The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia establishes 12-week paid family and medical leave program funded by shared payroll contributions
Last action · February 3, 2026: To House FinanceSponsor: Kayla Young
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What This Bill Proposed
Related to 12 weeks of paid leave
- Delegate Young introduced House Bill 5080 during the 2026 Regular Session of the West Virginia Legislature, referring the measure to the Committee on Finance. 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.
West Virginia employees
Employees gain eligibility for up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave, job protection, health insurance continuation, and wage replacement between $250 and $1,000 per week, while contributing half of the program's payroll financing.
West Virginia employers
Employers must pay half of the required payroll contributions, provide annual and hiring notices to employees, display informational posters, maintain employee health benefits during leave, and restore returning workers to equivalent positions.
Self-employed persons
Self-employed individuals are permitted to elect coverage under the program for an initial minimum three-year period by providing income information and written notice.
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
Are self-employed workers eligible for this paid leave program?
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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.
Establishment of State-Administered Paid Leave
The bill represents a major policy shift by introducing mandatory employer-employee shared contributions to fund state-guaranteed paid family and medical leave.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 85)
- Controversy70Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
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