HB 4008 — Relating to Business Ready Sites Program

WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION ENGROSSEDENROLLED House Bill 4008 ByB DelegatesYD Maynor,ELEGATESM Shamblin,AYNOR, Moore,HAMBLIN, Crouse,MOORE, Clay,CROUSE, Foggin,CLAY, Burkhammer,OGGIN, Anderson,BURKHAMMER Eldridge,, Akers,NDERSON and, ParsonsLDRIDGE, [IntroducedAKERS,AND JanuaryPARSONS 14,[Passed March 12, 2026;

referredin toeffect the90 Committeedays onfrom Energypassage and(June Public10, Works]2026)] EngEnr for HB 4008 AAN BILLACT to amend and reenact §5B-2-19 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended;

The division will select sites to participate in the program, evaluate the Enr for HB 4008 selected sites, and certify each site based upon its readiness to be developed from the established Eng for HB 4008 criteria.

The division shall establish criteria and Enr for HB 4008 an application process for awarding the micro grants to improve an applicant’s site readiness.

Eng for HB 4008 Provided, That no single site may receive any amount greater than $75,000 through this micro grant program Applications for this micro grant program must include details which specifically identify what deficiency or deficiencies will be cured and through what means and all other information required by the division.

EngEnr for HB 4008 (3) Any balance, including accrued interest and any other returns, in the fund at the end of each fiscal year may not expire to the General Revenue Fund but shall remain in the fund and be expended for the purposes provided by this section.

"Industrial Development Agency" means any individual, incorporated organization, foundation, association, private incorporated entity, or agency to whose members or shareholders no profit inures, which has as its primary function the promotion, encouragement, and Eng for HB 4008 development of industrial, commercial, manufacturing, and tourist enterprises or projects in this state;

Enr for HB 4008 "Industrial Development Site" means a land development containing a minimum of 50 contiguous acres that is identified by the secretary as having potential for industrial development and that does not currently have adequate public utility services from one or more public utilities regulated by the Public Service Commission;

  (d) An industrial development agency may identify a potential industrial development site and apply to the secretary for approval of the site as an industrial development site, including recommendations as to any required criteria for utility service to the site.

Subject to commission review and approval, a plan may be amended and Eng for HB 4008 updated by the public utility as circumstances warrant.

Enr for HB 4008 (g) The application submitted to the Public Service Commission under subsection (e) of this section is in lieu of a proceeding, pursuant to §24-2-11 of this code, and shall contain the following:

(h) Upon filing of the application, the applicant shall publish, in the form the Public Service Commission directs, which form shall include, but not be limited to, the anticipated rates and, if any, rate increase under the proposal, by average percentage and dollar amount for customers within a class of service, as a Class I legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of §59-§59-3-1 3-1 et seq.

of this code, the publication area to be each county in which service is provided by the Eng for HB 4008 public utility, a notice of the filing of the application, and that the commission shall hold a hearing on the application within 90 days of the notice;

unless no substantial opposition to the rate change is received by the commission within one week of the proposed hearing date, in which Enr for HB 4008 case the hearing can be waived, and issue a final order within 150 days of the application filing date.

Eng for HB 4008 (3) Incremental operation and maintenance, depreciation, and property tax expenses directly attributable to the infrastructure program shall be estimated for the upcoming year.

(4) Following Public Service Commission approval of its infrastructure program, a public utility shall place into effect rates that include an increment that recovers the allowance for return, Enr for HB 4008 related income taxes at the statutory rate, operation and maintenance, depreciation, and property tax expenses associated with the public utility’s estimated infrastructure program investments for the upcoming year, net of contributions to recovery of those incremental costs provided by new customers served by the infrastructure program investments, if any.

(m) The provisions of this section are effective upon passage Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, sites covered by the provisions of this section are eligible for Eng for HB 4008 the disbursement of funds from the Certified Sites and Development Readiness Program, as delineated in §5B-2-19 of this code:

Enr for HB 4008 The Clerk of the House of Delegates and the Clerk of the Senate hereby certify that the foregoing bill is correctly enrolled.

...............................................................

Clerk of the House of Delegates ...............................................................

Clerk of the Senate Originated in the House of Delegates.

In effect 90 days from passage.

...............................................................

Speaker of the House of Delegates ...............................................................

President of the Senate __________ The within is ................................................

this the...........................................

Day of ..........................................................................................................., 2026.

.............................................................

Governor 9