The bill reorganizes the executive branch of West Virginia by reconstituting the Department of Economic Development as the Division of Economic Development within the Department of Commerce, effective July 1, 2025. It establishes an exempt service system for new hires and employees changing positions within the Division, exempting them from state grievance procedures. The Secretary of the Department of Commerce is granted the authority to designate certain employees' status within the civil service system to comply with federal laws or funding requirements. The bill also corrects titles and references throughout the code to reflect this reorganization and introduces the Economic Development Promotion and Closing Fund to incentivize business development.

Additionally, the bill creates several programs aimed at enhancing economic growth, including the Certified Sites and Development Readiness Program, which evaluates and certifies sites for economic development readiness, and the Small Business Supplier Certification Assistance Pilot Program to streamline government contracting for small businesses. It establishes the West Virginia Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Advisory Council to promote growth in that sector and the National Coal Heritage Area Commission to support tourism and preservation efforts. Furthermore, the Broadband Development Fund is created to support broadband initiatives, ensuring that proprietary business information related to broadband deployment remains confidential.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 5B-1-1, 5B-1-2, 5B-2-1, 5B-2-2, 5B-2-3, 5B-2-3b, 5B-2-4, 5B-2-4a, 5B-2-5, 5B-2-6, 5B-2-6a, 5B-2-9a, 5B-2-10, 5B-2-14, 5B-2-16, 5B-2-17, 5B-2-18, 5B-2-19, 5B-2-20, 5B-2I-2, 5B-2I-4, 5F-1-2, 5F-1-3a, 5F-1-6, 5F-2-1, 5F-3-2, 10-5-2, 15-1A-1, 15A-1-3, 15A-1-9, 29-1-1, 29-1-1a, 29-1-2, 29-1-3, 29-1-4, 29-1-6, 29-1-7, 29-1-8, 29-1-8c, 29-1-8d, 29-1-9, 29-1-10, 29-1-11, 29-1-12, 29-1-13, 29-1-14, 29-1-15, 31G-1A-1, 31G-1A-5, 31G-1A-6, 31G-1A-7
Committee Substitute: 5B-1-1, 5B-1-2, 5B-2-1, 5B-2-2, 5B-2-3, 5B-2-3b, 5B-2-4, 5B-2-4a, 5B-2-5, 5B-2-6, 5B-2-6a, 5B-2-9a, 5B-2-10, 5B-2-14, 5B-2-16, 5B-2-17, 5B-2-18, 5B-2-19, 5B-2-20, 5F-1-2, 5F-2-1, 29-1-8d, 31G-1A-1, 31G-1A-5, 31G-1A-6, 31G-1A-7, 5F-1-3a, 5F-1-6
Engrossed Committee Substitute: 5B-1-1, 5B-1-2, 5B-2-1, 5B-2-2, 5B-2-3, 5B-2-3b, 5B-2-4, 5B-2-4a, 5B-2-5, 5B-2-6, 5B-2-6a, 5B-2-9a, 5B-2-14, 5B-2-16, 5B-2-17, 5B-2-18, 5B-2-19, 5B-2-20, 5F-1-2, 5F-2-1, 20-1-14, 29-1-8d, 31G-1A-1, 31G-1A-5, 31G-1A-6, 31G-1A-7, 15A-14-1, 5F-1-3a, 5F-1-6
Enrolled Committee Substitute: 5B-1-1, 5B-1-2, 5B-2-1, 5B-2-2, 5B-2-3, 5B-2-3b, 5B-2-4, 5B-2-4a, 5B-2-5, 5B-2-6, 5B-2-6a, 5B-2-9a, 5B-2-10, 5B-2-14, 5B-2-16, 5B-2-17, 5B-2-18, 5B-2-19, 5B-2-20, 5F-1-2, 5F-2-1, 31G-1A-1, 31G-1A-5, 31G-1A-6, 31G-1A-7, 5F-1-3a, 5F-1-6