[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6290130,"mediaKeyId","2531557-1fb5fdf95a87c48a2050f2b59caa7720","parentId",2531557,"title","Committee substitute for SB 610 approved; Dept. of Revenue estimates $70–$100M revenue impact","audioSeconds",608,"startMs",1906000,"endMs",2514000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2531557-1fb5fdf95a87c48a2050f2b59caa7720&start=1906&end=2514","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2531557-1fb5fdf95a87c48a2050f2b59caa7720/thumbnail_1906000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6290130/West-Virginia/Committee-substitute-for-SB-610-approved-Dept-of-Revenue-estimates-70100M-revenue-impact","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6290130-43e9c2da1ada0a37a63f8d22dcc4a3f6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771173470&Signature=bOTpxPZokneF96uXlcTLCKYF2VhZUz7ZJ8BBesSeJVDErxgSN42mw44PPJnFWetofqGl15sD8h7RGXOJEgv7fv5gey208vhkHOK4AxHVZjNaSRGuUrJLYZ1oyK~x7Xj6AAW-5f5yOCzfL~igeSOwysjyxaV1IHDb3UctlOrquY80FjE5bhrcg-pyZNUpKWDarRTuqV2gTbqKJ9Iy~NV5PHzfjEAhBrPuqnBxYV0XQbkXY30l6z-sklL92iZK9Dp5doy4airt5Xefqyga6dxzIDYhWiF71iAf~Bp1FpEvKo7ICK16fjw0~RMN4Cv-6v35BEXdtpc9A9-ROw6kb9HhoQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","West Virginia Legislature","date","2025-03-10T00:00:00Z","article","The Workforce Committee adopted a committee substitute for Senate Bill 610, a proposal to exempt overtime pay from West Virginia’s personal income tax, and agreed to report the substitute to the full Senate with a referral to the Finance Committee.

Counsel told the committee the substitute creates a new code section, listed as 11‑21‑12o, and defines overtime compensation by cross‑reference to the applicable code section. Martin Mucco of the Department of Revenue briefed members on the fiscal note, describing a state revenue loss estimate in the range of $70 million to $100 million and implementation and reporting challenges if the state diverges from federal definitions.

Mucco compared the proposal to a recent temporary Alabama exemption, saying Alabama enacted a temporary overtime exemption from Jan. 2024 to June 30, 2025 and later tightened eligibility to workers covered under the Fair Labor Standards Act after early cost estimates proved low. “There’s a lot of reporting requirements, of course, because it’s a deviation from federal code,” Mucco said, and he said employers may have to file additional information quarterly. He told the committee the Bureau of Labor Statistics figure that about 4.2% of wages are overtime and that the Department applied that share to about $46 billion in wages to produce its estimate.

Senators asked whether the fiscal note accounted for any offset from increased consumer spending and sales tax revenue; Mucco said the department did not perform a dynamic analysis of induced sales‑tax changes and noted that prior income‑tax cuts were roughly in line with revenue forecasts. Committee members also raised behavioral questions: exempting overtime from income tax could prompt employers or employees to change arrangements (for example, some employers offer comp time rather than paid overtime). Mucco acknowledged a range of possible behavioral responses and said they could increase or decrease the revenue impact.

The committee adopted the committee substitute by voice vote and the vice chair moved that it be reported to the full Senate with a recommendation that it do pass, under the original double committee reference first be referred to the Finance Committee; the motion carried.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","WV Senate Workforce Committee in Session Mar 10, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Workforce Committee adopted a committee substitute for Senate Bill 610 to exempt overtime pay from West Virginia’s personal income tax and voted to report the measure to the full Senate with referral to the Finance Committee.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature WV, West Virginia","taxId",77714,"location","West Virginia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6290136,"Committee substitute for SB 263 narrows how criminal records can bar licensure",801,1089000,1890000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2531557-1fb5fdf95a87c48a2050f2b59caa7720&start=1089&end=1890","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2531557-1fb5fdf95a87c48a2050f2b59caa7720/thumbnail_1089000.jpg","/articles/6290136/West-Virginia/Committee-substitute-for-SB-263-narrows-how-criminal-records-can-bar-licensure","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6290136-37fd6b9e191a13ce89500276dc322d73/orig.mp4?Expires=1771173470&Signature=YmzbxSwWE2QACjTMYfDQQleEBiCjG5wqLC6s~CUxQPjGUjDv4V2iKQ7KF~~7tOuopsy-REsbUermIpFFJ171McC2v54R-FKsjoDmhgUXE3Oo55w~fizcaUnADKY0JYP~t6l9nCYDv-J~I3h4w387jCc2Qh~nCHpi877YZSZ0ruWLXNtzYgweaSsnArJLFVU6A8QGE~S4fqOQyocf0O8a3ttG~0xItQaoAJbBc~hOYrzZMPD30-NBIEP40sFTDL4~2OF8ExE78iVPPPHd9CLVUxlaBlHWwjhtJ-mHBZrUkycZbv8QpkgKxuL7pMIpZUbiyDpUxRvNKCu1UxVO5x4huQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The West Virginia Legislature’s Workforce Committee approved a committee substitute for Senate Bill 263, changing how the Division of Labor and the State Fire Marshal may consider prior criminal convictions when deciding initial licensure for many professions.

The committee substitute replaces the existing “rational nexus” standard with a new “directly and specifically related” standard that requires a licensing authority to find a conviction bears a direct and substantial risk to the public by virtue of its relationship to the duties of the license before denying initial licensure. The substitute limits application of the new standard to occupations regulated by the Division of Labor and the State Fire Marshal and keeps the rational nexus test for polygraph examiners.

The change “provides additional guidance for making this determination,” Counsel explained to the committee, and the substitute lays out a set of factors licensing authorities should consider, including the nature and seriousness of the offense, completion of rehabilitative programs, certificates of good conduct or employer references, and enrollment in education or training programs. The substitute also bars licensing authorities from disqualifying an applicant on the basis of an arrest that did not result in conviction and creates a five‑year rule under which a licensing authority may not disqualify an applicant who has had no subsequent conviction in that interval — except for offenses described in the bill as violent or sexual in nature.

“Really, the intent of licensure is to ensure safety and that workers are meeting the standards,” Vittorio Nastasi, director of criminal justice policy at Reason Foundation, told the committee, arguing the bill makes licensure decisions focus on duties and responsibilities rather than distant convictions. Megan Forbes, senior legislative counsel at the nonprofit Institute for Justice, said the proposal would make licensing decisions “more transparent” and help people who have been rehabilitated obtain work; she added that at least 20 states use the directly related standard and described it as a national best practice.

The substitute also adds a pre‑application petition process that allows an individual who has not previously held the license to ask the licensing authority—before applying or after a denial—for a determination of how their criminal history would affect licensure. The committee substitute narrows the bill from the introduced version, which would have applied to additional licensing authorities (including DMV, Department of Agriculture, State Racing Commission, chapter 30 boards, Division of Financial Institutions and the Insurance Commissioner).

Committee members discussed the record‑sealing window and which boards would be covered; the committee substitute reflects earlier committee action that applied the change only to the Division of Labor and the State Fire Marshal. The substitute also incorporates prior amendments made by Senate Bill 534 for the polygraph examiner section.

The committee voted to adopt the committee substitute by voice vote. The vice chair moved that the substitute be reported to the full Senate with a recommendation that it do pass and, under the original double committee reference, first be referred to the Judiciary Committee; the motion carried and the substitute will be reported to the Senate.","The West Virginia Legislature’s Workforce Committee approved a committee substitute for Senate Bill 263, changing how the Division of Labor and the State Fire Marshal may consider prior criminal convictions when deciding initial licensure for many professions.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee substitute for SB 610 approved; Dept. of Revenue estimates $70–$100M revenue impact

Committee substitute for SB 263 narrows how criminal records can bar licensure