CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Past the deadline for Delegates to introduce bills and just days out from the Senate’s cutoff, education policy remains a top priority for W.Va. lawmakers in 2025.
House Bill 2755, requiring the State Board of Education to “submit all legislative rules for authorization by the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability and submission to the Legislature for its review and approval, amendment, or rejection,” passed the House Thursday 84-12. It’s an idea the state’s voters rejected back in 2022.
“This question was on the ballot, but there was political things happening with our previous Governor that affected the passage of this bill,” said Del. Mike Hornby (R-Berkeley,) the bill’s lead sponsor. “Some people could think it would be unconstitutional, I don’t…The point of this bill is to make our Education System better.”
“We expect [the bill] will go up to the Supreme Court of the state eventually. But as I stated, it seems to be consistent with the constitution,” said Del. Joe Ellington (R-Mercer,) Chair of the House Education Committee. “We are supposed to, by law, set the rules. The oversight is by the board, but they are to report back to the legislature. So it just gives us the opportunity to look at the rules, decide if we want to adopt those, or amend them or reject them.”
Republican Delegates plan to continue advancing their education agenda Friday, with a scheduled vote on House Bill 2003. If made law, the bill would create a “prohibition of personal electronic devices during instructional time” in W.Va. schools.
“I do believe that there are a lot of distractions in the classroom. Not only the cell phones, but behavior,” said Del. Ellington. “It’s not to be totally restrictive, but we don’t want kids texting.”
Copyright 2025 WVVA. All rights reserved.