Senate refuses to concur on troops-to-teachers amendment; dozens of House bills cleared or amended

The West Virginia Senate on the floor declined to concur in a House amendment to Senate Bill 765 (troops-to-teachers program) and moved a broad set of House bills through second and third reading, adopting title amendments and, in many cases, final passage.

Senator from Lewis offered and carried the motion that the Senate refuse to concur in the House amendment to Senate Bill 765, and the motion was adopted by voice vote. The clerk then communicated the action to the House.

Other roll-call outcomes on third reading included unanimous or near‑unanimous passage of several measures. The Senate concurred in a House amendment to Senate Bill 225 (expanding powers of National Park Service law enforcement officers) as amended; the machine vote on final passage was 33 yays, 0 nays, 1 absent/not voting, and the Senate declared the bill passed and effective from passage.

Votes at a glance (bill — short description — outcome — recorded vote when provided): - Senate Bill 765 — establishing troops-to-teachers program — Senate refused to concur in House amendment; motion adopted by voice vote — individual roll call not recorded in transcript. - Senate Bill 225 (as amended) — expands powers of National Park Service law enforcement officers — passed (machine vote recorded: 33 yays, 0 nays, 1 absent/not voting); title amendment adopted; made effective from passage. - Engrossed House Bill 3344 — establishing a grant program to fund FDA drug development trials (description in transcript) — laid to the foot of the calendar by unanimous consent request; no final vote recorded in the excerpt. - Engrossed Committee Substitute for House Bill 3411 — removing expired commissions and related housekeeping — passed (machine: 34 yays, 0 nays, 0 absent); title amendment adopted. - Engrossed House Bill 3412 — exemptions from disclosure for certain records / FOIA updates — passed (machine: 25 yays, 9 nays, 0 absent); title amendment adopted. - Engrossed House Bill 3424 — removes an unused statutory provision authorizing short-term loans to released inmates — passed (machine: 34 yays, 0 nays, 0 absent). - Engrossed House Bill 3434 — updates to controlled substance schedules to match federal changes — passed (machine: 34 yays, 0 nays, 0 absent). - Engrossed Committee Substitute for House Bill 3440 — repeals obsolete provisions under state treasurer's purview (small business linked deposit program) — passed (machine: 34 yays, 0 nays, 0 absent). - Engrossed House Bill 3492 (strike-and-insert for House Bill 3492 / originally 34-92) — authorizes City of Huntington to levy a special excise tax for an Economic Opportunity Development District (46 acres) with DED approval and reporting requirements — passed (machine: 22 yays, 12 nays, 0 absent); title amendment adopted. - Engrossed Committee Substitute for House Bill 2695 / 2695-style measures for Raleigh and Mason counties — authorized special excise taxes for county development districts (Raleigh/Mason) with public hearing and DED approval — passed (machine: 19 yays, 15 nays, 0 absent); title amendments adopted. - Engrossed House Bill 3504 — protects specified agricultural and livestock facilities as critical infrastructure; increases penalties for trespass or vandalism at those sites — passed (machine: 34 yays, 0 nays, 0 absent). - Engrossed House Bill 3513 — standards of liability and insurance requirements (alcohol service liability provisions) — passed (machine: 32 yays, 2 nays, 0 absent); later motion set effective date to 08/01/2025 (machine: 33 yays, 1 nay, 0 absent) and declared effective accordingly. - Engrossed House Bill 3517 — comprehensive statutory framework for identifying, monitoring and remediating fiscal emergencies of local governments (includes oversight and intervention authority for the state auditor, processes for fiscal watch and fiscal emergency, provisions for municipal dissolution) — passed (machine: 34 yays, 0 nays, 0 absent); title amendment adopted. - Engrossed Committee Substitute for House Bill 2164 (House Bill 21-64) — allows public and private schools to employ school safety officers, authorizes contracting with private security, incorporates West Virginia Guardian Program provisions — passed (machine: 34 yays, 0 nays, 0 absent); title amendment adopted. - Engrossed Committee Substitute for House Bill 2451 — facilitates creation of home‑based businesses; raises registration/license revenue threshold from $4,000 to $10,000 and restricts municipal business or privilege taxes for small businesses under $10,000 — passed (machine: 28 yays, 6 nays, 0 absent); title amendment adopted.

Where the transcript showed only a title amendment, a voice vote, or that the clerk would communicate the action to the House, the article records that step as taken. Several measures were advanced to third reading or had committee strike‑and‑insert amendments adopted; those procedural steps are noted in the House/Senate messages recorded on the floor.

Taken together, the floor session advanced a broad package of bills on criminal law, municipal finance and economic development, records exemptions, agricultural infrastructure and school safety. The clerk will communicate enacted measures and adopted amendments to the House as recorded on the floor.