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📣 Make Some Noise for Clean Drinking Water! 📣
Please MAKE SOME NOISE to SUPPORT CLEAN DRINKING WATER FOR THE SOUTHERN
COALFIELDS (HB 5525, HB 5585 & HB 5642) .
Background:
✳️ LWVWV supports updated water quality standards to protect human health
and wildlife habitats, and support measures to expand access to water
service that meets these standards.
✳️ A number of Public Service Districts in West Virginia’s southern
coalfields have failing infrastructure and many communities there lack
access to clean drinking water.
✳️ Three bills proposed in the House of Delegates would begin to address
long-standing issues with water infrastructure in the southern coalfields
and provide residents with access to clean drinking water.
SUMMARY of PROPOSED CLEAN WATER BILLS:
✳️ HB 5525
<https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_history.cfm?INPUT=5525&year…>
would establish the Southern West Virginia Clean Water Fund Act of 2026
with an initial $10 million investment to enhance water quality standards,
test for and remove various contaminants, and replace lead service lines
within all public water systems in Boone, Fayette, Greenbrier, Lincoln,
Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers, Wayne, and
Wyoming Counties.
✳️ HB 5642
<https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_history.cfm?INPUT=4642&year…>
would provide an additional $10 million to help with drinking water
emergencies in the southern coalfields (on top of the $10 million included
in HB 5525), bringing the grand total of potential relief up to $20 million.
✳️ HB 5585
<https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_history.cfm?INPUT=5585&year…>,
which would make public health emergencies eligible for funding from the
Rainy Day Fund. This bill designates struggling Public Service Districts
and water boards as public health emergencies and therefore eligible for
appropriations from the Fund. HB 5585 has been identified by clean water
advocates as a funding mechanism for HB 5525 and HB 4642, as well as for
additional funding to address chronic drinking water issues in southern
West Virginia.
These bills provide crucial emergency funding to bring immediate help to
coalfield communities in need of clean drinking water.
🚨Status: *All three bills are pending in the House Energy & Public Works
Committee and time is running out.* March 1 is the deadline for bills to be
out of committees in the house of origin to ensure three full days for
readings on the floor. These bills must pass the House no later than March
4 to have a chance of making it to the Governor’s desk.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
🚨*Contact your Delegate and tell them to SUPPORT HB 5525, HB 5585, and HB
4642. No West Virginian should have to live without clean water.*
Find your Delegate here: https://fastdemocracy.com/find-your-legislators/
🚨*Contact the House Energy & Public Works Committee to get these bills on
an agenda. * Email list:
bill.anderson(a)wvhouse.gov, jordan.bridges(a)wvhouse.gov,
jeff.campbell(a)wvhouse.gov, david.cannon(a)wvhouse.gov,
kathie.crouse(a)wvhouse.gov, henry.dillon(a)wvhouse.gov,
jeff.eldridge(a)wvhouse.gov, bob.fehrenbacher(a)wvhouse.gov,
david.green(a)wvhouse.gov, evan.hansen(a)wvhouse.gov,
rick.hillenbrand(a)wvhouse.gov, josh.holstein(a)wvhouse.gov,
gary.howell(a)wvhouse.gov, daniel.linville(a)wvhouse.gov,
patrick.lucas(a)wvhouse.gov, erica.moore(a)wvhouse.gov,
happyjoe.parsons(a)wvhouse.gov, clay.riley(a)wvhouse.gov,
charles.sheedy(a)wvhouse.gov, george.street(a)wvhouse.gov,
kayla.young(a)wvhouse.gov, mark.zatezalo(a)wvhouse.gov
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LET’S MAKE SOME (MORE) NOISE FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION!
The House Finance Committee has originated a bill, HB Org: Hope Scholarship,
that calls for a cap and sensible guardrails on the Hope Scholarship
voucher program.
Status: The House Finance Committee was expected to take up the bill on
Friday, but a vote was delayed while lawmakers continue tweaking the bill.
The bill is on the House Finance Committee agenda Monday, Feb. 23, at 9 am.
Please take a minute to contact your Delegate and members of the House
Finance Committee and urge them to support this legislation.
The Hope Scholarship is diverting public taxpayer dollars from public
schools, leading to school closures and staffing/program cuts, and
preventing the state from fulfilling its responsibilities to provide an
equitable, quality public education for all students.
LWVWV believes that all schools should be accountable for ensuring our kids
receive an adequate education. A quality public education is essential for
a strong, viable, and sustainable democratic society and is a civil right.
The West Virginia legislature should be prioritizing funding for public
schools and not diverting limited funds to charter schools!
ACTION: Contact your Delegate and House Finance Committee members you
support the proposed cap and guardrails on the Hope Scholarship program.
Find your Delegate here: https://fastdemocracy.com/find-your-legislators/
Email list for members of the House Finance Committee:
bill.anderson(a)wvhouse.gov, trenton.barnhart(a)wvhouse.gov,
jarred.cannon(a)wvhouse.gov, ray.canterbury(a)wvhouse.gov,
roy.cooper(a)wvhouse.gov, vernon.criss(a)wvhouse.gov, lori.dittman(a)wvhouse.gov,
joe.ellington(a)wvhouse.gov, bob.fehrenbacher(a)wvhouse.gov,
marty.gearheart(a)wvhouse.gov, walter.hall(a)wvhouse.gov,
michael.hite(a)wvhouse.gov, sean.hornbuckle(a)wvhouse.gov,
charles.horst(a)wvhouse.gov, johnpaul.hott(a)wvhouse.gov,
gary.howell(a)wvhouse.gov, dean.jeffries(a)wvhouse.gov,
daniel.linville(a)wvhouse.gov, margitta.mazzocchi(a)wvhouse.gov,
clay.riley(a)wvhouse.gov, matthew.rohrbach(a)wvhouse.gov,
joe.statler(a)wvhouse.gov, chris.toney(a)wvhouse.gov, john.williams(a)wvhouse.gov,
evan.worrell(a)wvhouse.gov
Please craft your own message, but here are some suggested talking points
from Together for Public Schools:
-
Hope Scholarship is diverting public taxpayer dollars from public schools
-
Support guardrails and fiscal restraint -- like a cap on the Hope
Scholarship program costs
-
Lack of guardrails on this program has allowed public dollars to benefit
the few, while public schools that serve the majority of students and
families are suffering.
-
The rising cost of the program is straining our budget — next year to
more than $300 million.
-
Alternate use of Hope monies could support more special education
funding for schools, raises for staff, or prevent rural school closures.
-
Nearly 32 million dollars went to private schools via the Hope
Scholarship last year.
Check out our new post!
Third in our continuing series on the Constitution, let's review the Bill
of Rights.
We don't write the headlines, so let us bring your attention to the note:
✳️ Many protections of the Bill of Rights apply to persons who are not
citizens too. ✳️
https://lwvmorgantown.substack.com/p/bill-of-rights-protects-us-citizens
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📣Make Some Noise!📣on HB 4817
The House Education Committee recently passed HB 4817
<https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_history.cfm?INPUT=4817&year…>
,
which gives additional funding and flexibility to charter schools despite
the unmet needs many of our local public schools are experiencing. This
bill will now go on to the House Finance Committee, where we would like it
to stay.
------------------------------
Background from Together For Public Schools WV:
Public schools in West Virginia need additional funding to better serve
students and support the education workforce. The lack of sufficient
funding resulting from our outdated funding formula forces many school
districts to close schools or lay off staff. This has resulted in more than
30 school closures in the past two years. HB 4817 would contribute even
more to these challenges for public schools, by diverting essential public
funds to charter schools instead of public schools where the vast majority
of kids in our state still are educated.
HB 4817 also poses harm to rural communities in particular. By prioritizing
schools located in rural counties, it further incentivizes the closure of a
public school so that it can be converted into a charter school. Public
schools are the only education option that is funded by the public,
accountable to the public, and accessible to the public. While charter
schools receive public funding, they have more autonomy in how they
operate. For example, teachers at charter schools in our state do not have
to be certified. Charter schools are also not required to accept and serve
all students in their community.
LWVWV believes that the West Virginia legislature should be prioritizing
funding for public schools and not diverting limited funds to charter
schools!
ACTION:
*✳️ Lend your voice to the cause! Submit a public comment opposing HB 4817
by clicking here
<https://bills.wvlegislature.gov/public-comment/?bill=4817&billtype=HB&abbre…>.
It only takes a minute or two!*
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📣 Make Some (More) Noise! 📣 About Data Centers
We have passed the halfway point in the 2026 WV Legislative Session. Here
are two new bills introduced Feb 16. Please MAKE SOME NOISE to SUPPORT HB
5590 & HB 5620.
------------------------------
Background:
✳️ In 2025, we opposed a bill (HB 2014
<https://www.wvlegislature.gov/bill_status/Bills_history.cfm?input=2014&year…>)
to encourage the development of data centers and take away any local
control. That silencing of local voices has become a flashpoint in WV this
past year.
✳️ This year, we have opposed HB 4983
<https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_history.cfm?INPUT=4983&year…>
, which advances rules proposed by the WV Department of Commerce to
implement last year’s HB 2014. Those rules lack transparency related to
environmental and community impacts.
SUMMARY of TODAY’S BILLS:
✳️ HB 5590
<https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_history.cfm?INPUT=5590&year…>
and HB 5620
<https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_history.cfm?INPUT=5620&year…>,
introduced Feb 16, are two bills we can SUPPORT.
HB 5590 would require high impact data centers to provide public notice of
anticipated water usage prior to commencement of construction. Water
withdrawals could not exceed the amounts necessary to maintain public water
systems and serve other users, even in periods of drought.
HB 5590 constitutes an incremental, but essential, step, in regulating data
centers in WV.
HB 5620 would restore local control in the decision-making process on data
centers. It would literally repeal the portion of last year’s bill that
was intended to silence local voices.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
✳️ Contact your Delegate and tell them to SUPPORT HB 5590
<https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_history.cfm?INPUT=5590&year…>
and HB 5620
<https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_history.cfm?INPUT=5620&year…>.
Find your Delegate here: https://fastdemocracy.com/find-your-legislators/
✳️ Contact the House Energy & Pubic Works Committee to get HB 5590 on an
agenda. Email list:
bill.anderson(a)wvhouse.gov, jordan.bridges(a)wvhouse.gov,
jeff.campbell(a)wvhouse.gov, david.cannon(a)wvhouse.gov,
kathie.crouse(a)wvhouse.gov, henry.dillon(a)wvhouse.gov,
jeff.eldridge(a)wvhouse.gov, bob.fehrenbacher(a)wvhouse.gov,
david.green(a)wvhouse.gov, evan.hansen(a)wvhouse.gov,
rick.hillenbrand(a)wvhouse.gov, josh.holstein(a)wvhouse.gov,
gary.howell(a)wvhouse.gov, daniel.linville(a)wvhouse.gov,
patrick.lucas(a)wvhouse.gov, erica.moore(a)wvhouse.gov,
happyjoe.parsons(a)wvhouse.gov, clay.riley(a)wvhouse.gov,
charles.sheedy(a)wvhouse.gov, george.street(a)wvhouse.gov,
kayla.young(a)wvhouse.gov, mark.zatezalo(a)wvhouse.gov
✳️ Contact the House Judiciary Committee to get HB 5620 on an agenda.
Email list:
jb.akers(a)wvhouse.gov, jim.butler(a)wvhouse.gov, dana.ferrell(a)wvhouse.gov,
bill.flanigan(a)wvhouse.gov, shawn.fluharty(a)wvhouse.gov,
joe.funkhouser(a)wvhouse.gov, evan.hansen(a)wvhouse.gov,
scot.heckert(a)wvhouse.gov, rick.hillenbrand(a)wvhouse.gov,
josh.holstein(a)wvhouse.gov, michael.hornby(a)wvhouse.gov,
buck.jennings(a)wvhouse.gov, laura.kimble(a)wvhouse.gov, larry.kump(a)wvhouse.gov,
phil.mallow(a)wvhouse.gov, keith.marple(a)wvhouse.gov, carl.martin(a)wvhouse.gov,
jordan.maynor(a)wvhouse.gov, chris.phillips(a)wvhouse.gov,
bill.ridenour(a)wvhouse.gov, bill.roop(a)wvhouse.gov, andy.shamblin(a)wvhouse.gov,
bryan.ward(a)wvhouse.gov, mark.zatezalo(a)wvhouse.gov
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📣Make Some (More) Noise!📣 on HB 4433 & HB 4983
Thursday, Feb. 13 marked the halfway point in the 2026 WV Legislative
Session. Here are updates on two bills we alerted you about before. Make
Some (More) Noise and please continue to stay engaged.
HB 4433
<https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_history.cfm?INPUT=4433&year…>
has passed the House and will be up for a vote by the Senate on Tuesday,
Feb 17. While this bill has been improved through the committee and
amendment process, it continues to equate assisting an undocumented
immigrant with human smuggling.
We believe it is our duty to help neighbors in need regardless of their
immigration status. This bill would further stigmatize and harm our
immigrant communities and those who care about them.
LWVWV urges West Virginia lawmakers to focus on bills that address critical
West Virginia needs. We have so many.
Anti-immigrant bills serve a political agenda, not West Virginians.
ACTION: Please contact your Senators (you have 2) and urge them to vote NO
on HB 4433.
Find your Senators here: https://fastdemocracy.com/find-your-legislators/
------------------------------
HB 4983
<https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_history.cfm?INPUT=4983&year…>
has passed the House Energy and Public Works Committee and will be up for a
vote by the full House of Delegates on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
HB 4983 advances the rules proposed by the West Virginia Department of
Commerce related to a 2025 bill encouraging the development of data
centers. As written, these rules lack important transparency related to
environmental and community impacts. An amendment that would have improved
the rule by requiring stronger transparency on water use was rejected by
the Committee (details here
<https://wvecouncil.org/data-center-amendment-to-protect-water-fails-to-pass…>
).
West Virginians deserve to know the basic facts about what is being
proposed in order to make their voices heard and protect their communities
from negative consequences.
ACTION: Contact your Delegate and tell them they must amend the rules to
require more transparency from big data centers.
Find your Delegate here: https://fastdemocracy.com/find-your-legislators/
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Make Some Noise! 📣 OPPOSE HB 5219 -- TIME SENSITIVE
HB 5219 is on House Judiciary Committee Agenda for Markup/Passage, Mon, Feb
16, 9 am
HB 5219
<https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_history.cfm?INPUT=5219&year…>
would establish new and complicated rules to determine residency to
register and vote (or “register to vote” -- a possible typo that was not
resolved in last week’s Committee discussion).
HB 5219 claims to clarify residency, for use by the courts, but it appears
only to raise more questions than it answers. (The possible typo noted
above is only one.) Committee discussion pointed out many provisions where
the language is unusually vague and subjective.
A particular red flag for the LWV is how HB 5219 attempts to define
residency for college students. This bill appears to conflict with a
Supreme Court decision from 1979 (*Symm v. United States*) holding that
students have the constitutional right to register and vote where they
attend college. State law cannot override that, but HB 5219 appears to try.
✳️ Contact your Delegate and members of the House Judiciary Committee and
ask them to OPPOSE this unnecessary and poorly drafted bill.
LWVWV OPPOSES HB 5219.
House Judiciary Committee member emails:
jb.akers(a)wvhouse.gov, jim.butler(a)wvhouse.gov, dana.ferrell(a)wvhouse.gov,
bill.flanigan(a)wvhouse.gov, shawn.fluharty(a)wvhouse.gov,
joe.funkhouser(a)wvhouse.gov, evan.hansen(a)wvhouse.gov,
scot.heckert(a)wvhouse.gov, rick.hillenbrand(a)wvhouse.gov,
josh.holstein(a)wvhouse.gov, michael.hornby(a)wvhouse.gov,
buck.jennings(a)wvhouse.gov, laura.kimble(a)wvhouse.gov, larry.kump(a)wvhouse.gov,
phil.mallow(a)wvhouse.gov, keith.marple(a)wvhouse.gov, carl.martin(a)wvhouse.gov,
jordan.maynor(a)wvhouse.gov, chris.phillips(a)wvhouse.gov,
bill.ridenour(a)wvhouse.gov, bill.roop(a)wvhouse.gov, andy.shamblin(a)wvhouse.gov,
bryan.ward(a)wvhouse.gov, mark.zatezalo(a)wvhouse.gov
Find your Delegate here: https://fastdemocracy.com/find-your-legislators/
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Make Some Noise! 📣 OPPOSE SB 615
SB 615 (committee substitute)
<https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/sb615%2…>
would mandate that WV state and local police assist in federal immigration
enforcement. Specifically, it would require state and local law
enforcement to notify federal immigration authorities regarding persons
with illegal immigration status, and it would prohibit local jurisdictions
from passing laws to the contrary.
History:
-
Introduced Jan 27
-
Committee Substitute Passed Senate Judiciary Committee Feb 3.
-
Senate 1st Reading Feb 4
-
Senate 2nd Reading Feb 5 (no amendments)
-
Senate 3rd Reading laid over Feb 6
-
Likely to be voted on the Senate floor on Monday, Feb 9.
This onerous bill is headed for passage in the Senate.
Contact your Senators (you have two) and ask them to vote against this bill.
Background:
According to news reports, at least 650 individuals have been rounded up in
WV and detained for immigration violations, overburdening local jails. The
number of cases involving state or local police has not been released, but
the impact has been: ICE raids in West Virginia overstep constitutional
limits
<https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/01/31/ice-arrests-surge-court-skept…>
.
WVMetroNews reported Feb 8
<https://wvmetronews.com/2026/02/08/local-law-enforcement-in-west-virginia-g…>
on the roles of WV state and local law enforcement in the anti-immigrant
surge in our state and the Federal dollars being used to entice them to
participate.
Some detainees, who appealed their detentions in Federal court, already
have been found to be detained illegally — Judge orders third ICE detainee
released
<https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/02/04/third-ice-detainee-released/>
and Federal judge orders release of fourth WV immigrant detainee wrongly
jailed
<https://westvirginiawatch.com/2026/02/05/federal-judge-orders-release-of-fo…>.
More such cases are likely to follow.
Extending WV state/local law enforcement into this morass of Federal
immigration enforcement will make things worse. Federal money will
incentivize unconstitutional arrests and detentions. LWVWV OPPOSES SB 615.
Find your Senators here ... https://wvecouncil.org/wv-legislature/senate/
📣Make Some Noise!📣 Demand Transparency and Accountability for Data Centers
Rules proposed by the West Virginia Department of Commerce related to a
2025 bill encouraging the development of data centers are now before the
Legislature for final approval. Authority for the proposed rules is now
included in HB 4983
<https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_history.cfm?INPUT=4983&year…>
.
As written, these rules give the public almost no notice, no real way to
weigh in, and very little information about what the companies are
proposing. The public is thus limited in its ability to weigh in. An amendment
to address the lack of transparency and provide the public with more
information about proposed data centers was rejected
<https://westvirginiawatch.com/2026/01/30/wv-lawmakers-approve-changes-to-mi…>
by the Legislative Rule-Making Review Committee. The Legislature can still
amend the proposed rules before they become law.
Tell members of the House Energy and Public Works Committee
<https://wvecouncil.org/wv-legislature/house-energy-committee/> that they
must amend the rules to require more transparency from big data centers.
West Virginians deserve to know the basic facts about what is being
proposed in order to make their voices heard and protect their communities
from negative consequences. This includes full disclosure regarding
environmental and community impacts such as expected air emissions, water
usage and discharge, noise levels, traffic impacts, operating schedule,
emergency-service needs, and land-use conflicts.
Status: The House Energy and Public Works Committee held a hearing on HB
4983 on Feb. 4, advancing the rules to mark up and passage stage. This
means they will vote on the rules at their next meeting early this coming
week, as early as Feb. 9.
Make Some Noise! Contact committee members to demand transparency and
accountability for data centers. Click here
<https://wvecouncil.org/wv-legislature/house-energy-committee/> to find
their phone numbers and a copy-and-paste email list for sending a personal
email to all committee members.
To leave a public comment on the Legislature’s webpage click here
<https://bills.wvlegislature.gov/public-comment/?bill=4983&billtype=HB&abbre…>
.
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*MAKE SOME NOISE* 📣❗️ You might have seen the recent roll-out of our Fast
Democracy bill tracker. You can also use it to MAKE SOME NOISE FOR VOTING
RIGHTS - Oppose HB 4600!
<https://fastdemocracy.com/campaigns/HQx99URqz/Make-Sure-Absentee-Ballots-Co…>
[This link takes you to additional information and a pre-drafted letter you
can edit with your personal thoughts on this bill. It will send your letter
directly to your legislator - no need to look up their email!]
West Virginians can vote by absentee ballot for many reasons including:
physical disability; being out of town for personal, business, or education
reasons during the election; and military personnel serving overseas.
Currently, absentee ballots are required to be counted if postmarked by the
election date and received by canvass.
*If HB 4600 becomes law, the cut-off to request an absentee ballot will be
moved one week earlier, and any ballot received after 8pm on election day
will not be counted. This is a dramatic change in our election process and
will have the effect of preventing votes - especially from students,
military personnel or people with disabilities - from being counted. *
Throughout the committee process there was no testimony of any trouble with
the current process of managing absentee ballots. This bill, along with
many others introduced this year, intentionally chips away at access to the
polls. *The right to vote and equal access to the ballot are pillars of our
democracy and LWVWV opposes legislation that would restrict voting.*
Bill Status: HB 4600 passed the House Legal Services Subcommittee 2/2,
House Judiciary Committee 2/4 and will likely be up for a full House of
Delegates vote the week of 2/9.
*ACTION: Please join LWVWV in opposition to this bill by using the link
below to contact your delegate and ask them to vote NO on HB 4600! *
https://fastdemocracy.com/campaigns/HQx99URqz/Make-Sure-Absentee-Ballots-Co…
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*MAKE SOME NOISE* 📣❗️ OPPOSE SB 173 in Senate Judiciary
*UPDATE:* SB 173 seeks to ban “abortifacients” and prohibit healthcare
professionals from prescribing them in WV for West Virginians. It also
prohibits various ways of sending or delivering the drugs in WV.
Abortifacients are FDA-approved medications used to terminate early-stage
pregnancy. About half of all abortions in the U.S. rely on these drugs.
Since 2022, WV has lived under a near-total abortion ban. SB 173 is one
more try to further restrict abortion in WV.
Mifepristone and misoprostol, used in combination, are the most commonly
used drugs to end pregnancy. They were initially approved as safe &
effective by the FDA 25 years ago. Since then, the FDA has reduced
restrictions on access as evidence of safety grew.
This Legislature is saying it knows better than the FDA. The FDA relies on
science. SB 173 does not.
WHAT’S NEXT?
SB 173 committee substitute passed out of Senate Health & Human Resources
Committee on Feb 3. Now, the bill has gone to Senate Judiciary.
MAKE SOME NOISE 📣 by contacting Senators on Judiciary ASAP …
🆕 Contact Legislators using our Bill Tracker — it’s easy!
https://fastdemocracy.com/bill/wv/2026/bills/WVB00031501/?report-bill-view=1
✳️ Full Senate Judiciary roster:
https://www.wvlegislature.gov/committees/senate/SenateCommittee.cfm?Chart=j…
❓ If you’re not sure who your Senators are, enter your home address at
https://pluralpolicy.com/find-your-legislator/ and click on your Senators
to find their contact information.