The West Virginia Senate on a recent floor session passed several bills affecting teacher certification, energy policy and retirement firearms purchases and recorded votes on multiple other items.

The measures matter because they alter professional licensing for teachers, set state policy to promote microgrid districts for large data centers and adjust the Legislature's earlier amendment on retired-officer firearms purchases. Senators debated an amendment to the teacher-certification bill and one senator spoke at length about potential rate impacts of the microgrid policy before voting.

Engrossed committee substitute for House Bill 3125 passed after the Senate adopted an amendment that Senator Grady described as resolving a code conflict and folding in the Troops to Teachers program. Senator from Mason explained the change, saying, "This is strictly a code conflict. We passed out Senate Bill 765, the Troops to Teachers program, earlier. And, we had to wait for the House to pass that back to us so we could amend it into this bill, mister president." The bill, as described on the floor, allows teachers who hold a bachelor’s degree and have 10 years of teaching experience with a valid certificate in good standing and no unsatisfactory evaluations to apply for and receive a permanent teaching certificate without additional coursework. A roll-call on final passage produced a recorded result of 31 yeas, 0 nays, 3 absent; a subsequent vote to make the bill effective on passage was 32 yeas, 0 nays, 2 absent. A title amendment was also adopted prior to final action.

Senators also concurred in House amendments to House Bill 2014, the certified microgrid program, which the Senate described as intended "to promote the development of microgrid districts to attract high impact data centers to the state." Senator from Logan questioned the measure’s distributional effects on utility rates, including the potential for cost-shifting to smaller or lower-income customers if large customers or data centers reduce grid usage. Logan summarized concerns he said he obtained from an AI tool and stated, "Especially lower income and smaller customers will have a rate increase," and said he would vote no. The Senate voted to concur in the House amendments, 32 yeas, 1 nay, 1 absent.

The House informed the Senate that it had rejected Senate amendments to House Bill 3181 and asked the Senate to recede from its amendment. The Senate agreed to recede from its amendment to House Bill 3181 (relating to allowing law enforcement officers to purchase certain firearms upon retirement), and the motion to recede passed 33 yeas, 0 nays, 1 absent.

The Senate also concurred in the House amendments to engrossed House Bill 3517 after the House restored language requiring approval by both the governor and the auditor for municipalities in financial distress; the Senate vote was 33 yeas, 0 nays, 1 absent.

Clerk reports filed on the floor included a conference committee report relating to an engrossed committee substitute for House Bill 2267 authorizing the Department of Revenue to promulgate legislative rules, and a conference committee report relating to engrossed committee substitute for House Bill 2880 concerning parent resource navigators; the reports were received on the floor with no recorded roll-call votes attached in the transcript excerpt.

Other floor procedure: the Senate adopted a 10-minute recess motion made by the Senator from Lewis.

Votes at a glance

- House Bill 3125 (engrossed committee substitute): Passed final passage 31–0–3 (yeas–nays–absent); title amendment adopted; made effective from passage by separate vote 32–0–2. Amendment adopting Troops to Teachers language moved by Senator Grady and adopted prior to final passage.

- House Bill 2014 (certified microgrid program): Senate concurred in House amendments; final roll call 32–1–1. Senator Logan cast the recorded nay and voiced concerns about rate impacts on lower-income and small customers.

- House Bill 3181 (allowing certain purchases by retired officers): Senate receded from its amendment after the House rejected the Senate amendment; concurrence to recede passed 33–0–1.

- House Bill 3517 (engrossed): Senate concurred in House amendments; roll call 33–0–1. The amendment package included language restoring governor and auditor approval for municipalities in financial distress.

- Conference committee reports filed/received: House Bill 2267 (authorizing Department of Revenue rulemaking) — report filed; House Bill 2880 (parent resource navigators) — report received. No roll-call votes recorded in the transcript excerpt for these conference reports.

What senators said

Senator Grady (explaining an amendment to HB 3125): "This is strictly a code conflict. We passed out Senate Bill 765, the Troops to Teachers program, earlier. And, we had to wait for the House to pass that back to us so we could amend it into this bill, mister president."

Senator Logan (on HB 2014): He described concerns about potential negative impacts on ratepayers if large customers or data centers install microgrids and reduce grid usage, saying in part, "Especially lower income and smaller customers will have a rate increase." Logan said those concerns led him to vote no.

Next steps

Passed measures will be communicated to the House as required by the Senate clerk’s routine announcement. The transcript excerpt does not specify implementation timelines, effective-code references beyond the Senate declaration of immediate effect for HB 3125, or further committee actions for the bills with conference reports; those details were not specified in the excerpt.