Associated Press Published

West Virginia Lawmakers Pass Military Retiree Exemption Bill

The Capitol building in Charleston, West Virginia.

The West Virginia Legislature has passed a bill to exempt military retirees from paying personal state income taxes.

The bill easily passed the House of Delegates and later the Senate on Tuesday, Oct. 17, during the Legislature’s special session. It would exempt from state income tax any federal retirement income from the regular armed services, reserves and National Guard.

Lawmakers also easily passed a bill to increase the credit allowed against personal and corporation net income taxes for spending on rehabilitating historic structures.

And both chambers approved a construction hiring bill after voters this month approved a $1.6 billion road bond package. It would strengthen penalties for violations of a law that requires 75 percent of the workforce on a state-contracted construction job be from the local labor market.