Senate committee agrees to report bill exempting residential drywall installers from contractor-license requirement

A West Virginia Senate committee voted to report a committee substitute for Senate Bill 8-71 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass. The substitute removes residential drywall installation from the statutory definition of "contractor," exempting residential drywall installers from West Virginia's contractor-licensing requirement while preserving licensing for commercial drywall work.

The bill's committee substitute, described by counsel as narrowed to apply only to residential drywall services, would leave commercial drywall work subject to contractor licensing and the business-and-law examination currently used for contractor licensure. Counsel said businesses performing residential drywall work would still be…