FISCAL NOTE
Date Requested: January 23, 2026
Time Requested: 03:32 PM |
| Agency: |
Health, WV Department of |
|---|
| CBD Number: |
Version: |
Bill Number: |
Resolution Number: |
| 3008 |
Introduced |
SB599 |
|
|---|
| CBD Subject: |
Health |
|---|
|
FUND(S):
'0425 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH - OMCH - WOMEN'S AND FAMILY HEALTH
Sources of Revenue:
General Fund
Legislation creates:
Fiscal Note Summary
Effect this measure will have on costs and revenues of state government.
The purpose of this bill is to prohibit the abortifacients and to enact criminal penalties and permit private causes of action for supplying abortifacients and also requiring informed consent.
The proposed legislation requires the Department of Health to develop, print, and distribute informational materials regarding pregnancy resources and fetal development, as well as establish and advertise a 24-hour hotline and a secure website. The Department will utilize West Virginia Correctional Industries (WVCI) for printing and existing staff for administrative oversight. The primary cost drivers are the contractual services for the 24-hour hotline, the statutory requirement for a statewide advertising campaign (billboards/media), and the specialized medical consulting required to vet disability information.
The Department estimates the fiscal impact of this legislation to be $203,500 in FY2027 and $136,500 ongoing.
Fiscal Note Detail
| Effect of Proposal |
Fiscal Year |
2026
Increase/Decrease
(use"-") |
2027
Increase/Decrease
(use"-") |
Fiscal Year
(Upon Full
Implementation) |
| 1. Estmated Total Cost |
0 |
203,500 |
136,500 |
| Personal Services |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Current Expenses |
0 |
203,500 |
136,500 |
| Repairs and Alterations |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Assets |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Other |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 2. Estimated Total Revenues |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Explanation of above estimates (including long-range effect):
Fiscal Year 2027 (Start-Up): Costs reflect the implementation of the "Unborn Child Protection Act" informational program mandated by this bill. Personal Services ($0): Administrative duties, including vendor management, will be provided by existing OMCFH program staff. Current Expenses ($203,500): 24-Hour Hotline Contract ($100,000): Estimated cost to contract with a third-party crisis line vendor to fulfill the statutory 24-hour staffing requirement. This is significantly more cost-effective than hiring the ~4.5 FTEs required to staff a state-run phone line 24/7. Printing ($10,000): Design and printing of approximately 25,000 multi-page, full-color booklets at an estimated $0.40 per unit through West Virginia Correctional Industries (WVCI).
Postage and Mailing Supplies: If 1,000 people request mailed packets annually: $750 in postage + $250 in supplies ($1,000). Website ($7,500): One-time development fee ($7,000) to build the secure, searchable website required by §16-2R-11, plus first-year hosting fees ($500). Medical/Disability Content Consulting: One-time fee to contract an organization to provide medical/disability content writing pursuant to the provisions of §16-2R-11 $10,000 advertising to promote the 24-hour hotline: Design a media campaign to include the advertising campaign, materials and ads to include at minimum social media, radio ads, and 9 billboards in populated areas contracted through the Manahan Group (Ex/Huntington, Charleston, Parkersburg, Wheeling, Morgantown, Beckley, Flatwoods, Morgantown and Martinsburg). $75,000
Future Fiscal Years (Ongoing): Current Expenses ($136,500): Recurring costs include the annual hotline contract ($100,000), annual website hosting ($500), and replenishment of printed materials based on annual birth data ($10,000). Ongoing media costs: $25,000 to promote the hotline. Postage and Mailing Supplies: If 1,000 people request mailed packets annually: $750 in postage + $250 in supplies = $1,000.
Memorandum
Existing Resources & Fiscal Efficiency: The Department notes that the "geographically indexed list" of pregnancy support agencies required by this legislation duplicates work currently performed by the West Virginia Mothers and Babies Support Program (WVMBSP). The WVMBSP, which received $3,000,000 in state funding for FY 2026, already manages a verified network of 49 Pregnancy Help Organizations covering all 55 counties. To minimize fiscal impact and avoid redundancy, the Department intends to utilize the WVMBSP’s existing directory to fulfill the resource listing requirements of this bill, rather than expending additional state funds to recreate a parallel database.
"Daily Monitoring" Requirement: Section 16-2R-11(g) requires the Secretary to "monitor the website on a daily basis to prevent and correct tampering." This statutory language implies a manual labor requirement (including weekends and holidays) that differs from standard automated IT security protocols. The Department assumes this requirement will be satisfied through automated security software included in the standard hosting costs, rather than physical staff monitoring. Search Functionality: The bill requires the website to yield specific results for terms like "non-medically viable fetus" regardless of how materials are labeled. This requires custom metadata tagging which has been factored into the one-time development cost.
Person submitting Fiscal Note: Arvin Singh, Secretary, EdD, MBA, MPH, MS, FACHE
Email Address: osafiscalnotes@wv.gov