The League of Women Voters of West Virginia has published its annual Legislative scorecard on 20 bills that became law in the recently completed Legislative session.
The Legislative scorecard is designed to inform voters and to hold legislators, regardless of party, accountable for their votes on league priorities, according to a press release. Those priorities include strengthening democracy, safeguarding equal rights, protecting children and families and creating a sustainable future.
“This is our fourth year publishing a Legislative Scorecard, and we continue to refine it based on feedback from voters,” said Judy Ball, co-president of the league. “It is important for us, especially, to release the scorecard before early voting begins on April 29.”
When the Legislature adjourns each regular session, production of the scorecard represents a significant undertaking — reviewing all 294 bills that became law from the 2,777 bills introduced during the regular session.
Whether the league supported or opposed each bill is clearly noted. Bills included in the scorecard are selected without regard to their sponsors or votes for or against. For more information, every bill is linked to its legislative history on the West Virginia Legislature website.
“In keeping with precedent set in 2025, the state budget bill, Senate Bill 250, was selected for inclusion in our scorecard this year,” Ball said. “The league opposed this bill not for what it included, but for what it failed to include for protecting children and families in our state.”
Another bill, Senate Bill 392, which will reduce the personal income tax by 5%, is also included in this scorecard because it is tied to the budget and the state’s dwindling revenue sources. West Virginia already has in place a law to cut personal income taxes when objective criteria are met. Despite those criteria not being met, SB 392 creates an additional 5% income tax cut.
According to the release, this means West Virginia is prioritizing unsustainable tax reduction, and taking revenue away from other priorities, such as road maintenance, public education, and the care of struggling children and families. Evidence shows that the bulk of tax relief under this bill will go to wealthy West Virginians while the majority of West Virginians will see very little benefit, the statement said.
Both the budget bill and income tax reduction are classified under ‘Protecting Children and Families’ because these budget priorities will likely have negative impacts on funding for programs that historically support children and families.
“Once again, our legislature failed to address many of the critical challenges facing West Virginia families,” Ball concluded. “Issues like adequate Medicaid funding, strengthening public education, expanding voting access, providing family leave, supporting evidence-based substance use disorder treatment, and protecting our environment — all those remain unresolved.”
The Legislative Scorecard for 2026 is available in a searchable format.
