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Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia bans state and local subsidies for data centers and establishes High Impact Data Center Program
Last action · January 28, 2026: To House Government OrganizationSponsor: Corby Dillon
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What This Bill Proposed
West Virginia prohibits the state and any local government from providing subsidies to any data center while creating the High Impact Data Center Program within the Division of Economic Development. The measure requires data centers meeting specific criteria to notify the division within 30 days and directs the Secretary of the Department of Commerce to issue certifications within 14 days.
Prohibits public financial assistance or tax subsidies for data center developers operating within West Virginia while establishing formal state oversight and confidentiality protections for business records.
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.
Data center operators
Data center operators are prohibited from receiving state or local subsidies, must submit notifications within specified timelines, and are eligible for state certification.
State of West Virginia
The state and its political subdivisions are barred from subsidizing data centers while administering a new certification and recordkeeping program.
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
Are data centers eligible to receive financial subsidies from local or state governments in West Virginia under this bill?
When must a data center notify the state that it meets the high-impact criteria?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
4 actions- Jan 28, 2026HouseCommitteeTo House Government Organization
- Jan 28, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced in House
- Jan 28, 2026HouseCommitteeTo Government Organization then Finance
- Jan 28, 2026HouseIntroducedFiled 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
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Prohibition of Economic Subsidies for Data Centers
The legislation marks a distinct policy shift by explicitly barring state and local governments from providing financial subsidies to a major and growing industrial sector.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz50Current news / social attention level
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