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Senate approves moving Arts, Culture and History into Tourism; civil service restoration amendments fail
Summary
The Senate passed House Bill 2009 to fold the Division of Arts, Culture and History into the Department of Tourism and to make future hires classified-exempt; amendments to restore civil-service protections and to retain librarian qualification requirements were rejected on the floor.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Senate passed an engrossed committee substitute for House Bill 2009 on April 7 that reconstitutes the Division of Arts, Culture and History within the Department of Tourism and makes new hires after July 1, 2025, classified-exempt.
“House bill 2,009 reconstitutes the Department of Arts, Culture, and History and all its sections within the Department of Tourism,” said Senator from Jefferson while explaining the strike-and-insert amendment. “The bill also makes employees hired after 07/01/2025 within the Department of Tourism, Arts, Culture, and History, and all included agencies classified exempt. Current employees, however, will retain classified status for as long as they remain in their current position.”
Senator from Marion proposed an amendment to restore civil-service protections and grievance procedures for employees in the department. She described the amendment as preserving existing protections for tourism staff while still folding the division into Tourism. She requested the yeas and nays; the roll call failed, with 7 yeas and 27 nays, and the amendment was rejected.
Senator from Marion also offered an amendment to restore the statutory education and experience requirements for the director of the library section (a master’s degree accredited by the American Library Association and three years of administrative experience). That amendment was rejected after debate; the Senate voted “no” on the amendment and declared it rejected on voice vote.
Supporters argued that moving the division will provide flexibility and avoid overly prescriptive job requirements that might limit candidate pools. Opponents said the removed protections and qualification requirements could weaken public-service safeguards and reduce technical expertise in leadership positions.
On final passage the Senate voted 24 yeas and 10 nays. The chamber later voted 34 yeas, 0 nays to make the bill effective July 1, 2025. The clerk was ordered to communicate the action to the House.
Why it matters: the reorganization affects how the state manages cultural programs, historical resources and the library section’s oversight of services to libraries statewide. The bill changes hiring classifications for future employees and sparked discussion on preservation of civil-service procedures and professional qualifications for library leadership.
