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WV SB681

Bill

Status

Introduced

1/30/2026

Primary Sponsor

Chris Rose

Click for details

Origin

Senate

2026 Regular Session

AI Summary

  • Allows any locality contiguous to West Virginia's border (towns, cities, counties, municipalities) to petition for admission into the state through a binding referendum requiring majority voter approval
  • Requires petitioning localities to submit a $1 per capita tax based on the most recent U.S. Census population count to Charleston as part of the referendum process
  • Admission requires a simple majority vote by the West Virginia Legislature, which must vote on pending petitions before adjourning sine die, followed by approval from West Virginia voters at the next general election
  • Mandates the Secretary of State notify Congress and the Postmaster General within 7 days of admission, with those entities required to update records within 30 days
  • Provides transition accommodations including free business registration through December 31 of the admission year and grandfather provisions for professional licenses until current licensing periods expire (with possible 6-month extensions)

Legislative Description

Admitting localities or territories contiguous to borders into WV

Domestic Relations

Last Action

To Judiciary

1/30/2026

Committee Referrals

Judiciary1/30/2026

Full Bill Text

No bill text available