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Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia creates 12-week paid parental leave pilot program for full-time state employees
Last action · February 3, 2026: To House FinanceSponsor: Kayla Young
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What This Bill Proposed
Eligible full-time state employees in West Virginia would receive up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave at 90 percent of their , capped at $1,000 per week, for the birth or adoption of a child between July 1, 2026, and July 1, 2028. The measure requires state employers to maintain group health insurance coverage, employment benefits, and seniority during the leave period and sets a program of December 31, 2029.
Full-time state government workers gaining a child become eligible for up to 12 weeks of partially paid leave while retaining health coverage and job seniority, with funding drawn from a newly created .
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.
full-time permanent state employees
State workers meeting service requirements gain eligibility for up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave, health insurance continuation, and job protection upon the birth or adoption of a child.
state government employers
State departments, agencies, and commissions must submit claims within three business days, maintain health insurance and job positions for workers on leave, and respond to annual Department of Labor surveys.
Department of Labor
The department is tasked with administering the pilot program and fund, determining eligibility, conducting annual employer surveys, and reporting program findings to legislative committees.
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
Who is eligible for paid parental leave under this bill?
How much compensation do employees receive while on leave?
What happens to health insurance and job position during the leave?
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- Feb 3, 2026HouseCommitteeTo House Finance
- Feb 3, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced in House
- Feb 3, 2026HouseCommitteeTo Finance
- Feb 3, 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.
Program Funding Window Mismatch
The benefit eligibility period runs for births and adoptions through July 1, 2028, but the special fund balance reverts to the General Revenue Fund earlier, on December 31, 2028, prior to the final program sunset on December 31, 2029.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy35Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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