Public Comments

1. We have a grandchild with Hearing Aids with private insurance, which does not pay for them. Simple question?? Why does medicaid recognize the treatment of hearing loss as a basic medical necessity, while most private medical insurance companies do not. Recent research has confirmed that hearing loss plays a vital role in both cognitive development and decline.  Therefore, the funding of treatment for hearing is essential to both young and the old. 

Most people I know that only use edible thc are some older folks but, I’m sure a few people don’t smoke do to personal reasons and it would be nice to have more options. Personally I don’t use it much because a 10mg dose isn’t enough for anyone with a tolerance and I’d rather eat a gummy that says 100mg than eating a drop of rso or another form of thc concentrate and hoping it’s the right dose for myself. It would also be cool to make snacks with a pretty small dose, small enough to keep it a fair price so people can just buy them in larger quantities if they don’t like the taste. I’d rather do that than take a capsule anyway. Personally really hope we get edibles might as well make it recreational while you’re at it if we’re being honest, and I promise I’ll still renew the medcard even if it does get recreational.

• Encourages the planting of NATIVE e pollinator-friendly habitats on private property; (C) Creates a strategy for the planting of NATIVE  pollinator-friendly habitats in state parks and state forests;
• Provide funding sources to establish native pollinator habitats in state parks and state forests

I strongly support CS for HB 5341.

This bill targets repeat domestic violence offenders and serious cases, not isolated disputes. That distinction is critical. It focuses on patterns of abuse that pose ongoing risks to intimate partners.

The registry is thoughtfully structured. It applies prospectively, limits public information, and includes clear removal timelines. Those safeguards matter.

Transparency protects victims. Giving individuals access to information about repeat offenders allows them to make informed decisions about their own safety.

Finally, directing funds to domestic violence legal services ensures accountability is paired with victim support.

Domestic violence is a public safety issue. This bill treats it as one. I urge its passage.

Mariah Richards

I support the gummies.

• Adult tobacco use rates remain among the highest in the nation (32.9%).
• High school tobacco use, including e-cigarette use, continues to threaten youth health (28.5%).
• According to the 2025 American Lung Asociation’s State of Lung Cancer report, the rate of new lung cancer cases in West Virginia is 76.3 and significantly higher than the national rate of 52.8.

• A $5 million annual transfer from interest and other returns earned on the Revenue Shortfall Reserve Fund – Part B (“Rainy Day B” fund) into the new account. In 2025, West Virginia collected $184,500,000 in tobacco related revenue from excise taxes and payments from the tobacco master settlement agreement; $5 million is a modest investment to help current users quit and prevent our kids from becoming addicted. The fund paves the way for allowing our current middle- and high-school students to become the first nicotine free generation. *The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) best practices recommend that West Virginia spend $27.4 million annually.
• Ensure that these funds are dedicated solely to tobacco prevention and cessation.
• Allow funds to remain available year to year if not fully expended, providing stability and long-term planning capacity.

• Mandatory pre-construction karst assessments: Require site-specific hydrogeological surveys before any data center is sited in a county with documented karst geology, identifying cave systems, sinkhole risk zones, and groundwater flow paths.
• Clear definition of 'majority karst': Establish a scientific standard for determining which counties qualify, to eliminate administrative ambiguity and ensure consistent application statewide.
• Surface water withdrawal limits: Set enforceable daily and seasonal withdrawal limits tied to stream flow data to protect downstream users and aquatic ecosystems during drought conditions.
• Water use reporting: Require metering and quarterly DEP reporting of all water consumed, creating a public record and enabling early detection of overconsumption.
• Water-efficient cooling technology: Encourage or incentivize closed-loop, adiabatic, or air-cooled designs that dramatically reduce consumptive water use compared to traditional evaporative cooling towers.
• Renewable energy integration: Incentivize certified microgrid districts to incorporate renewable generation, solar, wind, or run-of-river hydro,  consistent with West Virginia's evolving energy landscape.

Dear Energy and Public Works Committee,

Please amend and pass this bill to restore the ability of communities to have input to decisions made regarding the use of public land and water and the building of data centers and other industrial sites on our good Jefferson County land. In growth counties (Jefferson County) as the term is defined in §7-20-3 of this code, with majority karst hydrogeology, any water utilized by data centers or any developments in a Microgrid District or high impact data center project, for any use other than domestic use, shall originate from surface water whether obtained from a utility or directly by the development. "Originate from surface water" is defined as relating to the intake of water when first drawn from its natural origin, clarifying that it be drawn from a surface water course not a subsurface well.

We do not need data centers in Jefferson county!! It's not a good move for us.  It takes our precious water.  Let's not sell our souls and resources. We like farm land and need it! We like fresh water.

Please support this bill.  We need to have meaningful local control for microgrids and high impact data center developments.  Any business coming into the state that will cause water issues for the citizens need to be closely looked at and not just rubber stamped.  From what I have heard, these data centers do not employ a lot of people anyway.

For those of us in WV who rely on groundwater for our homes and businesses, we need our groundwater protected.  It would be devastating to wake up one day to find we have no good clean water to run our homes.  Our well pump broke over the summer and being without water for several days was truly awful. We have a lot of farmers in Jefferson County who would be devastated to find they had no water to feed their crops and livestock.