. It amends the appropriations for fund 3951, organization 0402, under the State Board of Education, and therefore affects state budget law and the allocation of surplus lottery revenues. No substantive changes are made to eligibility rules or program administration in the bill text itself; its impact is primarily fiscal, enabling the designated spending unit to use the funds appropriated by the Legislature.

Impact

SB773 changes the FY 2025 appropriations act by adding a specific line item for the Hope Scholarship Program within the State Board of Education budget, funded by Lottery Net Profits surplus. It authorizes the expenditure of $83,804,764 from otherwise unappropriated surplus funds and thereby affects how state lottery revenues are allocated in the current fiscal year. The bill does not amend the Hope Scholarship program statutes directly, but it increases the program’s available funding and reinforces its place within the state education funding structure.

Sentiment

The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded votes, so there is no documented floor or committee debate to gauge sentiment directly. Based on the bill’s executive request and its straightforward supplemental appropriation structure, the measure appears to be a routine budget action intended to support an existing education program. The absence of recorded opposition or amendments in the provided materials suggests the bill was presented as a technical funding measure rather than a controversial policy change.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. The only potentially sensitive issue implied by the bill is the use of lottery surplus funds for the Hope Scholarship Program, which could draw differing views depending on broader debates over school choice, public education funding, and the use of state surplus revenues. However, because there are no transcripts, votes, or committee comments included, no particular legislator, committee member, or stakeholder position can be identified from the record.