Require Governor to provide at least five days notice to all state legislators when calling a Special Session
Summary
House Joint Resolution 2 proposes a constitutional amendment to require the Governor of West Virginia to issue a proclamation calling the Legislature into special session at least five days before the session convenes. The measure would amend Section 19, Article VI of the state Constitution, which already authorizes the governor to convene the Legislature when public safety or welfare requires it and also requires the governor to call the Legislature upon written application by three-fifths of the members elected to each house.
If approved by the Legislature and ratified by voters at the 2026 general election, the amendment would change the timing of notice for special sessions, but not the governor’s underlying authority to call them. The resolution also assigns the proposed amendment a ballot designation and a short public-facing summary for the election notice process.
Impact
The bill would alter the West Virginia Constitution by adding a minimum five-day notice requirement for gubernatorial proclamations convening the Legislature in special session. This would affect the executive branch’s special-session calling process and provide legislators with a guaranteed advance notice period before convening, while leaving intact the governor’s existing power to call a session and the Legislature’s ability to request one by supermajority. The practical effect would be to limit how quickly a special session can be assembled and to create a clearer procedural rule for notice.
Sentiment
The available record shows no committee debate, votes, or recorded opposition, so there is no documented split in sentiment from the materials provided. Based on the bill’s text and caption, the measure appears procedural and administrative in nature, aimed at improving notice and predictability for legislators rather than changing substantive policy. The absence of recorded discussion suggests the bill was at least introduced without publicly documented controversy in the provided materials.
Contention
The main point of potential contention is the balance of power between the governor and the Legislature in calling special sessions. Supporters would likely view the five-day notice as a transparency and planning measure that helps legislators prepare, while critics could argue it reduces executive flexibility in emergencies or urgent public-welfare situations. Another possible issue is whether a constitutional amendment is necessary for what could be a procedural scheduling rule, since the proposal would embed the notice requirement in the state Constitution rather than ordinary statute.
Amending section 22 of article VI thereof, relating to amending the annual 60-day regular session provisions to provide every other year for a 30-day session for the sole purpose of passing a state budget, and every other year a 60-day general law session in which any legislation may be considered
Require at least one person of the WVU Board of Governors and of the West Virginia State University with a background in agriculture or agricultural field
A resolution to direct the Clerk of the House of Representatives to only present to the Governor enrolled House bills finally passed by both houses of the One Hundred Third Legislature.
Relating to nonsubstantive additions to, revisions of, and corrections in enacted codes, to the nonsubstantive codification or disposition of various laws omitted from enacted codes, and to conforming codifications enacted by the 88th Legislature to other Acts of that legislature.