March 14, 2025 Edition

Friday, March 14, 2025

In Review

Under the Dome delivers a review of issues being considered by the West Virginia Legislature. It provides information on matters that impact WVU and higher education, as well as other hot topics being addressed that affect the Mountain State and its citizens. This edition includes information on the University’s budget hearing, BOG legislation and other matters.

WVU BOG

Introduced on March 10 by Delegates Vernon Criss (R-Wood, Chair of House Finance) and Clay Riley (R-Harrison, Vice Chair of House Finance), House Bill 3279 is single referenced to House Education and is first being heard by the Higher Education Subcommittee before the full committee reviews it and sends it to the House floor.

The bill makes the following changes to ALL institutions of higher education:

• It removes the voting authority of the student, faculty, and staff representatives on the BOG, making them advisory members only.
• It changes the number of terms a student, faculty, and staff representative may serve on the BOG.

The bill makes the following changes to WVU and West Virginia State University only:

• It requires one member appointed by the Governor to represent agriculture, forestry, or the agriculture or silvicultural sciences and shall represent one or more of those fields.
• It requires the chair of the board to be a resident of West Virginia and maintain a residence for at least 36 consecutive months immediately prior to serving.

The bill makes the following changes to WVU only:

• It expands the total number of members from 17 to 19.
• It gives the Governor the authority to appoint 15 members instead of 12.
• It requires at least eight members to be residents of West Virginia.
• It also removes the provision that the chair of the WVU Tech Board of Visitors has a seat on the BOG.

Any individual may submit a public comment to the bill by visiting the bill’s webpage and clicking on “Add a Public Comment on This Bill” tab: House Bill 3279. Dr. Gee has sent a letter to the House Committee on Education outlining WVU’s stance on the bill.

Budget Hearing

Earlier this week, appearing before the House Finance Appropriations Subcommittee, President E. Gordon Gee and CFO Paula Congelio presented as part of state agency budget hearings. In the presentation, they provided a review of the University’s financial position, enrollment trends, retention improvements, research growth, and academic programs.

President Gee requested legislators to focus on a long-term solution to PEIA and relief from the ever-increasing costs to faculty and staff. He also shared background on our athletics and University Police Department needs, and asked that the funding formula be fully funded to reward WVU, WVU Potomac State College, and WVU Tech’s performance.

DEI

Senate Bill 474, ending diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, advanced in the Senate Judiciary Committee late last week. The bill was introduced by Governor Morrisey.

It largely codifies Executive Order 3-25 from January 14. However, it contains several exceptions, which if retained, would protect certain policies and programs at state institutions of higher education.

Members of Senate Judiciary adopted an amendment that struck the words “anti-racism” throughout the bill. The legislation now advances to the Senate Finance Committee.

Championing Athletics

House Bill 2595, authorizing institutions of higher education to establish a nonprofit to manage revenue sharing and Name Image Likeness (NIL) opportunities for student-athletes, and House Bill 2576, prohibiting the NCAA or other oversight governing bodies from punishing institutions or student-athletes relating to revenue sharing and NIL opportunities, unanimously passed the House Education Committee. The bills will next be heard by the House Judiciary Committee.

Childhood Immunizations

Senate Bill 460, which would significantly change State requirements for school-aged children to receive immunizations, passed the Senate 20-12 on February 21. The bill has stalled in the House Health Committee, which pulled it from its agenda recently.

Bill Tracking

Senate
SB 35 – Permitting Campus Police Officers participation in Deputy Sheriffs Retirement System
SB 299 – Modifying West Virginia Regulations on Pubertal Modulation, Hormonal Therapy, and Gender Reassignment
SB 300 – Budget Bill
SB 424 – Restoring Sanity Act
SB 435 – Updating West Virginia Law Institute
SB 447 – Creating Oral Health and Cancer Rights Act
SB 452 – Relating to Executive Branch Reorganization
SB 453 – Repealing Certificate of Need Process
SB 456 – Defining ‘Men’ and ‘Women’
SB 460 – Repealing Vaccine Requirements
SB 466 – Making Vaccines Voluntary and Not Mandatory
SB 474 – Ending Diversity, EqSenateuity, and Inclusion Programs
SB 484 – Relating to Disclosures and Penalties Associated with Use of Synthetic Media and Artificial Intelligence
SB 499 – Non-Profit Athletics Act
SB 504 – Prohibiting Camping in Public Places
SB 519 – Adopting Statewide Public Camping Ban
SB 581 – School Attendance Policies and Participation in 4-H Activities
SB 582 – Campus Police Officers Participate in DNR Pension
SB 603 – Exempting Campus Police Officers Retirement from Taxes
SB 609 – Clarifying What Constitutes Trespassing on Higher Education Campuses
SB 664 – Establishing First Amendment Preservation Act
SB 674 – Creating Standardized Testing Choice Act
SB 692 – Requirements to Receive Promise Scholarship
SB 695 – Requiring Higher Education to Accept Classical Learning Test

House
HB 2004 – Relating to Vaccine Requirements
HB 2005 – Ending DEI Programs
HB 2006 – Defining Men and Women
HB 2007 – Repealing Certificate of Need Process
HB 2008 – Executive Branch Reorganization
HB 2152 – Prompt Payment Act of 2025
HB 2166 – Establishing the Behavioral Health Workforce Education Initiative at HEPC
HB 2370 – Relating Generally to Mental Health Treatment
HB 2378 – Prohibit Needle Exchanges from Providing Services in West Virginia
HB 2382 – To Ban Homeless Camps in Municipalities
HB 2384 – Allow Those Who Are 18-20 Years Old to Carry a Deadly Weapon Concealed without a Permit
HB 2396 – Removing Schools, Public Libraries, and Museums from the List of Exemptions from Criminal Liability Relating to Distribution and Display to Minor of Obscene Matter
HB 2403 – Remove Hormone Blockers from Transgender Code
HB 2406 – Eliminate Woke, Anti-Women Words from State Government
HB 2411 – To Provide and Change Graduation Requirements and Change Duties Relating to Academic Content Standards
HB 2427 – Relating to Capitol Carry
HB 2430 – To Create State Civil Liability for Pharmaceutical Companies for Vaccine Injuries from COVID-19 Vaccines
HB 2481 – Businesses in West Virginia Must Accept Cash
HB 2485 – Exempt an Existing Hospital Under Certificate of Need to Move Their Facility Up to 10 Miles to a New Location
HB 2564 – Business and Public Area Liability Protection Act
HB 2574 – Relating to Nondiscrimination at Institutions of Higher Education
HB 2576 – Name Image Likeness Protection Act
HB 2595 – Non-Profit Athletics Act
HB 2653 – Updating West Virginia Law Institute
HB 2697 – Prohibit Higher Education Institutions from Charging for Transcripts
HB 2727 – Requiring One Member of WVU and WVSU BOG Have Agricultural Background
HB 2739 – Removing the West Virginia Helmet Law
HB 2773 – Higher Education Rules Bundle
HB 2782 – In God We Trust Act
HB 2833 – Hunger Free Campus Act
HB 2855 – Statewide Common Definition of First-Gen for College Admission
HB 2875 – Creating the American Campuses Act
HB 2879 – Creation of the West Virginia Math and Science Teacher Scholarship Act
HB 2928 – Young Professionals Tax Credit
HB 2946 – Exempting Campus Police Officers Retirement from Taxes
HB 2954 – Requiring Medical Professionals Report Vaccine Injuries and Side Effects
HB 2958 – Clarifying What Constitutes Trespassing on Higher Education Campus
HB 2965 – Redirect PEIA Payments to Health Savings Account
HB 2968 – Cessation of PEIA and Allowing PEIA Operate as Private Insurance Company
HB 2981 – Relating to Constitutional Fleet Management Act
HB 3024 – Guaranteed Course Transfer Policies
HB 3148 – Fire Fighter Pilot Program
HB 3150 – Health Science and Medical Student Loan Program
HB 3171 – Requiring Governor’s Consent to Accept Certain Grants
HB 3187 – West Virginia Taskforce on Artificial Intelligence
HB 3192 – To Repeal Obsolete, Conflicting, or Inoperative Provisions of Higher Ed Code
HB 3279 – Relating to Requirements for WVU and WVSU Board of Governors
HB 3297 – Establishing the WVU Washington Center for Civics, Culture, and Statesmanship
HB 3298 – Prohibiting COVID-19 Vaccine or Booster Shot to Attend in Person Classes at Colleges and Universities
HB 3299 – Requiring Drones used by State or County Personnel to be Produced in the U.S.
HB 3319 – Restoring Sanity Act

Legislative Calendar

Tuesday, March 18        Last Day to Introduce Bills in House of Delegates
Monday, March 24        Last Day to Introduce Bills in State Senate
Tuesday, March 25        Undergraduate Research Day
Sunday, March 30         Bills Due Out of Committee
Wednesday, April 2       Final Day to Consider Bills on Third Reading (50th Day)
Saturday, April 12          Adjournment at Midnight (60th Day)

More Information

To learn more about the Legislature, including district maps, committee assignments, bill tracking and a summary of daily activities, please visit wvlegislature.gov.

To learn more about WVU’s government relations and legislative initiatives, please visit governmentrelations.wvu.edu or contact Travis Mollohan, associate vice president for government relations and collaboration, at tmolloh1@mail.wvu.edu or Dan Kimble, director of state relations, at dkimble3@mail.wvu.edu.