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Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia Bill SB 145 Increases Panel Attorney Compensation and Mandates Guardian Ad Litem Reporting
Last action · January 14, 2026: To Health and Human ResourcesSponsors: Mike Oliverio and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
West Virginia Senate Bill 145 increases hourly compensation rates and maximum caps for court-appointed s representing indigent persons and serving as guardians ad litem, and mandates that Public Defender Services submit annual reports on services beginning December 1, 2026.
Changes payment rates, expense limits, and billing procedures for attorneys representing indigent defendants, juveniles, and children in abuse and neglect cases, while introducing new administrative reporting requirements for state agencies.
- Public Defender Services is a West Virginia state agency that oversees the provision of legal representation for indigent clients. context
- Panel attorneys are private lawyers appointed by courts to handle cases when public defenders have conflicts or when specialized representation is required. 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.
Panel attorneys
Panel attorneys are subject to new hourly compensation rates, billing caps, voucher submission deadlines, and reporting procedures.
Public Defender Services
Public Defender Services is required to process vouchers under new timelines, make final agency decisions on rejections or reductions, and produce an annual report beginning December 1, 2026.
Indigent persons
Indigent persons receiving appointed counsel in criminal, juvenile, and abuse and neglect cases are affected by the administrative framework governing their legal representation.
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 are the new hourly rates for panel attorneys under SB 145?
When does Public Defender Services have to start reporting on guardian ad litem services?
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 Senate committee.
Procedural history
4 actions- Jan 14, 2026SenateCommitteeTo Health and Human Resources
- Jan 14, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced in Senate
- Jan 14, 2026SenateCommitteeTo Health and Human Resources then Finance
- Jan 14, 2026SenateIntroducedFiled 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.
Mandatory Guardian Ad Litem Reporting
The bill introduces a new statutory requirement for Public Defender Services to submit comprehensive annual metrics on guardian ad litem services starting December 1, 2026.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 60)
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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