West Virginia Senate advances a package of retirement, health and funding measures
February 19, 2026 | 2026 Legislature WV, West Virginia
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Senate on Feb. 18, 2026 approved a wide-ranging set of bills on third reading affecting retirement benefits, public health programs and state grant authority.
Senators passed Engrossed SB28 to allow state troopers hired after 2015 to convert accrued leave to service credit at a 1:1 ratio. ‘‘This will help us with the recruitment and retention of state troopers, and the cost is $360,000,’’ the senior senator from the 13th said during floor remarks urging passage. The measure passed by voice and vote: 33 yeas, 0 nays, 1 absent, and the clerk was ordered to notify the House.
The Senate also approved Engrossed committee substitute SB206, which creates a special retirement category so sheriffs who serve two consecutive terms (eight years) can qualify for prorated retirement benefits. The senior senator from the 13th described the change as aligning constitutional term limits with retirement eligibility; the bill passed 33‑0‑1.
Lawmakers cleared SB228, establishing a five‑year pilot program for two counties selected by the Department of Human Services to use mobile devices tailored for child abuse and neglect investigations. ‘‘The pilot program will be implemented by 10/01/2027,’’ the senator from Fayette said; the bill requires the devices produce contemporaneous digital records and that at least 70% of child‑protective staff in the pilot area use them. The Senate approved the measure 33‑0‑1.
Other measures the Senate passed included a committee substitute (SB549) phasing in increases to daily juror pay (raising the lower and upper ranges in two steps beginning July 1, 2026), and SB717, a bill adjusting disability and retirement procedures for municipal police and firefighters that also removes a requirement for some non‑duty disability retirees to submit federal tax returns to municipal pension boards. For SB717, Senator Lewis moved and the Senate voted to make the bill effective July 1, 2026.
On public‑health measures, the Senate passed House Bill 4196, requiring opioid treatment programs and office‑based medication‑assisted treatment programs to offer long‑acting reversible contraceptives to patients receiving methadone or buprenorphine and to follow set guidelines for use. The floor vote was 32 ayes, 1 nay, 1 absent; a title amendment was adopted before communication to the House.
The Senate also approved House measures giving the Department of Environmental Protection authority to deposit certain federal grants into the Abandoned Land Reclamation Fund and creating a procurement exemption to expedite a federal rural health transformation program under which the state stands to receive nearly $200,000,000 a year for five years, according to remarks from the senator from Randolph.
Votes at a glance: SB28 (state police retirement) — passed 33‑0‑1; SB206 (sheriffs retirement eligibility) — passed 33‑0‑1; SB228 (child welfare mobile tech pilot) — passed 33‑0‑1; SB549 (juror pay) — passed 33‑0‑1; SB717 (municipal pensions) — passed 33‑0‑1 (effective date motion passed 33‑0‑1; effective 07/01/2026); HB4196 (contraception in opioid treatment programs) — passed 32‑1‑1; HB4696 (DEP federal grant deposits) — passed 33‑0‑1 (effective from passage); HB4740 (rural health transformation/federal funds) — passed 33‑0‑1; HB4982 (West Virginia Healthy Act of 2026) — passed 32‑1‑1.
The session opened with routine introductions and recognition of visiting pages and youth groups. Senators made a series of announcements about committee meetings and then adjourned until 11 a.m. the following day.
— Reporting from the Senate floor; the Clerk will communicate all actions to the House and record effective dates where motioned on the floor.
Senators passed Engrossed SB28 to allow state troopers hired after 2015 to convert accrued leave to service credit at a 1:1 ratio. ‘‘This will help us with the recruitment and retention of state troopers, and the cost is $360,000,’’ the senior senator from the 13th said during floor remarks urging passage. The measure passed by voice and vote: 33 yeas, 0 nays, 1 absent, and the clerk was ordered to notify the House.
The Senate also approved Engrossed committee substitute SB206, which creates a special retirement category so sheriffs who serve two consecutive terms (eight years) can qualify for prorated retirement benefits. The senior senator from the 13th described the change as aligning constitutional term limits with retirement eligibility; the bill passed 33‑0‑1.
Lawmakers cleared SB228, establishing a five‑year pilot program for two counties selected by the Department of Human Services to use mobile devices tailored for child abuse and neglect investigations. ‘‘The pilot program will be implemented by 10/01/2027,’’ the senator from Fayette said; the bill requires the devices produce contemporaneous digital records and that at least 70% of child‑protective staff in the pilot area use them. The Senate approved the measure 33‑0‑1.
Other measures the Senate passed included a committee substitute (SB549) phasing in increases to daily juror pay (raising the lower and upper ranges in two steps beginning July 1, 2026), and SB717, a bill adjusting disability and retirement procedures for municipal police and firefighters that also removes a requirement for some non‑duty disability retirees to submit federal tax returns to municipal pension boards. For SB717, Senator Lewis moved and the Senate voted to make the bill effective July 1, 2026.
On public‑health measures, the Senate passed House Bill 4196, requiring opioid treatment programs and office‑based medication‑assisted treatment programs to offer long‑acting reversible contraceptives to patients receiving methadone or buprenorphine and to follow set guidelines for use. The floor vote was 32 ayes, 1 nay, 1 absent; a title amendment was adopted before communication to the House.
The Senate also approved House measures giving the Department of Environmental Protection authority to deposit certain federal grants into the Abandoned Land Reclamation Fund and creating a procurement exemption to expedite a federal rural health transformation program under which the state stands to receive nearly $200,000,000 a year for five years, according to remarks from the senator from Randolph.
Votes at a glance: SB28 (state police retirement) — passed 33‑0‑1; SB206 (sheriffs retirement eligibility) — passed 33‑0‑1; SB228 (child welfare mobile tech pilot) — passed 33‑0‑1; SB549 (juror pay) — passed 33‑0‑1; SB717 (municipal pensions) — passed 33‑0‑1 (effective date motion passed 33‑0‑1; effective 07/01/2026); HB4196 (contraception in opioid treatment programs) — passed 32‑1‑1; HB4696 (DEP federal grant deposits) — passed 33‑0‑1 (effective from passage); HB4740 (rural health transformation/federal funds) — passed 33‑0‑1; HB4982 (West Virginia Healthy Act of 2026) — passed 32‑1‑1.
The session opened with routine introductions and recognition of visiting pages and youth groups. Senators made a series of announcements about committee meetings and then adjourned until 11 a.m. the following day.
— Reporting from the Senate floor; the Clerk will communicate all actions to the House and record effective dates where motioned on the floor.
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