Public Comments
2026 Regular Session HB4191 (Finance)
Comment by: Dorothy Cain on March 3, 2026 10:45
This is a much-needed bill for centers to stay open to serve the public as they should be able to
2026 Regular Session HB4191 (Finance)
Comment by: Markie Adkins on March 3, 2026 10:40
first and foremost, I am a parent who relies on daycare for my child. I literally cannot have a job without it. My mental health greatly depends on this and daycare is SO SO IMPORTANT! Please pass this bill. My child’s daycare is wonderful and is helping him grow and thrive, as well as helping me because I can work and contribute to my family. Our economy is terrible right now and we barely make enough to make this work but it is so crucial that you pass this.
West Virginia is currently grappling with a child care crisis that is impacting families, businesses, and our economy. HB 4191 offers practical solutions to this pressing issue. The bill proposes expanded tax credits for employers, including small businesses, who invest in child care for their employees. It also introduces a more modern reimbursement system for child care providers, ensuring stability and sustainability for these essential services. Additionally, HB 4191 tackles the harmful "cliff effect" that hinders working families' career advancement by abruptly cutting off child care assistance.
Supporting HB 4191 is crucial for the well-being of our children, working parents, employers, and the overall economy. Your vote in favor of this bill is greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your time and dedication to our community.
2026 Regular Session HB4191 (Finance)
Comment by: Jessie Owens on March 3, 2026 10:40
Please support bill 4191 to help our childcare academy and continue to emphasize the importance and value of our center!
2026 Regular Session HB4191 (Finance)
Comment by: Christine Hedges on March 3, 2026 10:35
This bill will help make childcare available to more people. Childcare availability is essential for employers and to the workforce. Please do WV a favor and pass this bill!
2026 Regular Session HB4191 (Finance)
Comment by: Suzi Brodof on March 3, 2026 10:32
2026 Regular Session HB5319 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Candace james on March 3, 2026 10:32
You cannot arrest your way out of homelessness. HB 5319 punishes people for existing when they have nowhere else to go. That is not policy. It is displacement. Real leadership invests in solutions. I strongly oppose this bill.
2026 Regular Session SB392 (Finance)
Comment by: Jim McKay on March 3, 2026 10:27
PUBLIC COMMENT — Com. Sub. for Senate Bill 392
Chairman Criss, Vice Chairman Riley, and Distinguished Members of the House Finance Committee:
I serve as State Director of Prevent Child Abuse West Virginia. Every day, I see the public systems that West Virginians have built together doing exactly what they were designed to do: keeping children safe, strengthening families before crisis hits, and laying the groundwork for communities where people can thrive. Home visiting programs, family support centers, child protective services, and community-based supports are how we get this done together. This is the work no family and no county can do alone.
Com. Sub. for Senate Bill 392 would undermine the public investment that makes these systems possible. Our children’s safety and well-being should be our state’s highest priority. Pulling $125 million to $250 million annually out of the shared systems that protect children will place children at risk, especially when those systems are already stretched to their limits and when federal support for programs serving families is uncertain.
These Systems Are Foundations, Not Line Items
When West Virginians talk about what makes a good community, they describe safe neighborhoods, strong schools, and thriving families. Those are the results of shared public investment. Child protective services, home visiting, parent education, foster care, child care assistance: these are not abstract government programs. They are the structures that communities rely on to protect their most vulnerable members and to prevent problems that, left unaddressed, cost everyone far more down the road.
At Prevent Child Abuse West Virginia, we know what these systems accomplish when they are properly resourced. Evidence-based home visiting programs, such as Parents as Teachers, connect new parents with trained professionals who help them build the skills and stability their families need. Family Support Centers give communities a place to turn before a problem becomes a crisis. These are proven approaches that keep children safe and keep families together, and they are sustained by the public revenue that SB 392 proposes to reduce by up to a quarter of a billion dollars.
Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
It matters who actually benefits from this proposed cut and who bears the consequences. Over the past decade, two-thirds of combined state and federal tax cuts have flowed to the wealthiest twenty percent of West Virginia households -- those earning approximately $200,000 or more per year. The wealthiest five percent, with average incomes above $500,000, now pay $1.2 billion LESS annually in combined taxes than they did before these rounds of cuts began. Meanwhile, the systems that serve the children and families, including child care, child abuse prevention programs, healthcare, and nutrition programs, have been held flat or cut. State child care funding has been reduced by half since FY 2014.
This pattern is upside down. Another across-the-board cut deepens it. The largest dollar benefits flow to those at the top, while the services that hold communities together -- the programs that families earning $35,000 or $45,000 depend on most -- are the first to be squeezed when revenue falls short. That is not a tradeoff that strengthens West Virginia.
We need to protect the commitments West Virginia has already made. Commitments to fund healthcare for children and seniors through Medicaid. Commitments to keep our children safe through an effective child welfare system. Commitments to educate our children, pave our roads, and protect public safety.
The governor’s own six-year financial plan projects cumulative budget gaps totaling $1.2 billion between FY 2028 and FY 2031, driven by the growing cost of the Hope Scholarship and successive rounds of income tax reductions. The current FY 2027 budget is balanced only through $270 million in one-time surplus funds, including $170 million for Medicaid, an ongoing obligation that will have to be absorbed by the general revenue budget in future years. Enacting an additional $250 million annual reduction deepens our state's structural deficit, which threatens the systems families depend on.
We Know What Works. The Question Is Whether We Will Fund It.
Lawmakers do not need to guess about what happens when the systems protecting children are properly resourced and what happens when they are not. We have strong evidence on both sides. When families can access home visiting, parent education, and community-based supports, children stay safer, families stay together, and the state avoids the far greater costs of foster care, court proceedings, emergency placements, and the long-term consequences of abuse and neglect in health care, corrections, and lost productivity. Prevention is how we get ahead of the problem. It is the most fiscally responsible investment the state makes.
And this Legislature has seen the other side. Last session, in the FY 2026 budget, the governor’s $182 million request for the foster care system was reduced to approximately $121 million. The Department of Human Services warned publicly that this reduction would significantly hinder its ability to serve children in foster care and respond to the pressing challenges facing the system. West Virginia currently has more than 5,800 children in state care, without enough caseworkers, enough in-state placement beds, or enough services to meet their needs. A further reduction in available revenue makes it harder, not easier, to do right by those children and the communities they belong to.
Federal Changes Make State Investments More Important, Not Less
West Virginia funds a larger share of its budget through federal dollars than nearly any other state. Federal funding supports child care assistance, foster care and adoption services, Medicaid, and child welfare programs administered through the Department of Human Services.
Additional federal reductions to Medicaid, education, and social services remain under active consideration. If state leaders want West Virginia’s children and families to remain protected regardless of what happens in Washington, the most important thing this Legislature can do is preserve the state’s own capacity to invest. Removing $250 million in annual revenue does the opposite.
This Is a Choice About What We Are Building Together
Children do not experience budget cycles. The child who is harmed this year because a prevention program lost its funding cannot be made whole by a supplemental appropriation in January. The family that falls apart because a home visitor’s position was eliminated does not reassemble when the next fiscal year begins. When it comes to child safety, the consequences of underfunding programs are permanent. Those consequences impact not only the children themselves but also every community in this state.
Prevent Child Abuse WV respectfully urges lawmakers to choose a different path. We should sustain our commitments to our children. There is an existing system of income tax reductions that is already codified, which will reduce taxes automatically when the state can afford to do so. Lawmakers should defer action on any additional tax cuts until the federal funding picture stabilizes and the state’s projected budget gaps are addressed.
Conclusion
When families are strong and children are safe, every community in West Virginia is stronger for it. Fewer children enter foster care. Fewer families reach crisis. Schools function better. Workplaces are more stable. The downstream costs that strain county budgets, courts, and health systems go down. This is what shared investment in prevention makes possible, and it is what Com. Sub. for SB 392, at this scale and at this time, puts at risk.
West Virginia’s children rely on the public systems that this Legislature has built and the shared commitment to sustain them. Com. Sub. for SB 192 undermines that commitment to our children. We cannot afford for our children to pay the price.
Thank you for your time, your service, and your consideration.
Respectfully submitted,
Jim McKay
State Director
Prevent Child Abuse West Virginia
A project of Team for West Virginia Children
2026 Regular Session HB4191 (Finance)
Comment by: Helen Brown on March 3, 2026 10:26
The Child Care community needs your support of this bill. Our children and families depend on it.
2026 Regular Session SB392 (Finance)
Comment by: Lydia C Milnes on March 3, 2026 10:25
Cutting taxes should not be even considered as an option until every West Virginian has access to clean drinking water, roads that are not full of potholes, schools that are not hours away, and child care access so they can go to work to earn income in the first place. West Virginians need basic infrastructure! Business won't come if they can't drive on the roads and turn on a tap and get clean water. Take care of real problems.
2026 Regular Session HB4191 (Finance)
Comment by: Nikki Cavalier on March 3, 2026 10:20
I support an increase the tax credit for employers who provide child care services for their employees though an amendment of the WV personal income tax code, §11-21-97. Providing quality and accessible child care builds a stronger and more reliable work force which make families and communities stronger.
2026 Regular Session SB392 (Finance)
Comment by: Blaire Malkin on March 3, 2026 10:03
The state of West Virginia faces major pressing issues including a need to update infrastructure to supply clean and reliable water to all; a need for affordable daycare; a need for a strong public school system that prepares the young people in our state for bright futures. We also need to be able care for our most vulnerable - those with intellectual and developmental disabilities among others. A tax cut is simply reckless. The average family will save only $50 a year while the increased electrical costs, lack of water, lack of a strong education system and other issues go unaddressed. Lower taxes will not make WV a more desirable place to live if it does not first address these basic needs.
2026 Regular Session SB392 (Finance)
Comment by: Adam Culver on March 3, 2026 10:02
Is the rationale based on our dependence on Federal dollars?
What, exactly, are we funding so well that we do not need tax revenue?
Starve the poor to make room for the rich. Disgusting.
2026 Regular Session HB4425 (Education)
Comment by: Annette Yurkovich Brichford on March 3, 2026 09:59
After seeing the lopsided scores in so many games since passage of the bill allowing transfer portals for high school athletes, I believe this bill is a no brainer. Our high schools should not be imitating the colleges and universities in this way.
2026 Regular Session HB5319 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Annette Yurkovich Brichford on March 3, 2026 09:47
House rejection of the amendment exempting areas of the state without available shelter beds demonstrates that the intentions behind this bill are punitive. The causes of homelessness are many and complex. Until we have made serious efforts to solve the root causes and to provide housing as well as other assistance to those without permanent shelter, we must not punish those who have nowhere else to sleep but in public spaces.
2026 Regular Session SB880 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Dorothy Goodman on March 3, 2026 09:44
I am opposed to senate bill 880. It violates my right to choose what I support and what I do not support. I am deeply concerned about the human rights violations in Palestine. I support the separation of church and state. The names in this bill are biblical names. The true name of the region is Palestine from river to sea. If you vote for this bill you are either not aware of the history of the region or you are influenced heavily by money that supports votes in this country. Lastly and most important your job is to care for the citizens of WV. Is there anything you can spend your time doing for that job? Your people are fleeing this state if they have the means to do so. Your people do not have clean water, health care, adequate education. The children are being removed from their home because of drug use and domestic violence. New industries use our limited resources and do not give back to the people. The professionals who teach and provide medical and health care are so underpaid they often have to leave the state to make a living. Please do your jobs. Please read about the your people. Please read about the history and current events in Palestine. DorothyP Goodman Berkeley County WV
2026 Regular Session SB392 (Finance)
Comment by: Judy K. Ball, PhD, MPA on March 3, 2026 09:40
Another tax cut is simply irresponsible. Don’t do it.
2026 Regular Session HB4191 (Finance)
Comment by: Ron Allen on March 3, 2026 09:40
Over the past decade, the legislature has reduced funding for childcare, leading to a significant decline in available childcare slots and creating many childcare deserts across the state. Childcare workers receive very low wages, families struggle to afford the actual costs of childcare, and many childcare providers are unable to sustain their operations financially.
HB 4191 addresses the childcare crisis by adopting a comprehensive strategy to benefit families, employers, and childcare workers:
- Introduces tax incentives for businesses that sponsor or provide childcare for their employees, supporting employers in the process.
- Requires the state to provide childcare subsidies based on a child’s enrollment status instead of a daily rate. This approach stabilizes funding for childcare providers serving lower-income families.
- Ensures the government employs an accurate model to assess the cost of care, moving away from the current low reimbursement rates that fail to cover actual childcare expenses. This forward-looking measure promotes financial stability for the future.
- Empowers the Department of Human Services, which oversees state childcare funding, to mitigate the cliff effect families face when transitioning off subsidized childcare, ultimately supporting families in their childcare needs.
2026 Regular Session SB392 (Finance)
Comment by: Sarah Duncan on March 3, 2026 09:31
Legislators,
Additional cuts to the personal income tax is wildly irresponsible at this time. Our state has too many needs- public education funding, childcare funding, foster care... the list goes on. The need is urgent. Choosing a tax cut now isn't going to benefit most people very much, but it will greatly hurt our state as a whole.
2026 Regular Session SB392 (Finance)
Comment by: Rebekah Aranda on March 3, 2026 09:28
We want clean water, solid public education and stable funding for healthcare, food assistance and childcare. Tax cuts will contribute to a diminishing quality of life in WV. The state has financial obligations to meet. Vote no on this bill.
2026 Regular Session SB137 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Melissa Giggenbach on March 3, 2026 09:23
As someone who works in the criminal justice arena, I know first hand that adding years to people's sentences by extending parole eligibility will cost taxpayers a lot of money. Extending parole eligibility will add more burden to an already overburdened prison system which is struggling to house prisoners and provide fully trained correctional officers. Our parole board already does a good job weighing who should be released on parole and we should trust their judgment.
2026 Regular Session SB137 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Lisa M Hilson on March 3, 2026 08:53
This bill is awful! Instead up upping the sentences, clogging up our system even more there needs to be a rehabilitative services to encourage redemption. Imposing longer sentences will not be a solution but more of a crippling status . Good People make bad choices every day in some way…please rethink this bill and Vote AGAINST IT!!
2026 Regular Session SB137 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Lida Shepherd on March 3, 2026 08:45
Enhancing penalties makes us feel like we are doing something to prevent crime, but there isn’t really any evidence to support that doing so has any impact whatsoever. As was heard in House Judiciary committee on March 2nd, violence is often fueled by drugs, alcohol or untreated mental illness. So if we as a state really want to be "tough on crime" then we need to invest in family supports and mental health treatment. SB 137 will cost the taxpayers millions in additional costs to our prisons, while doing nothing to address root causes.
2026 Regular Session HB5319 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Lisa Thompson on March 3, 2026 08:33
We cannot fix homelessness through punishment. We have to address the underlying causes: lack of jobs, accessibility to affordable housing and healthcare.
Homelessness should not be criminalized.
Please take up the issues of the economy, affordable housing and healthcare access, rather than incarcerating people for being down on their luck. Offer real solutions. This is not a true effort to solve a public issue.
Thank you for taking time to read my comment.
2026 Regular Session HB5319 (Judiciary)
Comment by: PAUL HUDOCK on March 3, 2026 08:15
Homelessness is a complicated and heartbreaking problem. long-term solutions require heroic efforts to accompany people and give them access to both mental health and addiction, recovery services. This outdoor camping ban appears to be designed to force this population to relocate to other states. this is a heartless solution to a difficult problem that requires human compassion. his proposed law in my opinion, codifies a hardness of heart- in addition to adding suffering on the homeless population, the rest of us West Virginians will be less empathetic, and more set in the ways of cruelty.
2026 Regular Session HB5319 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Zachary Butler on March 3, 2026 07:27
Criminalizing homelessness is cruel and unusual punishment. They need our help the most and you want to punish them for existing? This is insane. Housing homeless people would be far cheaper and better for our economy in the long run. Imprisoning people costs the people too much money. This isnt what Jesus would do either, but you all are only Christian when it's convenient for your narrative, not in actual practice.
2026 Regular Session HB5319 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Veronica Witikko on March 3, 2026 07:04
Hello, my name is Veronica Witikko and I am a resident of Morgantown/Monongalia county (1217 Pineview Drive, Morgantown, WV). I am also a social worker with nearly 10 years of experience in the field and a Master's degree. A camping ban will only hurt West Virginia and cost the state more money as a result. WV does not have adequate safe and affordable housing for folks, the job market is the worst I have seen it in 30 years, and we do not have adequate shelter beds across the state. Due to charges made by the federal administration, supportive housing is now greatly limited. Folks are losing their jobs and their health insurance, which in turn leads to loss of medical care, mental health services and substance use treatment. I have been working for the medical system for 2 years and can tell you that a camping ban would increase medical costs to the states. If a patient presents to the emergency department, is admitted and is unhoused, their hospital stay will like be much longer due to the lack of a safe discharge plan. For many people, a discharge to the streets is not safe, and adding a criminal penalty for sleeping outside will only create additional barriers to hospital discharges. A camping ban would increase the length of hospital stays for this reason and likely would cause a great burden on the justice system. Camping bans have been studied across the country and have been found to be ineffective at reducing homelessness. A camping ban will only hurt the state of WV and unhoused folks.
2026 Regular Session HB5319 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Nathaniel Crites on March 2, 2026 23:32
As someone that is a peer recovery coach and who has struggled with substance use in the past and homelessness. I cannot make this make sense. I work trying to help house people and public housing as well as HUD have time-frames from the time someone gets charged to get them into housing. Then this causes their issues with housing to continue for even longer and creates a cycle thats almost impossible to escape. Then we're gonna put more pressure on an overloaded system like the department of corrections for mental health disorders and being down on your luck. West Virginia we are better than this. I am someone with 7 years in recovery and haven't forgotten the struggles I faced none of this is going to solve homelessness. Come up with real solutions and stop being lazy.
2026 Regular Session SB137 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Brian Akers on March 2, 2026 22:51
There is absolutely NO evidence that increasing sentencing deters crime. Increasing the minimum time only takes control from judges and parole boards ro give people a chance who have changed their lives, if you want to i crease punishment Increase the maximum amount of time giving judges more discretion when sentencing.
2026 Regular Session SB880 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Fay Stump on March 2, 2026 21:46
Mandating that “West Bank” not be used and the biblical names “Judea” and “Samira” be used instead would be a violation of the principle of separation of church and state. We should not be using references to the Bible, the Koran or any religious document as a reason to enact legislation If the historical use of the names is accepted as a logical reason, then should we eliminate the “West” in our state’s name?
If history is important to us, then we should call it “Palestine,” which has been used to name the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River for over 2,500 years, dating back to the 12th century BCE. In the 5th century BCE, Greek historians formally applied “Palestine” to the region. It is the Palestinians who live there. Should they be responsible for any name assigned to the land?
While Israel feels it has a right to the West Bank, the international community widely considers it occupied territory to which they have no legal rights, and settlements there are illegal. The genocide of Palestinians over the past 75 years, and most recently in Gaza, and the apartheid conditions that Israel has imposed on millions is enlightening more of us who have engaged in reading and learning about the history of the region and the current realities.
Is there any among you who has widely read or studied the history of historic Palestine? May I suggest you begin with works by Israeli authors such as The General's Son by Miko Peled or The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappe? These documented works would help you to understand why our support of Israel's wishes on the federal and state levels is contrary to the principles of our constitution and democracy.
2026 Regular Session SB880 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Cate Johnson on March 2, 2026 21:43
This bill should not be a priority for West Virginia. How often is the region the "West Bank" even used in official state documents? We have real and serious problems in our state, and our legislature should not be wasting time with bills like this, which are just meant to stir up anger and division. The West Bank is the legitimate name for this region and has been for decades. It is not the business of WV state lawmakers to change that. I strongly oppose this bill and ask that our state representatives please focus on the serious issues our citizens face, like clean water, foster care, public education funding, infrastructure, and jobs.
2026 Regular Session HB5319 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Kathleen Porter on March 2, 2026 21:17
Im literally exhausted trying to keep up with all of the horrible things coming out of our government right now. I have to get up and take care of cancer patients tomorrow, but here I am taking time to tell you that keeping the unhoused population from staying in tents when YOU have literally provided them with no better alternatives is absolutely cruel and ridiculous. Less time against trans people, less time letting everyone have machine guns, and more time focus on making this state better. Be better! Do better!
2026 Regular Session HB4381 (Judiciary)
Comment by: David A Weaver on March 2, 2026 21:10
West Virginia Legislature Members,
Re: Senate Bills 533, 561 & House Bills 4381
My name is David Weaver, and I am a retired part time pastor with the United Methodist Church. I served for 20 years as a pastor before retiring in 2025. The churches that I served voted in the spring of 2024 before the general conference that they wanted to disaffiliate if the vote of general conference passed legislation that allowed same sex marriage to be performed in our churches.
In May of 2024 general conference did pass that legislation but immediately following they passed legislation to end disaffiliation. That left us with our only way out of the denomination would be to close our churches and turn all our assets over to the WV Annual Conference and leave them closed for period of time and try to buy back our church buildings.
We do not want to close; we want to disaffiliate from the denomination.
The legislation that is proposed by the West Virginian Legislature would allow us to disaffiliate. Is this correct? If so, we support this legislation and encourage you to vote for and support this legislation. If you have questions or advice for me, please contact.
Sincerely,
David Weaver
2038 S Calhoun Hwy, Grantsville, WV 26147 304-354-6217 home, 681-578-4784 cell
2026 Regular Session HB5319 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Blake Collias on March 2, 2026 18:52
Don't criminalize homelessness, instead spend money on services that address the problem such as mental health services.
2026 Regular Session HB5059 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Lori Hostuttler on March 2, 2026 18:34
I am the Director of the West Virginia & Regional History Center (WVRHC) at West Virginia University. We preserve over 5000 archival collections and many other historical materials that we make available to the public. We follow best practices for documenting the donation of collections to our archive and honor the wishes or our donors. In the past, the standard for record keeping was very different, so we don’t always have the paperwork that we currently feel is necessary to document donations, transfers, and loans. This bill offers collecting institutions like the WVRHC an opportunity to establish ownership of items in our collection when we don't have documentation. It is not an attempt to transfer private property interests from rightful owners or their heirs. In most cases, the collection materials addressed in the legislation were given to institutions with the purpose of being part of a historical collection as either a loan or donation. They were given with intent, but documentation is lacking. This bill helps to rectify the problem. 48 other states have legislation to address this common issue. I have volunteered and worked in historical organizations for over 25 years. Many have this same problem – stewarding materials they don’t own but are investing time and money in preserving. This bill is a critical step forward in providing a path to establishing ownership for institutions and following professional standards for the administration of our collections. It also benefits citizens who donate or loan materials to cultural heritage institutions (and their descendants) by protecting their ownership rights, facilitating the recovery of lost assets, and helping descendants carry out donors’ final wishes for their property. I urge you to support this bill. Thank you!
2026 Regular Session HB5260 (Health and Human Resources)
Comment by: Bassam Abulaban on March 2, 2026 17:59
Please for the love of god allow edibles AND for flower to be sold in pre-roll form and smoked. A lot of people don’t have the time to properly consume or money to purchase (to your legal options) ways to use the medical benefits cannabis provides. If you can inhale the positive stuff, law of the universe says you can exhale all of the negative stuff and this world definitely needs to be happier and more positive! 🫠
2026 Regular Session SB137 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Emily Farrell on March 2, 2026 16:43
As we look at the current cost of incarceration and we hope for rehabilitation the increase in time for eligibility to parole, would be negatively impacting the community in multiple ways the first is the financial strain it would take effect on this state which is already in a major issue with the conditions the prisons are in, multiple doors don’t work in many prisons the power and WiFi go out frequently and mass punishment already occurs within these facilities due to the staffing shortage, so add to increased inmates your housing at over populated facilities and the food cost for an additional ten years the climb of cost would be astronomical for a state in which already can’t not afford the prison system we have. Then to take away a glimpse of hope of release would increase the risk of an inmate not rehabilitating, like inmates many of us do things based off what we would expect as an outcome to then change that expectations, decreases the drive to be productive. We strongly urge you to reconsider these adjustments in the moral , financial aspects of the prison system, I urge you to interview and process time with inmates of these statues prior to making decisions, as I have heard many CO talk about the change someone can make and often do make inside these prison walls in WV this won’t help the recidivism rate, it won’t help crime prevention it will have a negative impact in multiple ways ..
2026 Regular Session HB5669 (Education)
Comment by: Aimee N Jackson on March 2, 2026 15:51
This bill is a direct attack against school choice and school freedom. What happened to Raylee was a despicable tragedy, but her parents withdrawing her from public school claiming "homeschool" is not why she died. The problem is and has been for many years CPS. If legislators would spend more time attempting to solve the problems in CPS these types of awful cases would not happen. CPS was aware of and was actively investigating Raylee's case. In fact, they had already been in the home but for some reason failed to take any action. Once again CPS failed their duty BUT they are under an immense strain, they are perpetually understaffed, underpaid, and largely undervalued. Focus on where the real problem lies and leave law abiding parents alone. Help CPS to do their jobs. Spend time and money solving that problem.
2026 Regular Session HB5611 (Energy and Public Works)
Comment by: Laurie Allen on March 2, 2026 15:46
To Whom It May Concern,
As a 26-year-resident and taxpayer of West Virginia, I am writing to express my support of House Bill 5611, a bill to amend and reenact §5B-2-21b of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to clarifying the management of data centers in areas with majority karst hydrogeology.I urge the legislature to support this as well, in order to protect our natural resources and residents from ill-advised data centers.
Sincerely, Laurie A. Allen2026 Regular Session SB137 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Bethany McComas on March 2, 2026 15:23
I do not agree with this bill, any offense after this one will give them a life sentence, even if just shoplifting. I am a prison wife, and this bill will ruin lives even the smallest offense.
2026 Regular Session HB5669 (Education)
Comment by: Frieda DeBerry on March 2, 2026 15:08
This is simply a way to prevent innocent parents from homeschooling. Anyone can make an accusation. Ninety percent of CPS allegations find no fault. Stop this nonsensical bill!
2026 Regular Session HB5194 (Education)
Comment by: Gretchen Griffin on March 2, 2026 14:58
I’m appalled that this was even entered into legislation. As an adult, do you ever use a calculator? It’s imperative that students of every age know how to utilize a calculator!
2026 Regular Session HB4761 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Celeste Trusty, FAMM on March 2, 2026 14:06
Written Testimony of Celeste Trusty
State Legislative Affairs Director, FAMM
Opposition to HB 4761
West Virginia House of Delegates Committee on the Judiciary
March 2, 2026
FAMM would like to thank Chair Akers, Vice-Chair Maynor, Minority Chair Fluharty, Minority Vice-Chair Hansen, and members of the West Virginia House of Delegates Committee of the Judiciary for the opportunity to express our strong opposition to HB 4761, which would drastically increase mandatory minimum sentences of incarceration and time served requirements for people with certain criminal convictions. Mandatory minimum sentences contribute to over-incarceration, separate families, and divert resources from evidence-based strategies that work. Increasing mandatory minimum sentences will undoubtedly cause widespread harm to West Virginians in the absence of efficacy. FAMM opposes HB 4761 and encourages members of the House Committee on the Judiciary to do the same.
FAMM is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocates sentencing and prison policies that are individualized and fair, protect public safety, and preserve families. For more than three decades, FAMM has been on the front lines fighting against mandatory minimum sentences - and the data supports the validity of our work. It has been well-known for decades now that mandatory minimum sentences do not work to deter crime and are a colossal drain on taxpayer resources, yet HB 4761 relies on these outdated and wasteful concepts in what would surely be an unsuccessful effort to protect public safety.[1]
Mandatory minimum sentences like those established and increased in HB 4761 require judges to impose blanket minimum sentences to every person convicted of a specific offense, removing a judge’s ability to consider the specifics of the situation, individual victims, the individual person they are sentencing, or any mitigating factors. What results all too often is a sentence that is counterproductive, wildly expensive, and ineffective at protecting the public from the very concern the legislature is trying to address.[2] FAMM understands the valid concern with the impact of crime on communities across the state and our country. However, increasing mandatory minimum sentences is simply not the answer. This is supported by more than three decades of evidence showing that mandatory minimum sentences do not make our communities any safer.
HB 4761 would double the length of the mandatory minimum term of incarceration for second degree murder, increasing the sentence to 20 - 40 years from the current 10 - 40 years, and would increase the mandatory minimum sentence for people convicted of first-degree murder after July 1, 2026, from 15 years to 15 years prior to parole eligibility. HB 4761 would also establish mandatory minimum sentences of 10 - 40 years and 5 - 20 years for attempted first- and second-degree murder, respectively.
Incarceration is meant as a form of punishment and to protect the public, but also meant to rehabilitate, educate, and support people as they prepare for a successful return to the community. FAMM believes that people should have meaningful opportunities to be released back into the community when their continued incarceration no longer serves any public benefit. HB 4761 runs counter to that goal and would increase incarceration lengths and costs for every person convicted of second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter or serving life sentences, regardless of their individual rehabilitation and readiness to return to the community.
West Virginians pay an average of nearly $50,000 each year to incarcerate each person, and those costs can drastically increase as people age and require increased medical care while serving longer prison sentences.[3] Legislating blanket increases on minimum terms of incarceration based on conviction or sentence will undoubtedly increase the fiscal burden on West Virginia’s taxpayers without tangible benefit to the safety of their communities. Additionally, the provisions included in HB 4761 ignore the role of the Parole Board who makes individualized decisions about readiness for release from incarceration, and whose decisions on granting release show that the populations of people targeted with increased punishment by this bill generally have much lower recidivism rates when released on parole.[4]
FAMM encourages the West Virginia House of Delegates Committee on the Judiciary to reject HB 4761 and instead focus on implementing evidence-based policies that serve to support West Virginia’s communities and protect public safety. Thank you for considering our feedback, and please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions at ctrusty@famm.org or 267.559.0195.
[1] FAMM Policy Briefing: Mandatory Minimum Sentences, FAMM, January 2024. https://famm.org/wpcontent/uploads/2024/03/Mandatory-Minimum-Briefing-Paper-Final.pdf
[2] The Case Against Mandatory Minimum Sentences, FAMM, April 2021. https://famm.org/wpcontent/uploads/2021/04/The-Case-against-Mandatory-Minimum-Sentences.pdf
[3] DCR Annual Report FY 2024, p. 43; DCR Annual Report FY 2025, p.43. Total prison spending increased from $271.7 million in FY 2024 to $348.2 million in FY 2025.
[4] DCR Recidivism Report, July 2024, p.2. DCR defines recidivism as anyone coming back to prison within 3 years – regardless of whether it was a new crime committed or a parole violation (e.g., a missed appointment). In other words, recidivism does not necessarily indicate a new criminal offense.
2026 Regular Session HB4758 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Celeste Trusty, FAMM on March 2, 2026 14:04
Written Testimony of Celeste Trusty
State Legislative Affairs Director, FAMM
Opposition to HB 4758
West Virginia House of Delegates Committee on the Judiciary
March 2, 2026
FAMM would like to thank Chair Akers, Vice-Chair Maynor, Minority Chair Fluharty, Minority Vice-Chair Hansen, and members of the West Virginia House of Delegates Committee of the Judiciary for the opportunity to express our strong opposition to HB 4758, which would drastically increase mandatory minimum sentences of incarceration and time served requirements for people with certain criminal convictions. Mandatory minimum sentences contribute to over-incarceration, separate families, and divert resources from evidence-based strategies that work. Increasing mandatory minimum sentences will undoubtedly cause widespread harm to West Virginians in the absence of efficacy. FAMM opposes HB 4758 and encourages members of the House Committee on the Judiciary to do the same.
FAMM is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocates sentencing and prison policies that are individualized and fair, protect public safety, and preserve families. For more than three decades, FAMM has been on the front lines fighting against mandatory minimum sentences - and the data supports the validity of our work. It has been well-known for decades now that mandatory minimum sentences do not work to deter crime and are a colossal drain on taxpayer resources, yet HB 4758 relies on these outdated and wasteful concepts in what would surely be an unsuccessful effort to protect public safety.[1]
Mandatory minimum sentences like those established and increased in HB 4758 require judges to impose blanket minimum sentences to every person convicted of a specific offense, removing a judge’s ability to consider the specifics of the situation, individual victims, the individual person they are sentencing, or any mitigating factors. What results all too often is a sentence that is counterproductive, wildly expensive, and ineffective at protecting the public from the very concern the legislature is trying to address. FAMM understands the valid concern with the impact of crime on communities across the state and our country. However, increasing mandatory minimum sentences is simply not the answer. This is supported by more than three decades of evidence showing that mandatory minimum sentences do not make our communities any safer.
HB 4758 would establish a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 to 40 years for attempted murder of the first degree and increase the mandatory minimum sentence for people convicted of first-degree murder on or after July 1, 2026, from 15 to 25 years served prior to parole eligibility.
Incarceration is meant as a form of punishment and to protect the public, but also meant to rehabilitate, educate, and support people as they prepare for a successful return to the community. FAMM believes that people should have meaningful opportunities to be released back into the community when their continued incarceration no longer serves any public benefit. HB 4758 runs counter to that goal and would increase incarceration lengths and costs for every person convicted of second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter or serving life sentences, regardless of their individual rehabilitation and readiness to return to the community.
West Virginians pay an average of nearly $50,000 each year to incarcerate each person, and those costs can drastically increase as people age and require increased medical care while serving longer prison sentences.[2] Legislating blanket increases on minimum terms of incarceration based on conviction or sentence will undoubtedly increase the fiscal burden on West Virginia’s taxpayers without tangible benefit to the safety of their communities. Additionally, the provisions included in HB 4758 ignore the role of the Parole Board who makes individualized decisions about readiness for release from incarceration, and whose decisions on granting release show that the populations of people targeted with increased punishment by this bill generally have much lower recidivism rates when released on parole.[3]
FAMM encourages the West Virginia House of Delegates Committee on the Judiciary to reject HB 4758 and instead focus on implementing evidence-based policies that serve to support West Virginia’s communities and protect public safety. Thank you for considering our feedback, and please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions at ctrusty@famm.org or 267.559.0195.
[1] FAMM Policy Briefing: Mandatory Minimum Sentences, FAMM, January 2024. https://famm.org/wpcontent/uploads/2024/03/Mandatory-Minimum-Briefing-Paper-Final.pdf
[2] DCR Annual Report FY 2024, p. 43; DCR Annual Report FY 2025, p.43. Total prison spending increased from $271.7 million in FY 2024 to $348.2 million in FY 2025.
[3] DCR Recidivism Report, July 2024, p.2. DCR defines recidivism as anyone coming back to prison within 3 years – regardless of whether it was a new crime committed or a parole violation (e.g., a missed appointment). In other words, recidivism does not necessarily indicate a new criminal offense.
2026 Regular Session SB137 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Celeste Trusty, FAMM on March 2, 2026 13:59
Written Testimony of Celeste Trusty
State Legislative Affairs Director, FAMM
Opposition to SB 137
West Virginia House of Delegates Committee on the Judiciary
March 2, 2026
FAMM would like to thank Chair Akers, Vice-Chair Maynor, Minority Chair Fluharty, Minority Vice-Chair Hansen, and members of the West Virginia House of Delegates Committee of the Judiciary for the opportunity to express our strong opposition to SB 137, which would drastically increase mandatory minimum sentences of incarceration and time served requirements for people with certain criminal convictions. Mandatory minimum sentences contribute to over-incarceration, separate families, and divert resources from evidence-based strategies that work. Increasing mandatory minimum sentences will undoubtedly cause widespread harm to West Virginians in the absence of efficacy. FAMM opposes SB 137 and encourages members of the House Committee on the Judiciary to do the same.
FAMM is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocates sentencing and prison policies that are individualized and fair, protect public safety, and preserve families. For more than three decades, FAMM has been on the front lines fighting against mandatory minimum sentences - and the data supports the validity of our work. It has been well-known for decades now that mandatory minimum sentences do not work to deter crime and are a colossal drain on taxpayer resources, yet SB 137 relies on these outdated and wasteful concepts in what would surely be an unsuccessful effort to protect public safety.[1]
Mandatory minimum sentences like those increased in SB 137 require judges to impose blanket minimum sentences to every person convicted of a specific offense, removing a judge’s ability to consider the specifics of the situation, individual victims, the individual person they are sentencing, or any mitigating factors. What results all too often is a sentence that is counterproductive, wildly expensive, and ineffective at protecting the public from the very concern the legislature is trying to address.[2] FAMM understands the valid concern with the impact of crime on communities across the state and our country. However, increasing mandatory minimum sentences is simply not the answer. This is supported by more than three decades of evidence showing that mandatory minimum sentences do not make our communities any safer.
SB 137 would increase the mandatory minimum sentences for second degree murder from 10 to 40 years to 15 to 60 years and from three to 15 years to five to 25 years for voluntary manslaughter. SB 137 would also increase the mandatory minimum time served prior to parole eligibility for people serving life sentences from 10 to 20 years, and from 15 to 25 years for people serving life who have two prior felony convictions. People convicted of first-degree murder after July 1, 2026, would also be required to serve 25 years before parole eligibility, a 10-year increase from the current requirement.
Incarceration is meant as a form of punishment and to protect the public, but also meant to rehabilitate, educate, and support people as they prepare for a successful return to the community. FAMM believes that people should have meaningful opportunities to be released back into the community when their continued incarceration no longer serves any public benefit. SB 137 runs counter to that goal and would increase incarceration lengths and costs for every person convicted of second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter or serving life sentences, regardless of their individual rehabilitation and readiness to return to the community.
West Virginians pay an average of nearly $50,000 each year to incarcerate each person, and those costs can drastically increase as people age and require increased medical care while serving longer prison sentences.[3] Legislating blanket increases on minimum terms of incarceration based on conviction or sentence will undoubtedly increase the fiscal burden on West Virginia’s taxpayers without tangible benefit to the safety of their communities. Additionally, the provisions included in SB 137 ignore the role of the Parole Board who makes individualized decisions about readiness for release from incarceration, and whose decisions on granting release show that the populations of people targeted with increased punishment by this bill generally have much lower recidivism rates when released on parole.[4]
FAMM encourages the West Virginia House of Delegates Committee on the Judiciary to reject SB 137 and instead focus on implementing evidence-based policies that serve to support West Virginia’s communities and protect public safety. Thank you for considering our feedback, and please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions at ctrusty@famm.org or 267.559.0195.
[1] FAMM Policy Briefing: Mandatory Minimum Sentences, FAMM, January 2024. https://famm.org/wpcontent/uploads/2024/03/Mandatory-Minimum-Briefing-Paper-Final.pdf
[2] The Case Against Mandatory Minimum Sentences, FAMM, April 2021. https://famm.org/wpcontent/uploads/2021/04/The-Case-against-Mandatory-Minimum-Sentences.pdf
[3] DCR Annual Report FY 2024, p. 43; DCR Annual Report FY 2025, p.43. Total prison spending increased from $271.7 million in FY 2024 to $348.2 million in FY 2025.
[4] DCR Recidivism Report, July 2024, p.2. DCR defines recidivism as anyone coming back to prison within 3 years – regardless of whether it was a new crime committed or a parole violation (e.g., a missed appointment). In other words, recidivism does not necessarily indicate a new criminal offense.
2026 Regular Session SB155 (Education)
Comment by: Devin Babcock on March 2, 2026 13:01
Monday, March 2, 2026
Dear Members of the House Education Committee,
My name is Devin Babcock and I serve as Senior Legislative Director for ExcelinEd in Action. Our organization works with state lawmakers and partner organizations to pass legislation that empowers families with educational opportunity, prepares students for college and career, prioritizes early literacy grounded in the science of reading, expands innovation and strengthens school performance.
I am writing to express ExcelinEd in Action’s support for Senate Bill 155, which would allow West Virginians without traditional teaching certification to be hired to teach when no fully certified teacher is available. Adjunct teachers may be employed part-time or full-time, compensated outside the standard salary schedule and are not guaranteed benefits unless agreed to by the county board.
The proposal is strong, as it opens new pathways into the education profession while maintaining strong standards for experience requirements, background checks, mentoring, training obligations and reporting requirements.
We urge you to support Senate Bill 155 and bring new educators into the schools that need them most. By prioritizing teacher recruitment, we ensure quality education, allowing students to benefit from motivated teachers who can provide consistent and high-quality instruction.
Thank you for your consideration of this important policy.
Respectfully,
Devin Babcock
Senior Legislative Director
ExcelinEd in Action
2026 Regular Session HB5260 (Health and Human Resources)
Comment by: Nichole on March 2, 2026 12:47
Absolutely, they should carry edibles. I feel its an easier more sufficient way for the medication to be consumed.
2026 Regular Session HB5669 (Education)
Comment by: Sarah Haddox on March 2, 2026 12:47
I oppose this bill, as there are instances that it could be abused to the detriment of a child and his/her family. There are those who might instigate a CPS referral in error or in retribution against a family. This would then erroneously disrupt child’s family life and education. There are already laws and measures in place to protect children when there is suspected abuse.
2026 Regular Session HB4191 (Finance)
Comment by: Abby Pownall on March 2, 2026 12:26
When parents can work, businesses thrive and communities grow. #SolveChildCare
2026 Regular Session HB5260 (Health and Human Resources)
Comment by: Matthew L Jones on March 2, 2026 12:20
Please
2026 Regular Session HB5611 (Energy and Public Works)
Comment by: alicia noble on March 2, 2026 12:16
Sirs, \Please support House bill 5611 giving more control to local governments and the people in the decision process.
Respectfully submitted
2026 Regular Session HB5163 (Education)
Comment by: Kristy Ritz on March 2, 2026 11:54
I am very concerned for children to be in an unlicensed child care program. WV prides itself on the strong, appropriate licensing that is in place to keep children safe and healthy. I do not support this bill and believe that children may be harmed in these types of arrangements.
2026 Regular Session HB5053 (Public Education)
Comment by: Gretchen Morrison on March 2, 2026 11:16
To: House Public Education Committee
From: Gretchen Morrison
Date: 3/2/2026
Re: House Bill 5053 – Oppose
Dear Members of the House Public Education Committee,
On behalf of the Pacific Justice Institute, please accept this as the formal statement of opposition for House Bill 5053, which undermines the rights of parents to choose the best educational option for their children. It creates an unreasonable burden on parents who wish to homeschool their children by forcing them to wait ninety days to homeschool, without any proof of wrongdoing by the parent(s). This bill violates parental rights codified in the Parent’s Bill of Rights by infringing on a parent’s right to direct their children’s education without the requisite burden of proof. W. Va. Code § 49-12-3.
HB 5053 creates an unnecessary expense on the state by requiring the WVDE to conduct surveys and analyze them when private organizations have already done this. The Cardinal Institute has published white papers discussing West Virginia’s public schools with policy suggestions the committee could adopt without expending more limited state resources. See Research, Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy, https://cardinalinstitute.com/research/. Staff at the Cardinal Institute, some of which are former teachers, would likely gladly provide suggestions on how to achieve the goal of this bill without the negative consequences.
This bill is bad policy as it makes many assumptions without actual data to back up those assumptions. “Upon reaching the pre-petition stage, a county often receives a homeschool notice.” House Bill 5053 (emphasis added). Calling West Virginia’s homeschooling parents’ educational choice an “easy out” when they feel the public schools no longer provide the best option for their child further adds to the contentious sentiment that modern public education is against parental rights. Id. Most homeschool families sacrifice time, money, and employment opportunities to homeschool their children. Referring to this familial sacrifice as an “easy out” does not repair the distrust many parents now have in public education. Id.
HB 5053 also assumes that West Virginia’s homeschooling parents could have some sort of ulterior motive for homeschooling their children to avoid assessments. “Additionally, there is concern that families may use a homeschool over-the-summer credit to bypass the required reading proficiency standards ….” Id. (emphasis added). Drafting legislation based on assumptions and fears of what could happen in a tiny minority of cases is policy making based on conjecture. This is in addition to infringing on the rights of most parents who choose to homeschool for valid reasons, while also following the law. The ninety-day mandatory waiting period in public schools places an unreasonable burden on parents who wish to homeschool. Id. There could be many legitimate reasons to homeschool a child: to escape bullying, the physical condition of the school, the academic quality of the school, medical or health reasons, or merely wanting to provide better educational content based on the parents’ values.
This bill is vague with reference to when the ninety days apply and at what point a parent is considered in the “pre-petition process” for the purposes of the proposed bill. HB 5053. It could be easy to envision a simple disagreement with the school’s administration being construed as a pre-petition process to punish the parent(s). This bill at a minimum, needs major revisions to honor parental rights and not be vague, so parents are apprised on how to avoid the ninety-day waiting period, and how to avoid being considered in a “pre-petition process.” The desire to protect children is commendable. If the legislature wants to end a loophole that has been created in the system with reference to avoiding mandatory assessments, it needs to find another way that does not create an unreasonable burden.
HB 5053 could infringe upon religious liberties and a parent’s right to homeschool their child with religious curriculum. Recent Supreme Court precedent reaffirmed parents’ religious beliefs apply in public schools and the education context. In Mahmoud v. Taylor, 606 U.S. 522, 558, (2025), the Court held that parents’ have a right to opt their children out of lessons that directly conflict with their religious beliefs after the challenged policy could not pass strict scrutiny. The Pacific Justice Institute opposes this bill for its burden on the educational rights of parents and the potential infringement on religious liberty for those parents who wish to homeschool to provide religious curriculum for their children. This bill needs substantial revisions before advancing any further, if at all, to avoid infringing on parents’ right to direct the educational and religious upbringing of their children. Mahmoud, 606 U.S. at 585-86; W. Va. Code § 49-12-3. Thank you for your consideration of this letter as you review and discuss HB 5053.
Best,
Gretchen Morrison
Staff Attorney, Licensed in West Virginia
PACIFIC JUSTICE INSTITUTE
gmorrison@pji.org
Andrea Hitefield, Esq.
Legislative Counsel
PACIFIC JUSTICE INSTITUTE
ahitefield@pji.org
2026 Regular Session HB5059 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Alexander Bennett on March 2, 2026 10:39
I spoke with the House Judiciary Committee on Friday 2/27/26. I want to thank the Committee for their time, Committee Chairman Akers for allowing me to speak, and for helping to advance our legislation by sponsoring it. I would like to myself available to the Legislative Members on this House Bill as one of the Organizations that has helped to originate it. I serve as Museum Curator at the World Scouting Museum and the Vice President of the West Virginia Association oF Museums. We strongly support and request passage of this House Bill to help West Virginia align with 48 other US States legislation and fill critical gaps that could harm our institutions.
2026 Regular Session HB5319 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Tracie on March 2, 2026 10:30
Hello. I’m a constituent of Monongalia County who is concerned about HB5319. Jailing our neighbors for experiencing homelessness is not only a huge expense to our communities, but has shown little to no results in other communities around the country. "Camping bans” have grown in popularity around the United States, but there is NO empirical evidence to show these bans reduce homelessness (National Alliance to End Homelessness).
People arrested for being unsheltered are less likely to get the help they need from social services. Interactions with law enforcement break existing connections with social services providers. Serving time also makes it harder for individuals to maintain stable work and receive important services like healthcare, which is often needed to help stabilize someone’s path to housing.
Bans cost municipalities millions of dollars in judicial and enforcement expenses—valuable funding that could be used to provide affordable housing. Providing affordable housing and supplementing similar programming have been shown to offset hospital costs. With nearly half of West Virginians relying on Medicaid, offsetting these kinds of health costs would be hugely beneficial for state funding.
Statewide camping bans are expensive and dangerous for all of us, costing millions and providing limited results. Please vote NO on any statewide ban. Funds should be used to stabilize communities with affordable housing and thoughtful, effective programming. Local municipalities’ right to choose how they govern should also be protected.
2026 Regular Session HB4191 (Finance)
Comment by: Katie Masters on March 2, 2026 10:08
- I support this bill. Having a child care supplement for individuals already working in childcare would contribute to workers staying in centers and centers staying open. We must pass this bill in the next 3 days. We can not wait another year for child care services.
2026 Regular Session HB5680 (Government Organization)
Comment by: Brian Powell on March 2, 2026 09:58
I oppose this bill because it is a lazy approach to addressing regulation.
Regulations serve an important purpose in bringing the laws passed by the legislation into force. Saying that every regulation needs to be re-justified from ground zero every handful number of years is a tremendous waste of state dollars. The reasoning behind and need for most regulations rarely changes.
Further, saying that existing regulations have to be removed to pass new ones is insane. Either you need the regulation or you don't. Needing new regulations is not a reasonable ground for eliminating existing ones.
It's the legislature's job to review regulations. Do your job and review the rules bundles before you. If you think there may be a need to revisit a particular issue in the future, include a sunset clause on that specific rule. Don't waste taxpayer money reevaluating every single rule because you're all too lazy to do the job you were elected to.
2026 Regular Session SB745 (Education)
Comment by: Miranda Smith on March 2, 2026 09:55
I do not agree with SB 745s option to remove condiments containing dyes and sugars without a safer and more natural alternative. This will leave our children more deprived than they are already from school meals. They are served the bare minimum under the guise of “clean eating” while our tax dollars pay into a fund large enough to send meals home with kids who may not have one! Definitely recommend reconsideration on this senate bill!
2026 Regular Session HB5687 (Finance)
Comment by: Brian Powell on March 2, 2026 09:48
If this is supposed to help an industry during a temporary downturn, it should be a temporary tax cut with a date certain or formula for reinstating the original tax rate.
2026 Regular Session HB4191 (Finance)
Comment by: Grace Moore on March 2, 2026 09:46
This bill is so important! Solve Child Care!
2026 Regular Session HB5501 (Health and Human Resources)
Comment by: Sarah Haddox on March 2, 2026 09:29
I do not support this bill for several reasons. I would like a midwife bill to include the decriminalization of midwifery. Although licensing CPMs may seem to solve many “problems,” there are many other states that have tried to control midwifery through legislation. There is no pathway or protection for traditional midwives. Often after a CPM bill is passed, it creates an opening for persecuting other types of midwives. Additionally this bill lists conditions that a midwife must refer out to a higher level of care. These conditions can be inaccurately diagnosed and no medical care should ever be forced in any way. This bill creates allegiance to the state and license and takes the power away from the client.
2026 Regular Session HB5525 (Energy and Public Works)
Comment by: Shelly Updegrave on March 2, 2026 09:20
Hello,
Please bring HB 5525 to the Floor for a vote! A great deal of money is needed to create a clean water fund for the 13 WV coal counties. I urge you to bring it to the Floor and give it a thumb's up! While I reside in Jackson County, I care about my fellow West Virginia folks. We West Virginians need to stick together!
Best,
Shelly Updegrave
2026 Regular Session HB5585 (Energy and Public Works)
Comment by: Shelly Updegrave on March 2, 2026 09:15
Hello,
I am writing to urge you to put HB 5585 on your agenda. Please declare coalfield counties a public health emergency given the region's drinking water crisis. We are not a third world country! Please allow public water boards and public service districts in those counties to access funds from the Revenue Shortfall Reserve Funds. I hope you will consider my request. Let's help out our fellow West Virginias!
Best,
Shelly Updegrave
2026 Regular Session HB4191 (Finance)
Comment by: Rebecca Martin on March 2, 2026 08:08
"The Children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I'm beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this may be incapable of morality". James Baldwin
2026 Regular Session SB137 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Jodi Link on March 2, 2026 06:10
Like many West Virginians, I oppose SB 137. Increasing sentences may sound tough on crime, but decades of research show that simply keeping people in prison longer does not meaningfully reduce crime rates or deter future offenses. This bill would significantly lengthen prison sentences and expand mandatory minimum penalties in West Virginia without clear evidence that doing so will improve public safety
West Virginia already faces significant challenges within its corrections system, including overcrowding, staffing shortages, and rising costs. SB 137 would place additional strain on taxpayers by increasing long-term incarceration expenses, including housing, medical care, and supervision, while offering little to no return in terms of safer communities. Every dollar spent on unnecessary prison expansion is a dollar not invested in strategies that are proven to reduce recidivism and prevent crime in the first place.
Evidence-based alternatives such as substance use treatment, mental health services, career training, and structured reentry programs consistently demonstrate stronger public safety outcomes than sentence enhancements. Many individuals in the criminal legal system struggle with addiction, trauma, and economic instability. Addressing these root causes is far more effective than extending prison stays.
Additionally, longer mandatory sentences limit judicial discretion and prevent courts from considering the unique circumstances of each case. This “one-size-fits-all” approach can produce unjust outcomes while failing to distinguish between individuals who pose a serious risk and those who would benefit more from supervision and treatment.
Public safety should be guided by data, fiscal responsibility, and fairness. I urge lawmakers to reject SB 137 and instead prioritize policies that strengthen communities, support victims, and make smart, evidence-based investments in safety.
2026 Regular Session HB4093 (Education)
Comment by: Rebecca Byrd on March 2, 2026 04:45
I, as a West Virginian with school aged children am extremely concerned about this bill. How on earth does it make sense to bring more guns into schools with all of the mass school shootings in American public schools? I can see this being gravely dangerous. Not for the fear that our educators will hurt children but for the fear that a disgruntled child or another person could remove the gun off the body of abled and licensed to conceal carry. Is it not fathomable that someone could mistakenly leave their weapon in reach of a child? If we are worried about the growing problem of mass school shootings we should NOT be bring more guns into school buildings. We should be instead focusing on interventions and mental health programs aimed at recognizing these troubled individuals who commit such horrific acts. If we’re worried about this issue, let’s ensure a trained resource officer is on every school campus. Let’s install metal detectors at entry points. All of these things are more common sense strategies than to pour grease on a grease fire. Let’s address this problem in a common sense way. But I can not support a bill that would bring even more weapons into a school building. I do not support this bill.
Thank you,
-Rebecca Byrd
2026 Regular Session HB4056 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Rebecca Byrd on March 2, 2026 04:33
I, as a life long West Virginia resident am not sure I can support this bill. I am thinking of how this could possibly be enforced in some of our poorer counties that have already been wrecked by numerous floods. I am thinking of residents of McDowell county, some of the nicest people you will ever meet. They do not have the means to pay to clean up their flood condemned properties. Would you be enforcing this there? Or is this mean to come after property owners in wealthier counties. We surely care about safety of West Virginians, however I don’t feel the language of this bill accounts for those In financial ruin. People who can’t afford groceries, utilities, and living expenses already. How do you expect these people to pay to have a ruined building removed from their properties? Will the state be providing financial assistance to remedy this problem for these individuals? Or is this really a sneaky way to tax and punish those who can’t afford to clean up their properties? I do not support this bill.
Thank you,
-Rebecca Byrd
2026 Regular Session HB4034 (Education)
Comment by: Rebecca Byrd on March 2, 2026 04:06
I, as a wv citizen, do not support this bill, as I feel this could potentially infringe on students and teachers constitutional rights as listed in the first amendment as explained below
The First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion through two core provisions:
the Establishment Clause, which prohibits the government from creating or favoring a state religion, and the Free Exercise Clause, which protects an individual's right to practice their faith without government interference. These rights are not absolute and can be limited by compelling government interests.
- Establishment Clause: Prevents the government from establishing a religion, endorsing it, or becoming excessively involved in religious affairs.
- Free Exercise Clause: Protects the right to hold any belief or no belief at all.
- Key Court Standards: The Supreme Court often uses the "Lemon test" to determine if government action violates the Establishment Clause, requiring a secular purpose and that it neither advances nor inhibits religion.
- Application: These rights apply to federal, state, and local governments, protecting against actions that would restrict religious freedom.
2026 Regular Session HB4191 (Finance)
Comment by: Kimberly Brown on March 1, 2026 23:56
Child Care is the workforce behind the workforce
#SolveChildCare
2026 Regular Session HB4027 (Finance)
Comment by: S on March 1, 2026 22:58
As a single mother, access to reliable and affordable childcare is not a luxury, it is essential. Without childcare, I, along with thousands of other working parents in West Virginia, would not be able to maintain employment or provide for our families. Just as importantly, we rely on childcare centers to provide safe, stable environments where our children can learn and grow while we work. If this bill leads to the closure of childcare centers, it will have devastating consequences for working families across our state. Many parents will be forced to reduce hours, leave their jobs, or make impossible choices between earning a paycheck and caring for their children. West Virginia’s workforce depends on accessible childcare, and our families cannot afford to lose it.
2026 Regular Session HB4371 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Damon Peyton on March 1, 2026 22:41
I am a West Virginia resident writing in support of legislating recreational cannabis for adults 21 and over. Our state is loosing tax revenue and business opportunities to neighboring states were cannabis is already legal.
2026 Regular Session SB137 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Ronda Engstrom on March 1, 2026 21:47
I am a professor of Criminology here in West Virginia. My husband and I moved here with our two adult children in 2021 when I attained my teaching position. We are now proud to call West Virginia our home. As a professor of Criminology, I believe this bill does not consider the null and even criminogenic effect of imprisonment in terms of reoffending, particularly long sentences as confirmed in Petrich et al.’s (2021) recent meta-analysis. This bill moves us backward, not forward in our understanding of what works in corrections which is not long sentences but rather restorative programs that holds the offender accountable for their actions while giving the victim voice with the goal of repairing harm.
I am also a volunteer with Prison Fellowship and have been visiting Huttonsville Correctional Center for the past year and a half to assist with Prison fellowship academy which aims to help currently incarcerated individuals to make positive change from a Christ-centered perspective. I know one man, who was convicted of first-degree murder who is now attending Bible college with the hopes of ministering when he returns to his community. If the proposed legislation had been the law at the time of his crime, he would have to wait even longer to return to the community and minister to others. This is true of so many of the men I work with. What I see is men who are not simply remorseful but repentant. They are seeking life change, many with the understanding that this only comes about through faith in Christ. But, for many the hope of freedom, life outside of prison is what drives them to seek this life change. Please do not take away this motivation by lengthening sentences through this legislation.
There are also many cases where men convicted of murder have returned to live productive and service-oriented lives. With this in mind, please understand that housing individuals in prison is expensive. According to DCR’s 2024 Annual Report the average annual cost per person in prison is $35,452. Instead of this bill, which adds penalties after a crime has been committed, I hope that the committee takes up investments that prevent violence – like parent education, treatment foster care, domestic violence initiatives, and trauma-informed practices in our schools. In addition, investment within our correctional facilities for educational, drug rehabilitative services, and trauma-informed treatment will help residents of these facilities be prepared to return to our communities as productive citizens.
Finally, continued and increased volunteer programs like Prison Fellowship within West Virginia prisons should be advocated. As a professor of criminology and volunteer who works with men currently incarcerated, I ask you not to advance this bill.
Reference:
Petrich, D. M., Pratt, T. C., Jonson, C. L., & Cullen, F. T. (2021). Custodial sanctions and reoffending: A meta-analytic review. Crime and justice, 50(1), 353-424.
2026 Regular Session SB137 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Lydia Milnes on March 1, 2026 19:41
This bill would waste millions if not hundreds of millions in tax payer dollars that should be spent fixing roads, providing clean water, and funding schools.
2026 Regular Session HB5648 (Energy and Public Works)
Comment by: Stephen Bodnar on March 1, 2026 17:56
I’m writing to ask for passage of HB5648. It would lower costs, expand access to local, cheaper power options. It would also strengthen protections against shutoffs and make it easier to get bill assistance. It would give the public a stronger voice when rate increases are proposed. This is about protecting families on fixed incomes and others struggling to keep up.
Thank you,
Stephen Bodnar
2026 Regular Session HB5525 (Energy and Public Works)
Comment by: Stephen Bodnar on March 1, 2026 17:43
I’m asking for your support for HB 5525. People have a right to have clean water. They have been forgotten for too many years. Please support Bill 5525! People’s lives are depending on the passage of this bill.
Thank you,
Stephen Bodnar
2026 Regular Session HB5585 (Energy and Public Works)
Comment by: Stephen Bodnar on March 1, 2026 17:32
I am writing to ask for support for Bill 5585. I was born and raised in the southern coalfields of our state. I lived by streams that ran orange with mine run off. All people have the right to have safe water in their homes. Please support this bill.
Thank you for your support,
Stephen Bodnar
2026 Regular Session HB4344 (Legal Services)
Comment by: Donna K Bolt on March 1, 2026 17:22
Hello, my name is Donna Bolt, and Michael Brandon Cochran is my son who was murdered and died a horrible death Feb. 11, 2019. His wife killed Michael Brandon by injecting him with Insulin.
Feb. 6, 2019, around 11:30am, Michael fell unresponsive and collapsed in the kitchen floor. She sent out numerous pictures to the community that showed Michael on the kitchen floor. She left Michael, unconscious, in the home, on the couch for over 8 hours. Michael never received any medical treatment, no one ever called 911 or EMS.
Around 7-7:30pm that night, Michael was finally taken to the E.R. by his friend; his brain had already began to swell, he was snoring, still unconscious and unresponsive. Blood sugar of 21, heart rate of 38. He was placed on the ventilator. Immediately Michael was given IV meds to increase severely blood sugar, and IV Fluids and 1 dose of antibiotic.
Transported to CAMC via ambulance, my baby boy never woke up. He was only 38, healthy, strong - not sick - not a diabetic. Michael was at CAMC until Sunday Feb. 10, 2019, and she signed a 'Do Not Resuscitate/DNR' and had Michael Brandon transferred to Bowers Hospice House. Although the Hospice Nurse was injecting Michael with Dilaudid, then alternating every 15 minutes with Morphine, Michael Brandon was fighting to breathe, he didn't want to die. I heard the nurse say "it's taking so long because he is in such good shape'. At 12:18am, Feb. 11, 2019, my boy took his last breathe.
We have been Michael's advocate and his voice since Feb. 6, 2019 - and finally God's plan was fulfilled and the 'Devil' was convicted of 1st degree murder of 'Exogenous Administration of Insulin' on Jan. 29, 2025, and Jan. 30, 2025 - she received 'NO MERCY'.
This HB4344 describes the dire medically need of this lab test 'C-Peptide' of any/all unconscious patients that first present to the E.R./ICU before ANY treatment is given. Unlike injected insulin, Continuous Peptide (C-Peptide) is only produced naturally by the body and it provides a reliable source of insulin produced by the body. C-Peptide testing would determine if the patient's body is producing the insulin - or if the patient was given insulin by injection.
Although this C-Peptide test would not have helped Michael to recover due not receiving any treatment for over 8 hours. This test would help other patients and their families - who arrive unconscious to the medical facility. This test can also assist those on the Ambulance and out in the field.
Michael was never given a chance, and we fought for over 6 years to get justice for Michael's murder. We remain heart broken and distraught, and miss Michael every minute of every day. There's not a day that we don't think of him and wish he was still here with us. Our lives will never ever be the same; NO parent should have to bury their child.
Please, please pass this HB4344 into LAW. Keep Michael Brandon Cochran's name alive, and keep his memory alive with this bill.
2026 Regular Session HB5260 (Health and Human Resources)
Comment by: Amanda Knotts on March 1, 2026 16:10
I would love to have edibles available. I would rather eat a gummy than smoke.
2026 Regular Session HB5260 (Health and Human Resources)
Comment by: Travis Johnson on March 1, 2026 15:27
Over the last two years I've watched three friends died and at the end they couldn't vaporize their medication because they were so far from lung cancer the only way they would have been able to medicate would have been with an edible sometimes a rso going to be too strong for some people or just not strong enough
2026 Regular Session HB5260 (Health and Human Resources)
Comment by: Laramie Farren on March 1, 2026 14:05
Edibles are very beneficial and less strain on lungs!
2026 Regular Session HB5319 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Emmett Pepper on March 1, 2026 13:57
I'm opposed to this bill.
2026 Regular Session HB5525 (Energy and Public Works)
Comment by: Breanne on March 1, 2026 13:52
West Virginians in southern West Virginia have already went too long without drinkable water. Having clean water to drink is a human right. These people are still expected to pay water bills for water they cannot use. Water lines need repaired and replaced all over the state, especially southern WV. Please pass this bill, as elected officials it is your job to take care of the people that live in this state.
2026 Regular Session HB5585 (Energy and Public Works)
Comment by: Breanne Baker on March 1, 2026 13:42
The people of West Virginia NEED drinkable water. This issue cannot wait. Water is essential for life and the people of southern West Virginia have gone long enough not being able to have drinkable water. Clean water drinking water is a human right.
2026 Regular Session SB137 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Stephen W Logan on March 1, 2026 13:36
As a retired correctional educator with 11 years of experience at a WV maximum security prison, I urege the rejection of Senate Bill 137, knowing that punishment is only retribution, and not rehabilitation, and at a very high tax-payer cost, increases sentencing from 15 years to 25 years, at an increased tax-payer cost of $484,490 per person. . A poll in March 2025, revealed that 2 out 3 people in the Mountain State support criminal justice reform (including 2 out of 3 Republicans) instead of penalty increases. West Virginians support policies that would allow people to earn time off their prison sentences for their rehabilitation efforts. Three out of four people support a Second Look policy. Reject this bill and put the monetary resources into education or medical care or drug treatment or some other socially responsible organization, NOT in prisons or prison sentencing!
2026 Regular Session SB137 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Rachel Radabaugh on March 1, 2026 13:30
To The Standing Committe,
In the spring of 2010 my family entered in to an area of unknown territories. We had never had to face something so devastating. My brother Brent, had been in and out of some trouble due to drugs. Early in his life he was a cute brown curly hair happy boy. Loved family, bikes, match box cars, and model train sets. God gave us a wonderful family. Our entire childhood was spent celebrating every holiday, every birthday, and every weekend with our grandparents, parent, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Placing no blame My Brother started hanging with kids to fit in or to be popular. It started with Weed and then turned to Crack cocaine. That cute curly brown hair boy wasnt there any more. Being a mommy's boy my mom was his enabler. Any good mother would never want to see their child in trouble or hurt. Everyone that knows my brother says how sweet, kind, and hes someone that would do anything for anyone if he could. Love's his family and his kids. My brother is now serving a 15 to life sentence with Mercy. He has Graduated from the Bible College in Mt Olive, he's a Mentor, he helped with the Scared Straight Program, he founded the Cared Straight Program in 2016, Co-founded 1st Inmate lead Recovery Unit in DCR in Mt Olive and is still going strong today, he is the Inmate Pastor currently at St Mary's, he's Baptized more men than I can count in the Name of Jesus during the Men of Honor, he has had the honor of praying and being there for other men when they take their final breath here on earth, he's currently enrolled in Barber College in St Mary's, and he has had a clean record while being incarcerated these last 15 years. Are you the same person you were 15 years ago? Have you changed in any way or thing over the last 15 years? God gave my brother Mercy, something to work towards while he's there and will give him the thing to live for when he is released. I have visited my brother in Mt Olive, St Mary's, and Huttonsville. If I remember right the murals or messages on the walls are about 2nd Chances, Hope, personal transformation and rehabilitation. If thats not what the focus is then we need to re-evaluate the transformation and rehabilitation programs not increasing the number of years based on a crime. Thank you. I know you'll decide and do the right thing.
.
2026 Regular Session HB4034 (Education)
Comment by: Dezi Bricker on March 1, 2026 13:16
I support displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools because they are part of our nation’s historical and cultural foundation. Regardless of individual religious beliefs, the principles they promote; such as respecting others, valuing honesty, honoring parents, and prohibiting theft and violence which are timeless moral guidelines that contribute to a healthy society. Teaching students about the historical influence of these principles helps them better understand the roots of our legal system and civic values. Displaying them as part of our shared history is not about forcing religion, but about acknowledging the role these ideas have played in shaping ethical standards and Western law.
2026 Regular Session HB5260 (Health and Human Resources)
Comment by: Alison Whitman on March 1, 2026 12:26
Showing support for legalizing and producing medical cannabis edibles for people who do not smoke or cannot. Dispensary’s around our state offer many options so I’m reaching out to push for myself and other medical cannabis users who do not want to hurt their lungs by inhaling smoke. I find it odd that instead of having edibles to help, medial cannabis users are forced to have less options than other states which is incredibly frustrating to many patients including myself. Please consider my request and others for the approval of edible cannabis products.
2026 Regular Session HB5260 (Health and Human Resources)
Comment by: Gari Henderson on March 1, 2026 11:49
Absolutely need my medication in the editable form. The terp pens are very hard on my already labored respiratory system. Thank you for your attention to this matter 💗
2026 Regular Session HB5260 (Health and Human Resources)
Comment by: Tony Smith on February 28, 2026 20:35
I think edibles should become legal but should be sold in plain packaging that wouldn’t look appealing to children.
2026 Regular Session HB5488 (Judiciary)
Comment by: Donald Proctor on February 28, 2026 19:56
I have family members that rely on service animals and I support this bill. WV should protect these animals while they are performing their duties.
2026 Regular Session HB5260 (Health and Human Resources)
Comment by: Jacob Mills on February 28, 2026 18:47
I'd love to be able to buy edibles rather making them at home.
2026 Regular Session HB5260 (Health and Human Resources)
Comment by: Jay R. Galbraith on February 28, 2026 18:41
Please legalize medical marijuana edibles. They are a good way to aid in sleeping .
2026 Regular Session HB5260 (Health and Human Resources)
Comment by: Travis Ray Bruce on February 28, 2026 17:52
As a medical patient, it would very nice to have the access to edible consumption so that I don't have to damage my lungs through vapors. It would really help to get the complete benefits of Cannabis with out any other risk of health issues. Please and thank you.
2026 Regular Session HB5260 (Health and Human Resources)
Comment by: Shane Romick on February 28, 2026 17:52
It would make the lives of many disabled people easier and would give the state more money.
2026 Regular Session HB4758 (Judiciary)
Comment by: sandra moran on February 28, 2026 16:52
My Name is Sandra Moran, Mother of Justin Moran. I have some concerns about House Bill 4758. Extending prison times is not the answer, if any thing, it is only going to be a burden on the State, and the families of the Inmates. I know firsthand because my Son has served seventeen years in several facilities through the WVDOC. He was sentenced to Life with Mercy, and has been denied twice by the Parole board with no good explanation given for their denial. There are young men who are role model inmates being denied a chance in becoming productive members of society. This bill will only increase the elderly population within the prisons leading to very expensive but necessary medical support for the aging population. Also, these inmates will not be wanted in the work force once they are released back into society to old and or to sick to work in any community. This bill is an economic failure for the State, for the citizens of West Virginia. There are no positive benefits for anyone. This bill does not even support what the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation was originally put into place for. If anything it will be going in reverse. Please oppose House Bill 4761 or brace for disaster. Respectfully, Sandra Moran
2026 Regular Session SB137 (Judiciary)
Comment by: sandra moran on February 28, 2026 16:49
My Name is Sandra Moran, Mother of Justin Moran. I have some concerns about House Bill 137. Extending prison times is not the answer, if any thing, it is only going to be a burden on the State, and the families of the Inmates. I know firsthand because my Son has served seventeen years in several facilities through the WVDOC. He was sentenced to Life with Mercy, and has been denied twice by the Parole board with no good explanation given for their denial. There are young men who are role model inmates being denied a chance in becoming productive members of society. This bill will only increase the elderly population within the prisons leading to very expensive but necessary medical support for the aging population. Also, these inmates will not be wanted in the work force once they are released back into society to old and or to sick to work in any community. This bill is an economic failure for the State, for the citizens of West Virginia. There are no positive benefits for anyone. This bill does not even support what the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation was originally put into place for. If anything it will be going in reverse. Please oppose House Bill 4761 or brace for disaster. Respectfully, Sandra Moran
2026 Regular Session HB5260 (Health and Human Resources)
Comment by: Amy Campbell on February 28, 2026 16:26
Please allow edibles at our dispensaries in WV!
2026 Regular Session HB5260 (Health and Human Resources)
Comment by: Rachael smith on February 28, 2026 16:15
Medical Marijuana has been a life saver for me. I do not take pain pills because I have an Autistic 5 year old and I have to be alert at all times with him. I was in a domestic violence situation and had to have severe shoulder surgery and the Marijuana pills and the cream has truly been god sent. The edibles would be a great thing to have because sometimes I do have to get it in other forms. They help with my PTSD, anxiety, and my pain. Please let wv have edibles.
2026 Regular Session HB5260 (Health and Human Resources)
Comment by: Kris Morris on February 28, 2026 15:10
I would like the option to use cannabis without having to inhale it.
2026 Regular Session HB5525 (Energy and Public Works)
Comment by: Jean Mullins on February 28, 2026 14:57
Please put this bill on your agenda, we need clean water in the state of WV!
Thank you!
2026 Regular Session HB5585 (Energy and Public Works)
Comment by: Jean Mullins on February 28, 2026 14:55
Please put this bill on the agenda, this cannot wait!
We need clean water in WV!
Please!!
Thank you