[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6097980,"mediaKeyId","2826168-1b573742224d495542d7f5493f3e1f7e","parentId",2826168,"title","Votes at a glance: Key Senate actions on March 31, 2025","audioSeconds",5377,"startMs",1418000,"endMs",6795000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2826168-1b573742224d495542d7f5493f3e1f7e&start=1418&end=6795","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2826168-1b573742224d495542d7f5493f3e1f7e/thumbnail_1418000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6097980/West-Virginia/Votes-at-a-glance-Key-Senate-actions-on-March-31-2025","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6097980-57cf4a39ebab5dcd28c934b2d2cd912f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770994438&Signature=eHRa5Wht5zhK13Y4FgO~UToB0Nnqy~kOZ9LyZt1QoRJkNzCJ4N8RyXDw0lL9Xth8kaHZZ~YT~1Zr1iMqxRTy2xL40wf9ds2jobWhBwZy0MQxrJvbxBuAeO5AineliSCPiuMcmH~dDxe5XrQygr934YAUp~Lbrl6s2i-aZx7bXgiHucsMXlW3g6CfvoqmT3xWf9GXwLRuI0LIFKrtbU7DGXK2-aEkxRquebMjX-7fREKNQV0XsUJH1sJe3gCGyIXGQn-gSVUBVKkcf875iAOw380yFSm6SFvRJChlvTjkCkI8~d4RAQzxCPVRk9gOXrutVd-8iK~x17KZ3Y~PzydUMg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","West Virginia Legislature","date","2025-03-31T00:00:00Z","article","The West Virginia Senate took recorded actions on multiple measures on March 31. Below are the principal items, the action taken on the Senate floor and the vote tallies as recorded in the transcript. Short descriptions are drawn from the sponsors’ floor explanations or bill titles as read aloud.

- Senate Resolution 42 (designating March 31, 2025 as West Virginia Nurses Day at the legislature): Adopted by voice vote; the Senate “declared the resolution adopted.” Supporters on the floor praised nurses’ contributions to health care throughout the state.

- Committee substitute for Senate Bill 506 (enhanced pay for certain teachers): Motion to refer the bill to the Committee on Rules was approved; recorded procedural roll call to send the bill to Rules: 25 yays, 9 nays (demand for roll call sustained). (Action: referred to Rules.)

- Committee substitute for Senate Bill 531 (offenses of assault and battery on athletic officials): Passed on third reading; recorded vote 33 yays, 1 nay. Sponsors described increased penalties for assault/battery on athletic officials at organized sporting events.

- Committee substitute for Senate Bill 632 (surprise billing — network ambulance services): Passed unanimously on third reading, 34 yays, 0 nays; Senate also voted to make the bill effective Jan. 1, 2026.

- Committee substitute for Senate Bill 663 (Fair Access to Financial Services Act): Passed on recorded vote 25 yays, 9 nays after extensive debate (see separate article for full coverage).

- Committee substitute for Senate Bill 718 (hospital transparency): Amendment adopted and bill passed 22 yays, 12 nays. The adopted amendment moved some duties to the West Virginia Health Care Authority and narrowed the publication requirement.

- Engrossed Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 790 (quarterly reporting by certain waste and wastewater utilities): Passed on third reading, recorded vote 34 yays, 0 nays.

- Committee substitute for Senate Bill 869 (Corridor H Advanced Energy and Economic Corridor Authority): Passed third reading by recorded vote 33 yays, 1 nay.

- A number of other bills on the agenda were read, advanced or passed without extended floor debate; the clerk was directed to communicate passage to the House where appropriate.

Why this matters: The items above cover a range of policy areas — education and teacher pay procedure, criminal penalties for assaulting sports officials, consumer protections against surprise medical bills, banking and financial‑services rules, hospital price transparency, water/wastewater utility reporting and regional economic authorities. Several of these measures set new state rules, reassign reporting duties between state agencies, or create private causes of action that could produce litigation.

What to watch: Senate bills that create new private rights or significant reporting requirements (notably SB 663 and SB 718) will proceed to the House and, if enacted, may lead to implementation rulemaking or litigation. Measures with effective dates set by the Senate (for example SB 632) give regulated entities a fixed timeline to comply.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate in Session Mar 31, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The West Virginia Senate recorded multiple final actions March 31, approving several bills and resolutions. This roundup lists major floor outcomes and basic details for each action recorded on the transcript.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature WV, West Virginia","taxId",77714,"location","West Virginia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6097985,"Senate approves surprise-billing bill for out‑of‑network ambulance services; sets Jan. 1, 2026 effective date",113,2225000,2338000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2826168-1b573742224d495542d7f5493f3e1f7e&start=2225&end=2338","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2826168-1b573742224d495542d7f5493f3e1f7e/thumbnail_2225000.jpg","/articles/6097985/West-Virginia/Senate-approves-surprise-billing-bill-for-outofnetwork-ambulance-services-sets-Jan-1-2026-effective-date","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6097985-6a5435c6d5817ecce8e8ba14d2aa1c71/orig.mp4?Expires=1770994438&Signature=RBG2gi~UoPhLzgtGsEp6QyOMeXgw0f8eJCZQxhqMFJeIopSX0R3bwMJ5~oCU-XnaGPp1jbq1abFd3dznRMv30dlZvYaRlmQsIcoMd1Je0wEJmgPlZ--fcS09~xkx9JrA4wpyzwAY7JwJKLG1gHxfOe9T5CXje2F6g85stmbVV9bFqe4X6E6oTnppiBWGjd3khQ59esrVOEuGMfYH7sBF2D4yZ1iX7qDYcx4Im5IEH~VBl7MOcS9mfQkwDZG6IG2A03B2YAXYQ1Lb75yNgkp~naIo3f65U-PIlK8E7YiHI7SusKg-b006TC2t3A-wi4kZ~1nfpmulxlY0qGEWZg9ovw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The West Virginia Senate unanimously approved Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 632 on third reading, a measure aimed at preventing surprise bills from out‑of‑network ambulance providers and setting rules for timely insurer payment.

On the floor the senator from Ohio said the bill “prohibit[s] surprise billing by emergency medical service agencies” and requires insurers to remit payment to an out-of-network agency within 30 days of receiving a clean claim in most situations. The sponsor also said the bill requires written explanation if an insurer denies a claim.

The Senate passed the bill on a recorded vote of 34 yays, 0 nays. The senator from Lewis then moved to make the bill effective Jan. 1, 2026; that motion was approved on the floor by the required two‑thirds vote and the clerk declared the bill effective 01/01/2026.

Why it matters: The passage targets a common source of consumer surprise bills in emergency medical transport and formalizes timelines for insurer payments and claimant notices. The effective date gives insurers and provider networks time to adjust to claims‑payment procedures.

Next steps: The clerk will communicate the action to the House and the bill will proceed toward enrollment and signature as provided under legislative rules.","Senate Bill 632, which bars surprise billing by out‑of‑network ambulance providers and establishes prompt insurer payment rules, passed unanimously and was later scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2026.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6097989,"Senate adopts hospital transparency amendment, passes reporting measure after divided debate",917,4777000,5694000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2826168-1b573742224d495542d7f5493f3e1f7e&start=4777&end=5694","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2826168-1b573742224d495542d7f5493f3e1f7e/thumbnail_4777000.jpg","/articles/6097989/West-Virginia/Senate-adopts-hospital-transparency-amendment-passes-reporting-measure-after-divided-debate","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6097989-037d0ef3e70fa7a03355299d638983ad/orig.mp4?Expires=1770994438&Signature=Ck6ODM0JJENOICBzfBgl4qFYSH4TdfF-a9U8iZ2A2vOWWhuJgwKKkd1xaM5e57pjbAH-R5VHiPWBnPInN~lxAhgsZbWnUgEroaJVBzAnI9htU7dfwnWI0ImH~wXFbUifUIOrDexEbyOuk4SQgKpyAzDxp3CbLhZwHLNoLxoWM5gSeTktzQF1y11I~lfY3AXX0JiUF3s8~4TqkCtqY~HNB3YvMOKPffZ33CKuDaK~28T3s9LU2BcU7BXoHG5f~edVlMgPdo48JDGTuUp~DE-nrL~zA5uUU2oFNCJiptSLTQzNtAojSJ9iPVfZKY0C3HKKfWtAt6hQfD4X1LbfHNjKqA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The West Virginia Senate passed Senate Bill 718, a hospital transparency measure, on March 31 by a vote of 22 yays to 12 nays after a contested floor debate and adoption of a strike‑and‑insert amendment.

On third reading the Senate approved an amendment offered by the senator from Jefferson that moved certain reporting duties from the Insurance Commissioner back to the West Virginia Health Care Authority, removed a requirement for audited financial statements and instead required specific components to be published on hospital web pages and on the Health Care Authority’s existing online archive. “The amendment is a strike and insert,” the senator from Jefferson explained, “It moves reporting from the West Virginia insurance commissioner back to the West Virginia Health Care Authority… and requires publication of information on the Health Care Authority's existing online document archive system.”

Supporters said the bill is necessary to give the public and lawmakers better information about hospital charges, facility fees and executive compensation. “We cannot lower health care costs for our constituents unless we know what the hospitals are charging,” said the senator from Ohio, noting rising premiums for state and local employees and gaps in publicly‑available hospital charge data. A junior senator from the second district displayed a hospital website during debate and said current hospital links led users to large downloadable spreadsheets that are “very confusing for a lot of our people at home.”

Opponents argued the information required is duplicative, costly to maintain and of limited public utility. The senior senator from the seventeenth warned that much of hospital care is paid by government programs (Medicaid, Medicare) and said the state office previously charged with similar work was reduced and that the bill could carry an unaccounted fiscal note. “If you want to decrease the cost of health care in West Virginia, then attract employers,” the senior senator from the fourth said, and characterized the transparency provisions as likely to produce studies rather than lower costs.

The Senate adopted the amendment and later passed the bill on third reading. The clerk recorded the vote as 22 yays and 12 nays. The bill will be reengrossed and the clerk will communicate the action to the House.","Senate Bill 718 — a hospital transparency bill — was amended on the floor to shift some reporting responsibilities and to require hospitals to post specified items on the West Virginia Health Care Authority website; the measure passed 22–12 after debate over redundancy, cost and utility of the data.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6097994,"Senate passes Fair Access to Financial Services Act after hour-long debate over ‘debanking’ and litigation risks",4625,2339000,6964000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2826168-1b573742224d495542d7f5493f3e1f7e&start=2339&end=6964","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2826168-1b573742224d495542d7f5493f3e1f7e/thumbnail_2339000.jpg","/articles/6097994/West-Virginia/Senate-passes-Fair-Access-to-Financial-Services-Act-after-hour-long-debate-over-debanking-and-litigation-risks","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6097994-16a880b63a8ed3b0456764979bf00b32/orig.mp4?Expires=1770994438&Signature=oSz4aPn9uXajqzzMQn1uO69PxGGQuGq88Ggg5dOkZaFa8Wug~GitnFT1U5gzyvsV~tGGj7fri3MHHtoGWOOeTL~QRQxnotkmfbrxQprp1bOqkZozBxyEnksiIUGdZG1pCTco0aZtze3gstyiPrh6nKyHZ0Kn058vi6ifhlK~51nRooA2~QfXj4GisshxR4eIE-gfDrCTDiudy12bQfLBp7434JSVfupHvZcDmfMahSU2~51m~eoFwEMOeRIQEyTc9j0sCo~8TGysh-eihQ-AvMq586uAHRi1zWaghnKmkLyxTy~0FUSujxu8phakofX5DFNa6L4ijk0GkKEZz7SzeQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The West Virginia Senate on March 31 passed Senate Bill 663, the Fair Access to Financial Services Act, by a vote of 25 yays to 9 nays after more than an hour of floor debate over whether the measure would spur litigation against banks or provide necessary protections for customers who say they were closed out of accounts for political or reputational reasons.

The bill, described on the floor as designed to make it unlawful for an eligible financial institution to deny certain services on the basis of specified characteristics or views, creates a civil cause of action and authorizes recovery of damages, with statutory minimums discussed repeatedly in debate. “If the bank intended harm and that could be proven, it's 3 times actual harm,” said the senator from Wood in support, arguing the bill is a “freedom bill” to push back against what he called large banks’ reputational-risk policies. The senator from Jefferson recounted a constituent-level example and said, “We're not talking a Melania Trump... but a regular person. If it happened to you, it would be terrifying.”

Opponents warned the measure would invite “sue-and-settle” claims and place onerous burdens on financial institutions. The senior senator from the fourth said the bill would “significantly places an onerous cause of action on employers in our state, namely the banks,” and argued it risks reviving the kinds of private causes of action the Legislature removed in prior tort reform. The senator from Cabell pressed committee counsel and the bill’s sponsor on whether the law includes a fee‑shifting or “loser‑pays” mechanism; floor discussion clarified the bill permits recovery of attorney fees by prevailing plaintiffs and contains provisions allowing financial institutions to recover fees and costs where a claim is deemed frivolous.

Supporters repeatedly emphasized the bill targets only very large institutions. The junior senator from seventh noted, “this bill only affects financial institutions with total assets” at a high threshold — as discussed on the floor, institutions at roughly the $100 billion-asset level were the focus of the sponsors’ remarks. Supporters said that limitation reduces the bill’s scope to a small set of national banks.

The sponsor, identified on the floor as the junior senator from the fifteenth, closed debate urging passage and saying the bill “balances equities between the banks and the citizens of West Virginia.” The Senate approved the bill on a recorded vote, 25–9. The clerk was directed to communicate the action to the House.

Votes at a glance: SB 663 — Passed, 25 yays, 9 nays.

Why it matters: Supporters framed SB 663 as protecting individual West Virginians from sudden account closures and denials of financial services by major banks; opponents said it risks a wave of claims and litigation costs that could discourage investment or force higher insurance and banking costs. The bill sets up a new statutory remedy and will likely prompt litigation and questions about how courts will interpret standards such as “reasonable attorney fees” and what evidence meets the bill’s thresholds.

Next steps: The bill’s text as passed will be sent to the House for its consideration; if enacted, courts will be asked to interpret statutory damages, evidence standards, and fee‑shift provisions that were central to floor debate.","The West Virginia Senate passed Senate Bill 663, the Fair Access to Financial Services Act, on a 25-9 vote after extended floor debate over whether the law would invite lawsuits or protect residents from ‘‘debanking’’ by large financial institutions.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Key Senate actions on March 31, 2025

Senate approves surprise-billing bill for out‑of‑network ambulance services; sets Jan. 1, 2026 effective date

Senate adopts hospital transparency amendment, passes reporting measure after divided debate

Senate passes Fair Access to Financial Services Act after hour-long debate over ‘debanking’ and litigation risks