Senate Finance Committee advances a slate of supplemental appropriations, realignments

The West Virginia Senate Finance Committee on a series of voice votes on multiple bills reported several supplemental appropriations and intra-budget realignments to the full Senate.

Committee action moved money into medical services lines, the HOPE Scholarship program and several other accounts; several items were described as one-time supplements while others were characterized as ongoing obligations that will be spent in fiscal year 2026.

Why it matters: The measures shift tens of millions of dollars of unappropriated surplus and lottery fund balances into state program lines, affecting funding available for human services, education and economic development programs next fiscal year.

The committee first considered Senate Bill 766, a new medical services–lottery surplus appropriation within the Department of Human Services that, according to counsel, would appropriate $45,022,906 from the unappropriated balance of the excess lottery fund. Senator from Harrison moved that SB 766 be reported to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass; the chair called for the ayes and declared the motion adopted by voice vote.

The panel then advanced Senate Bill 767, a supplemental that would appropriate $39,376,837 from the unappropriated balance of general revenue surplus to a new medical services surplus appropriation in the Department of Human Services’ Bureau of Medical Services. The committee reported SB 767 to the full Senate by voice vote after a motion by the senator from Harrison.

Senate Bill 771 would appropriate $1,846,981 from the unappropriated balance of general revenue to the State Board of Education: $596,981 to a new increased-enrollment surplus appropriation and $1,250,000 to a new safe-schools surplus appropriation. Counsel told the committee the increased-enrollment amount “would probably be an ongoing expense” while the $1,250,000 safe-schools appropriation was characterized as a one-time payment; the budget office was noted as present to answer technical questions. The committee reported SB 771 to the full Senate by voice vote.

SB 772 was presented as a net-zero realignment shifting $58,632 of personal services and employee benefits from the Department of Health Facilities (Welch Community Hospital) to the Department of Health’s Office of Inspector General; the committee reported the bill by voice vote.

Senate Bill 773 would appropriate $33,804,760 from the unappropriated balance of the lottery fund to a new HOPE Scholarship Program–lottery-surplus appropriation within the State Board of Education. Counsel described this as pre-funding for the HOPE Scholarship in fiscal year 2026; committee members asked whether the supplemental, if adopted, would mean the HOPE program is fully funded for FY 2026, and counsel said that with this supplement and amounts in the proposed budget there would be funds available to cover the program next year. The committee reported SB 773 to the full Senate by voice vote.

Senate Bill 775 would transfer $28,564,089.61 from the West Virginia Economic Development Authority’s Economic Development Project Bridal Loan Fund to the unappropriated surplus balance of general revenue; the committee reported SB 775 to the full Senate by voice vote.

Senate Bill 781 was described by counsel as a net-zero realignment within the State’s excess lottery fund, decreasing the debt service appropriation in the economic development project fund by $9,506,440 and increasing the Department of Human Services’ medical services appropriation by the same amount; the committee reported SB 781 by voice vote.

Senate Bill 786 would appropriate $28,400,666 from the unappropriated balance of general revenue to the HOPE Scholarship Program appropriation; the committee reported SB 786 by voice vote.

Votes at a glance - SB 766 (medical services — excess lottery appropriation, $45,022,906): Motion to report to full Senate moved by Senator from Harrison; voice vote; chair declared motion adopted. - SB 767 (medical services — general revenue supplemental, $39,376,837): Motion moved by Senator from Harrison; voice vote; chair declared motion adopted. - SB 771 (Education — increased-enrollment $596,981; safe-schools $1,250,000): Motion moved by Senator from Harrison; counsel said increased-enrollment likely ongoing, safe-schools one-time; voice vote; chair declared motion adopted. - SB 772 (realignment: Health Facilities → Office of Inspector General, net zero, $58,632): Motion moved by Senator from Harrison; voice vote; chair declared motion adopted. - SB 773 (HOPE Scholarship — lottery surplus, $33,804,760): Motion moved by Senator from Harrison; counsel said funds would pre-fund FY 2026 obligations; voice vote; chair declared motion adopted. - SB 775 (transfer from WVEDA loan fund to general revenue, $28,564,089.61): Motion moved by Senator from Harrison; voice vote; chair declared motion adopted. - SB 781 (lottery fund realignment, net zero, $9,506,440): Motion moved by Senator from Harrison; voice vote; chair declared motion adopted. - SB 786 (HOPE Scholarship — general revenue supplemental, $28,400,666): Motion moved by Senator from Harrison; voice vote; chair declared motion adopted.

What the committee did not do: The committee used voice votes and the transcript records the chair declaring the ayes have it; no roll-call tallies or recorded individual votes appear in the transcript. Several questions to counsel asked whether amounts are one-time or ongoing and counsel answered that some are ongoing (for example, the increased-enrollment line) while other appropriations were characterized as single one-time supplements (for example, the $1,250,000 safe-schools item in SB 771). The committee did not adopt any amendments to the listed supplemental bills in the transcript excerpt.

The committee adjourned after reporting the listed bills to the full Senate.