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SB 1058WEST VIRGINIASession 2026State Billdead
Did Not Advance

West Virginia Bill Creates Economic Freedom Zones with 50% Tax Cuts and Regulatory Overhauls

Original title: Creating Economic Freedom Zones Act

Last action · February 21, 2026: To Economic DevelopmentSponsor: Chris Rose

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

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

What This Bill Proposed

Senate Bill 1058 establishes the Economic Freedom Zones Act, cutting corporate net income and personal business income tax rates by 50 percent for qualifying taxpayers operating within up to five designated distressed areas statewide. The measure also mandates a two-for-one repeal of state administrative rules for every new rule in a zone, institutes a 30-day permit review deadline with automatic approval defaults, and prohibits takings for economic development.

Why it matters

Qualifying businesses and sole proprietors operating inside designated distressed census tracts receive a 50 percent reduction in state income taxes, out-of-state occupational license recognition, and expedited state permit reviews within 30 days, while property owners gain protection against regulatory devaluations exceeding 25 percent and transfers.

Background
  • State-level economic freedom zones or enterprise zones are designated geographic areas where governments deploy tax incentives and regulatory relief to stimulate business investment in economically distressed regions. 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

Qualified taxpayers

Businesses and sole proprietors physically operating within a Zone receive a 50 percent reduction in applicable income taxes, expedited 30-day permit reviews, and out-of-state occupational license recognition.

Directly affected

State agencies

State administrative agencies must repeal two existing rules for every new rule applied in a zone, review permits within 30 days under threat of automatic approval, and compile annual transparency reports.

Directly affected

Property owners within a Zone

Property owners gain immunity from eminent domain takings for economic development and become eligible for just compensation if regulatory actions reduce property values by more than 25 percent.

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 qualifies an area to become an Economic Freedom Zone?
An area must be a census tract featuring an unemployment rate of at least 150 percent of the statewide average and a poverty rate of at least 20 percent, and its designation requires a specific act of the Legislature.
Do businesses in a zone need to meet job creation quotas to receive tax cuts?
No, the tax reductions apply uniformly to all qualified taxpayers and are explicitly not conditioned upon job creation quotas, industry types, or political approval.
What happens if a state agency fails to review a qualified taxpayer's permit within 30 days?
The permit receives automatic approval, except where prohibited by federal law.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

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

Procedural history

4 actions
  1. Feb 21, 2026SenateCommittee
    To Economic Development
  2. Feb 21, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Introduced in Senate
  3. Feb 21, 2026SenateCommittee
    To Economic Development then Finance
  4. Feb 21, 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

Chris RoseSenateRepublicanPrimary sponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

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

policy shift95% confidence

Prohibition of Targeted Subsidies

The legislation explicitly outlaws traditional economic development tools like grants, loans, and tax increment financing in favor of broad-based tax reductions and regulatory simplification.

West Virginia Department of Economic Development

Connected Entities

West Virginia Department of Economic Development, State Tax Commissioner
OrganizationWest Virginia Department of Economic Development“The state department responsible for publishing annual reports and defining admi”Map →
PersonState Tax Commissioner“Required to annually certify the aggregate fiscal impact of the article.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.wvlegislature.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance20
    Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
  • Controversy65
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz40
    Current news / social attention level

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