Charleston Report with Delegate Gary Howell

The 2026 Regular Session of the West Virginia Legislature concluded on March 14, bringing with it the familiar intensity that always accompanies the final night under the Capitol dome. By tradition, the Legislature works until midnight on the last day, and the closing hours are often filled with fast moving decisions as bills either advance to the Governor’s desk or run out of time.

Those final hours can be some of the most challenging moments of the session. The pace accelerates, debates grow passionate, and the pressure of the ticking clock is felt by everyone in the chamber. At the same time, there is a unique sense of camaraderie among members who have spent weeks working through legislation together. Even during spirited disagreement, there remains a shared understanding that everyone is ultimately there to serve the people of West Virginia.

Among the measures debated that evening was Senate Bill 906, which addresses the potential medical use of psilocybin. Psilocybin is a naturally occurring compound found in certain species of mushrooms. When consumed, the body converts it into psilocin, which affects serotonin receptors in the brain that influence mood and perception.

The legislation deals specifically with crystalline polymorph psilocybin, a purified pharmaceutical form of the compound that can be produced in stable and consistent doses for medical research. Researchers have been studying psilocybin assisted therapy for conditions such as severe depression, PTSD, and anxiety associated with serious illness. Under the bill, such treatments would only be permitted in West Virginia if they are approved and recommended through the federal Food and Drug Administration.

Another measure considered that night was Senate Bill 950, a small but long overdue housekeeping change to state law. The bill simply repeals an outdated section of code relating to travel reimbursement for circuit judges.

In the mid 1970s, state law established reimbursement rates of 15 cents per mile for travel and $35 per day for expenses when judges had to travel to another county to hold court. Years later, the state shifted to using the federal reimbursement recommendations instead. While the reimbursement system changed, the old language in state code was never formally removed. Senate Bill 950 simply eliminates that obsolete provision, raising the question of why it remained on the books for so many decades.

The final bill to pass on the last day of the session was Senate Bill 1064, which clarifies how school systems define a long term substitute teacher.

The legislation specifies that a substitute serving more than 30 consecutive instructional days is considered a long term substitute. When a position is expected to last longer than that period, the individual filling the role must hold the appropriate teaching credentials and the position must be posted as a regular full time job in accordance with State Board of Education rules.

In practical terms, the change helps ensure that classrooms are not staffed indefinitely by substitutes without the proper certification or without the position being formally posted for a qualified teacher.

After the passage of that bill, the House turned its attention to a large number of Senate messages. These messages inform the House whether a bill passed the Senate without change and is ready to be sent to the Governor, or whether the Senate amended the bill and the House must decide whether to accept those changes.

Much of the remaining floor time was consumed by disagreements involving language originally contained in Senate Bill 420. That proposal attempted to place the state directly into operational decisions regarding private sector electric generation. In many ways it resembled a form of centralized economic planning where government dictates how private industry must operate, something more commonly associated with the Soviet Union than with a free market system.

Although the bill itself lacked sufficient support in the House, portions of its language began appearing as amendments attached to other bills returning from the Senate. Each time this occurred, the House was required to debate and vote on whether to concur with the amendments.

Members expressed concern that these provisions could place the state in the middle of operational decisions made by private power companies and potentially lead to higher electric rates for West Virginia consumers. As a result, the House repeatedly rejected those amendments.

Unfortunately, the time spent resolving those disagreements meant that several otherwise worthwhile pieces of legislation were unable to complete the legislative process before the constitutional deadline. When the clock finally ran out on the session, a number of bills simply died due to lack of time.

Although the regular session has adjourned, the work of the Legislature continues throughout the year. During the months ahead, lawmakers will meet in interim sessions to study many of the issues that did not reach final passage and to develop legislation for the next session.

If you have ideas that you believe would improve our state, or if you need assistance dealing with a state agency, I would be glad to hear from you. You can contact me at (304) 340 3191 or gary.howell@wvhouse.gov