POLISCOPE
Back to bills
Part ofMotor Vehicles →

The civic record

Read. Follow. Verify.
SB 777WEST VIRGINIASession 2026State Billdead
Did Not Advance

West Virginia Bill 777 Establishes Off-Road Vehicle Access Rules and Road Closures on Public Lands

Original title: Creating Outdoor West Virginians with Disabilities Act

Last action · February 5, 2026: To Natural ResourcesSponsor: Mark Maynard

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

Public stanceCommunity reactions are separate from the official record and reporting.

What This Bill Proposed

West Virginia Senate Bill 777 creates the Outdoor West Virginians with Disabilities Act, setting new standards for , , and off-road vehicle access on state forest and division of natural resources lands. The legislation restricts state agencies from closing certain roads unless specific safety, emergency, or replacement criteria are met.

Why it matters

Changes how state forestry and natural resources officials manage road openings and closures on public lands, creating specific protections for disability-accessible recreation routes and setting strict evidentiary requirements for closing routes.

Background
  • State legislation concerning travel management plans and motor vehicle use maps on public lands governs how recreational access and route designations are managed by state environmental and forestry agencies. context

Who It Would Have Affected

Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

West Virginia Division of Natural Resources

Must prioritize updating travel management plans, adhere to strict procedural requirements for road closures, and coordinate public land designations.

Directly affected

West Virginia Division of Forestry

Must update motor vehicle use plans and maps, account for traversable approved roads, and comply with new road closure restrictions.

Directly affected

Off-road vehicle users and individuals with disabilities

Gain statutory protections ensuring minimum mileage thresholds for motorized access and requirements to keep recreational roads open.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the bill define as disability-accessible land?
It is defined as state public land assessed to have at least 2.5 miles of authorized road accessible to motorized vehicles or off-road vehicles per square mile as of the date of enactment.
Can state agencies close roads on public lands under this bill?
Agencies may only close roads if they pose a direct health and safety threat, were established for a temporary one-year emergency need, or do not trigger net decreases below accessibility thresholds, and such closures require public notice, a hearing, and the establishment of a replacement road within a year.
What happens to roads that are currently facing an unadjudicated legal claim?
The bill mandates that any road subject to an unadjudicated or unlitigated claim must remain open until the completion of the litigation or adjudication.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Follow the record

Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in Senate committee.

Procedural history

4 actions
  1. Feb 5, 2026SenateCommittee
    To Natural Resources
  2. Feb 5, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Introduced in Senate
  3. Feb 5, 2026SenateCommittee
    To Natural Resources then Finance
  4. Feb 5, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Filed for introduction

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Mark MaynardSenateRepublicanPrimary sponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Strict Evidentiary Burden for Closing Public Roads

The legislation introduces a rebuttable presumption that all public roads remain open, shifting the administrative burden to agencies to prove necessity by clear and compelling evidence before shutting off motorized access.

West Virginia Division of Natural ResourcesWest Virginia Division of Forestry

Connected Entities

Mark Maynard, West Virginia Division of Forestry, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources
PersonMark Maynard“Lead sponsor of Senate Bill 777 in the West Virginia Senate.”Map →
OrganizationWest Virginia Division of Forestry“State agency responsible for forestry management, motor vehicle use maps, and pu”Map →
OrganizationWest Virginia Division of Natural Resources“State agency responsible for managing state public land and travel management pl”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.wvlegislature.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance20
    Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
  • Controversy45
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz25
    Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools

Share or embed this record

POLISCOPE publisher tools

Share or embed this record