POLISCOPE
Back to bills
Part ofEducation →

The civic record

Read. Follow. Verify.
HB 5362WEST VIRGINIASession 2026State Billdead
Did Not Advance

West Virginia Bill HB 5362 places income caps on Hope Scholarships and limits tuition payments to in-state schools

Original title: Relating to Hope Scholarships awards

Last action · February 9, 2026: To House EducationSponsors: Sean Hornbuckle and 6 others

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

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

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

What This Bill Proposed

House Bill 5362 establishes a family income-based sliding scale for West Virginia Hope Scholarship awards, ranging from full awards for families making $75,000 or less to ineligibility for those making over $150,000. The measure restricts scholarship-funded school tuition to in-state schools, requires scholarship recipients to use public school test preparations when unavailable elsewhere, and mandates reimbursement to county public school boards for services provided to scholarship students.

Background
  • The West Virginia Hope Scholarship Program was originally established by the legislature to provide education savings accounts for elementary and secondary students. 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

Hope Scholarship families

Families applying for scholarships must submit tax information for income-based award adjustments and are restricted to in-state tuition options.

Directly affected

County boards of education

County school boards must charge tuition for services provided to scholarship students and receive mandatory fee reimbursements from scholarship accounts.

Directly affected

In-state participating schools

Private and alternative schools located within West Virginia remain eligible to receive Hope Scholarship tuition payments.

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 family income affect Hope Scholarship awards under the bill?
Awards are scaled based on family income: families making $75,000 or less get the full award, those making $75,000 to $100,000 get 75%, those making $100,000 to $125,000 get 50%, those making $125,000 to $150,000 get 25%, and families earning over $150,000 receive no award.
Can Hope Scholarship funds be used for out-of-state private schools?
No. The bill explicitly limits the use of Hope scholarships for school tuition to participating in-state schools.
Are scholarship students required to pay public schools for participating in individual classes or extracurricular activities?
Yes. County boards and charter school governing boards must charge tuition and fees to Hope Scholarship students who enroll for services or activities in the public school system, with funds deducted directly from the scholarship award.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Follow the record

Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

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

Procedural history

4 actions
  1. Feb 9, 2026HouseCommittee
    To House Education
  2. Feb 9, 2026HouseIntroduced
    Introduced in House
  3. Feb 9, 2026HouseCommittee
    To Education then Finance
  4. Feb 9, 2026HouseIntroduced
    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

Sean HornbuckleHouse · District 25DemocraticPrimary sponsor
Shawn FluhartyHouse · District 5DemocraticSponsor
John WilliamsHouse · District 80DemocraticSponsor
Anitra HamiltonHouse · District 81DemocraticSponsor
Mike PushkinHouse · District 54DemocraticSponsor
Show 2 more sponsors
Rick GarciaHouse · District 76DemocraticSponsor
Hollis LewisHouse · District 57DemocraticSponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

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

policy shift95% confidence

Introduction of Means-Testing to Universal Scholarship Program

The bill shifts the Hope Scholarship program from a universal eligibility model to a sliding-scale income-tested program ranging from full awards down to complete ineligibility at $150,000.

West Virginia Board of Education

Connected Entities

Mike Pushkin, Shawn Fluharty, Anitra Hamilton and 6 more
PersonMike Pushkin“Co-sponsor of House Bill 5362”Map →
PersonShawn Fluharty“Co-sponsor of House Bill 5362”Map →
PersonAnitra Hamilton“Co-sponsor of House Bill 5362”Map →
PersonRick Garcia“Co-sponsor of House Bill 5362”Map →
PersonHollis Lewis“Co-sponsor of House Bill 5362”Map →
PersonJohn Williams“Co-sponsor of House Bill 5362”Map →
OrganizationWest Virginia Board of Education“Responsible for promulgating rules, managing applications, and establishing fee ”Map →
PersonSean Hornbuckle“Lead sponsor of House Bill 5362”Map →
OrganizationWest Virginia Department of Education“Consulted by the board and verifies student eligibility and test results”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.wvlegislature.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance20
    Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 85)
  • Controversy75
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz60
    Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools

Share or embed this record

POLISCOPE publisher tools

Share or embed this record