Only 247 of the more than 2,400 bills introduced this session in the West Virginia Legislature passed as the 2025 session, which was dominated by debates over childhood vaccine exemptions and the prohibition of DEI initiatives, ended at midnight Saturday.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey touted a dozen of his priority bills that made the cut. Others, such as vaccine exemptions and the repeal of the state’s certificate of need process, were not successful.
“Our agenda was largely successful, and we plan to return and do more. Step by step. “This is just the beginning,” Morrisey explained.
PEIA was another issue that did not get resolved. The agency proposed rate increases in October, leaving state employees concerned about their ability to afford them. Morrisey believes a special session may be on the horizon.
“It is an important issue. “It’s a difficult issue,” he explained. “They did nothing about PEIA for all those years. We are now in a position where we can step in. I believe we have some ideas, and I hope to hold that special session sometime this year.
As the session began, severe flooding devastated communities throughout southern West Virginia. A flood resiliency plan remains unfunded. Morrisey did not request funding for it in his proposed $5.3 billion budget.
“I know that historically the flood resiliency fund had never been funded,” the politician stated. “What we want to do is look at the needs in the aftermath of the flood and make sure that this doesn’t happen again. Better yet, not that flooding will occur, but that you have the necessary infrastructure to deal with it. “We’ll have those conversations.”
Morrisey’s push to define “male” and “female” in state code, as well as his microgrid bill, a program to attract data centers to the state in exchange for in-state power sources through coal and natural gas reinvestment, were successful.
“We have the largest economic development project we have seen in a long time. That applies to these data centers and microgrids, and it will lead to great things,” the governor stated. “First, there’s a mechanism in place to eventually eliminate the state income tax.” We need to do that to grow economically, win the backyard brawl with all of the states we touch, and compete more effectively with our neighbors.
Interestingly, the data center bill will allow us to dramatically increase investment in West Virginia. Then there’s the ease of getting a permit. That’s great when businesses come.”
Morrisey stated that more announcements from what he refers to as “regulatory overreach” are expected, but that he was overall satisfied with the session.
“There will always be some things that don’t make it through. I want more competition for West Virginia. “I want West Virginia to win the economic battle, and I believe we will be able to do so in the future,” he added.
