Democratic members of the West Virginia House of Delegates will announce their priorities for the upcoming legislative session on Monday, January 12, 2026. (Photo by Lori Kersey/West Virginia Watch)
The West Virginia House Minority Party hopes to prioritize affordability and lowering the cost of living during the 2026 legislative session that begins this week.
House Democrats held a news conference Monday to announce their “kitchen table” agenda for this year. The plan comes after a series of events were held across the state to learn about the issues facing citizens.
“One of the biggest things was the cost of living,” said Minority Leader Sean Hornbucker, D-Cabell. “It was about the cost of living, and it was about not everyone being able to afford the electric bill.”
Democrats’ four areas of focus are utility bills, health care, child care and housing, they said during the press conference.
Only nine of the 100 members of the House of Representatives are Democrats.
Last month, Republicans in the House of Representatives announced their agenda for the year would focus on that economic development and job creation. To address workforce development, Republican lawmakers said they would support another pay enhance for the state’s teachers and school support staff.
Hornbuckle said delegates hope to work with Republicans on bills that would address affordability.
“We never worried about loans,” Hornbuckle said. “So much so that a lot of my colleagues up here have been in office for 10, 8, 6 or more years. We’ve been talking about these things for the last decade. And I would tell you, when you talk about bipartisanship, we’re super excited that the other side is listening to us now. And hopefully we’ll do these things together.”
Hornbuckle said the party hopes to “aggressively attack” the cost of utility bills and introduce “multiple bills” to address the issue.
Specifically, Democrats say they will support legislation, including bills to:
- Freeze electricity rates until mid-2027 to give lawmakers time to implement good electricity bill policies
- Reform the West Virginia Public Service Commission, whose role is to approve or reject increases in utility rates.
- Pursue an “all of the above” energy strategy so that the state is not dependent on one fuel to generate electricity
- Regulate “junk charges” on utility bills
- Introduce tax credits to cover interest for first-time home buyers
The 60-day legislative session begins Wednesday.
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