West Virginia legislation · 2026 Regular Session
West Virginia HB5200: Creating Office of entrepreneurship
Status: Introduced, February 5, 2026
What the bill says
To amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding a new article, designated §5B-2P-1 and §5B-2P-2, relating to the creation of an Office of Entrepreneurship within the Office of the Secretary of State; to provide for a report to the legislature; to authorize an increase in full-time employees; to provide an appropriation; and to authorize rulemaking. ARTICLE 2P. OFFICE OF entrepreneurship. §5B-2P-1. Office of entrepreneurship - Duties - Report. (a) Definitions: "Business" means any company, cooperative, corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, or other legal entity o.
From the introduced text, February 5, 2026:
A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding a new article, designated §5B-2P-1 and §5B-2P-2, relating to the creation of an Office of Entrepreneurship within the Office of the Secretary of State; to provide for a report to the legislature; to authorize an increase in full-time employees; to provide an appropriation; and to authorize rulemaking. ARTICLE 2P. OFFICE OF entrepreneurship. §5B-2P-1. Office of entrepreneurship - Duties - Report. (a) Definitions: "Business" means any company, cooperative, corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, or other legal entity organized or operating for pecuniary or nonpecuniary benefit. "Entrepreneur" means an individual who initiates or leads the formation or growth of a business. "Entrepreneurial support organization" means an entity including public, private, and academic institutions, that is established in whole or in part to provide funding, mentorship, programming, resources, support, or training to entrepreneurs, startups, or scale-ups. "Scale-up" means a startup business that has changed scale to achieve more growth, innovation, and drive job creation, after demonstrating long-term viability of a proven business model evidenced by one or more of the following factors: substantially increased revenues, an established cash flow, a streamlined marketing and sales operation, or a growth rate of at least 20% over a three-year period. "Startup" means a business that has been organized for five years or less. …