Senate committee advances repeal of high‑school transfer eligibility law after hours of testimony

A Senate committee voted to send House Bill 44‑25 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass after more than two hours of testimony from athletic directors, coaches and the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission.

The bill would repeal the 2022 statutory change that broadened when students may transfer and retain athletic eligibility. Counsel described the measure as restoring authority over eligibility rules to the WVSSAC and principals rather than leaving the expanded transfer eligibility in state law.

Tim George, athletic director at Spring Valley High School, told the committee the transfer changes have "cast a shadow" over high‑school sports and produced what he called "chaos," citing examples in South Charleston, Hurricane and Nitro where transfers concentrated talent and disrupted programs. "Sports are a huge part of who we are as West Virginians," George said. He urged lawmakers to advance the repeal so schools can "work together to find a way to move forward."

Jay Hesse, athletic director at Frankfort High School, said participation is a privilege tied to a school and argued that treating high‑school sports like a free‑agency market reduces opportunities for local students. "When transfers concentrate talent in a few programs, the result is often not competition, it's imbalance," Hesse said.

Winfield High School coach Eddie Smolder described the rule's effects on locker‑room culture and coach retention, saying the law "has created chaos and a negative culture" and reporting that WVSSAC surveys show more than 1,200 transfers in recent years. "Guys are retiring," he said, "guys are just deciding to step down to spend more time with family, and they're also leaving the state."

Wayne Ryan, director of the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission, told the committee the SSAC has been limited by state law since 2022 and said the organization would prefer to regain rulemaking authority. Ryan told senators that WVSSAC verified 1,261 transfers in a recent survey and described competitive‑balance effects that required changes such as game‑shortening rules and expanded mercy‑rule usage. He said that if the legislature repeals the statute the SSAC would pursue emergency rulemaking, bring proposals to its board of control and seek State Department approval so new rules could take effect for the next school year.

Several senators supporting the repeal said the 2022 change had unintended consequences and urged giving the SSAC an opportunity to adopt emergency rules and address competitive balance. Others cautioned that the committee and SSAC must use current data to craft rules that avoid creating new problems.

Vice Chair moved that House Bill 44‑25 be reported to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass; the chair called for the ayes and declared the motion adopted. The committee had no recorded roll‑call tally in the transcript; the action passed by voice vote.

The measure will next be scheduled before the full Senate. The committee also heard public testimony on two unrelated House bills and adjourned after taking the votes.