Public Comments

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I support SB927 with no amendments or weakened language. This bill addresses issues relevant to beekeepers and residents. It should be solely regulated by the Department of Agriculture and not outlying municipalities, which can cause a lot of conflict, and be overly burdensome to beekeepers. Passing this bill as it stands is GOOD for West Virginia.

I am a massive supporter of honey bees having raised many with my family and neighbors and have seen the positive impact they have on the environment and farms in my community. The bees provide pollen to the farmers in my community helping their crops, which helps to feed livestock. The bees also provide honey which brings lots of income in a state which needs as much as possible. I have also throughout the years of raising them they have never stung me or anyone I know and I walk near their boxes with no suit and they pay no mind. Thus I am asking anyone republican or democrat to support the bees as they are a massive benefit to the community and environment of this great state of West Virginia.  I know major cities in West Virginia and other places safely have urban beehives. We just need common sense and freedom loving legislation

I strongly support this bill. It would be a meaningful step forward for the cosmetology profession and the people it serves.

Please allow this bill move forward as written:

• Without amendments
• Without weakening language
• Without patchwork local control

1. Supporting Bill 927 is good for WV im a Beekeeper  and we need to keep this Bill  totally to the WV agriculture Department   not Government Ran per States that dont know WV's.

As a female beekeeper and former officer of the Monongalia County Bee Club, I am writing to express my strong support for SB 927 as written, without amendment.

Beekeeping in West Virginia is more than a hobby or profession — it is stewardship. For generations, our work has been guided by science-based oversight through the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, with careful attention to disease management, responsible hive practices, and public safety using established best management practices.

This structure has protected beekeepers, consumers, and our agricultural community alike.

As someone who works closely with bees and fellow beekeepers, I believe SB 927 preserves  our industry to thrive while maintaining necessary safeguards. I respectfully ask that you support this bill in its current form.

Thank you for your consideration and for your service to our state.

I support SB 927.  Beekeeping goes way beyond a hobby in West Virginia.   For our farmers and small scale growers, to pollinators. We all put our faith in our  West Virginia Agricultural Department to have stability for our entire state.  Please continue SB 927 with no amendments. Thank you

Please support SB 927 to help strengthen and protect our bee population.

I firmly believe that honey bees should be allowed, and so should reasonable rules and regulations. Without bees to pollinate our fruits, vegetables, and flowers, we risk relying on lab-grown alternatives. Backyard chickens should also be permitted with sensible regulations. 🐝

Dear Members of the House,

I am writing in support of HB 5559.

As a West Virginia Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker practicing in our state, and also a resident of West Virginia, I see firsthand the ongoing need to strengthen access to high-quality mental health care across our state. Legislation like HB 5559 represents an important step toward improving systems that directly impact West Virginians’ ability to receive timely, consistent, and effective services.

Our state continues to face provider shortages, geographic barriers, and increasing demand for behavioral health care. Policies that modernize and strengthen our infrastructure are critical to ensuring that individuals and families do not fall through the cracks. Many other states have already passed similar legislation, and if West Virginia fails to act, we risk falling behind in access, workforce development, and overall competitiveness in behavioral health care.

With the legislative session ending next week, I would sincerely appreciate seeing this bill make it to the floor for a vote rather than risking having to wait another year for progress on this issue.

Supporting HB 5559 signals that West Virginia is committed to improving access, supporting its workforce, and prioritizing the well-being of its residents. I respectfully urge you to vote in favor of this bill.

Thank you for your time and service to our state.

• Insert A: Amend §9-5-15 — Create the Expert Panel on Rare Diseases and Personalized Medicine within the Medicaid drug utilization review program
• Insert B: Amend §16-22-3 — Give the Bureau for Public Health access to the panel for specified newborn screening decisions
• Insert C: Amend §33-2-10 — Require the Insurance Commissioner to seek panel input before finalizing rules materially affecting rare disease access
• Insert D: Transition provision — Dissolve the existing RDAC, transfer records, repeal §16-5CC

• 16-22-3 — Newborn Screening Insertion. In subsection (d), after the existing language directing the Bureau for Public Health to propose legislative rules, add a new subsection (e):

• 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

• Interrupting enforcement of environmental, public health, occupational safety, and licensing protections
• Creating regulatory gaps if agencies lack resources to complete zero-based reviews in time
• Increasing litigation exposure when protections lapse

• Clean Water Act requirements
• Safe Drinking Water Act standards
• OSHA occupational safety standards
• Medicaid and public health compliance frameworks

• Fall out of federal compliance
• Jeopardize federal funding streams
• Trigger federal preemption challenges

• Interference with judicial discretion
• Increased constitutional litigation
• Prolonged legal uncertainty around rule enforcement

• Agencies are legally obligated to implement statutes
• But may be prevented from doing so due to artificial burden ceilings

• Significant agency staffing
• Economic analysis
• Legal review
• Public notice procedures

• Expanded judicial challenges
• Injunctions against agencies
• Legal delays in rule enforcement

• Regulatory instability
• Federal compliance risk
• Increased litigation
• Administrative strain
• Potential constitutional challenge

Disaster Case Management is crucial to the success of long-term recovery:

HB 5601

• strengthen workforce pathways and job placement • target fraud with precision rather than broad administrative burdens • protect taxpayers while supporting workers • maintain flexibility to respond to local economic realities in West Virginia