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Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia Bill HB 5655 Counts Class II Water System Experience Double for Higher Operator Certifications
Last action · February 17, 2026: To House Government OrganizationSponsor: Jonathan Kyle
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What This Bill Proposed
House Bill 5655 allows water and wastewater system operators to count their first 2,000 hours of experience in a as equivalent to 4,000 hours in a Class I system when applying for Class II, III, or IV s.
Changes the work-hour credit calculations required for water and wastewater operators seeking advanced professional certification levels.
- West Virginia public water and wastewater systems are regulated under state public health codes administered via the Bureau for Public Health and the secretary's legislative rules. 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.
Water and wastewater system operators
Operators can credit their initial experience hours in Class II systems at a doubled rate toward higher certification tiers.
Public water systems
Systems are subject to regulatory oversight, evaluation response timelines, and civil penalties for rule violations.
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
How does experience in a Class II water system count toward advanced operator certifications?
What happens to the civil penalties collected from public water system violations?
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 17, 2026HouseCommitteeTo House Government Organization
- Feb 17, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced in House
- Feb 17, 2026HouseCommitteeTo Government Organization
- Feb 17, 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.
Modified Operator Experience Equivalence
The bill introduces a 2-to-1 hour weighting incentive for operators gaining early experience in Class II water systems toward higher certifications.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 45)
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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