Senate Finance Committee reports seven bills to full Senate, including DEI restrictions and student-athlete safety measures

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Senate Finance Committee on March 20, 2025 voted to report seven bills to the full Senate with recommendations that they pass, sending measures on diversity and inclusion, student-athlete safety, school instruction days, cardiac emergency response, local fiscal contracting, and a special license plate forward for further consideration.

The bills, each approved by voice vote during the committee meeting, ranged from technical amendments to policy changes with statewide effect. Committee members largely agreed to committee substitute language before formally moving each measure to the Senate floor.

The most detailed debate centered on the committee substitute for Senate Bill 4 74, a proposal to eliminate offices, programs, training and policies described as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) across state agencies, boards and public schools. Committee counsel said the bill defines DEI and exempts employees whose sole duties are legal compliance, and it preserves academic discussion of historical events. Multiple senators raised questions about whether the bill would affect veteran hiring preferences, pregnancy or maternity leave protections, Title IX responsibilities, and university research grants. Counsel told the committee those items appear excluded under the bill as written — for example, faculty engaged in teaching, research or creative work would not be classified as DEI officers — but said she had not been involved in the bill’s policy planning and could not speak for other branches. After questions and discussion, the committee agreed to the committee substitute for committee substitute and voted to report it to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass.

Senate Bill 5 85, labeled the Student Athlete Safety Act in committee, would establish an advisory committee to evaluate interscholastic safety protocols and equipment. The bill requires, effective July 1, 2026, the use of an impact-reducing soft-shell football helmet cover during school-organized football practices unless a helmet model is certified by the advisory committee to exceed the safety profile of a covered helmet. The substitute language adds two certified athletic trainers to the nine-member advisory panel and directs the panel to publish its findings on the Department of Education website. A special revenue account and a grant program would help schools pay for covers or other safety equipment; the bill states fund money would not revert to general revenue and allows investment of fund assets. The committee approved the substitute language and reported the measure to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass.

Senate Bill 6 46 would increase the number of allowable nontraditional instruction days for West Virginia teachers from five to 10 and would bar the use of out-of-calendar days to offset instructional-day losses caused by school closures. The committee accepted a proposed substitute that defines “out-of-calendar days” and agreed to report the bill to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass.

Senate Bill 6 52 would expand existing cardiac-emergency response requirements to apply explicitly to elementary schools as well as secondary schools. The bill adds provisions for responding to sudden cardiac arrest or other life-threatening emergencies while on school grounds (not only during athletic events) and requires that coaches and supervisors for youth sport teams that practice or play on school grounds receive a copy of the cardiac response plan, know the location of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and maintain CPR and AED training. The committee approved the committee substitute language and sent the bill to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass.

Senate Bill 7 25 would narrow circumstances in which a local fiscal body (for example, a county board of education) may commit funds or incur obligations in excess of available levy-ordered amounts. The bill permits certain longer-term contracts only if they demonstrably save money and include a cancellation clause: contracts up to five years generally, and technology licensing or service agreements up to ten years if they meet the savings and cancellation conditions. The committee voted to report the bill to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass.

A committee substitute for Senate Bill 4 64 would authorize the Division of Motor Vehicles to issue a special license plate for recipients of the state Medal of Valor and their families. The measure allows a surviving spouse to continue using the plate after a recipient’s death, permits issuing a second plate for a second vehicle titled to the recipient, and authorizes a one-time $10 fee per plate. The committee accepted the substitute language and voted to report the bill to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass.

All seven measures were moved to be reported to the full Senate by the vice chair and were approved by voice vote after committee members agreed to the language of the committee substitutes. The committee also approved minutes for its March 19–20 meetings before adjourning. The reported bills will appear on the Senate calendar for further consideration by the full Senate.