Sen. Chapman resigns as health chair, says she can’t promise to support Senate president’s agenda

by Amelia Ferrell Knisely, West Virginia Watch
January 13, 2026

A day before West Virginia’s legislative session is set to start, a senator has vacated her leadership position, the latest in a series of issues in the upper chamber that point to a questionable future.

Sen. Laura Wakim Chapman, R-Ohio, resigned as chair of the Senate Health Committee on Tuesday in a letter to Senate President Randy Smith. 

“Given your demand that I promise my support to you, I am hereby immediately resigning as Heath Chair. I made a pledge when I ran for office that my vote belongs to the people of the Northern Pahnandle and not to another senator, lobbyist or special interest group,” Chapman wrote.

In response to Chapman’s resignation, Smith said, “I have received Senator Chapman’s letter of resignation. I thank her for her leadership and hard work she put in as chairman.

Speaking with West Virginia Watch, Chapman expanded on her letter, saying, “It is clear by having two major chairs from the Eastern Panhandle as leadership team, the Northern Panhandle will be forgotten. I believe the vast majority of legislation will be Eastern Panhandle-focused, which is not good for the entirety of the state and it’s not good for the people of the Northern Panhandle.”

Republican Sen. Tom Willis, who was recently named chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is from Berkeley County and his district includes the Eastern Panhandle. 

“I am not privy to Sen. Chapman’s discussions with the Senate President and not sure where this is coming from, but of course I advocate for my constituents in my district, the very same as I will forcefully advocate for all of West Virginia as the next U.S. Senator for West Virginia,” Willis said. He is running for the U.S. Senate to replace current Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito. 

Senate Finance Committee Chair Jason Barrett, R-Berkeley, also represents the Eastern Panhandle. 

Barrett said he is working to understand the needs of all parts of the state and that no area would be neglected.

“Just like every other member of the Legislature, I have an obligation to the constituents I represent. I always try to be the biggest advocate I can for their legislative priorities,” Barrett said “As the finance chairman, my role is to put forth good policy for all people of West Virginia. I don’t envision any pieces of legislation that would benefit the Eastern Panhandle and negatively impact or be detrimental to any other area of this state.”

Sen. Eric Tarr, R-Putnam, has criticized Senate leadership in recent days, saying they had not met ahead of session to discuss priorities, while House of Delegates leadership has already outlined a focus on economic development. 

“I’ll tell you that the Senate Republican majority has no consensus on an agenda at all,” Tarr told reportersFriday at the Legislative Lookahead event. “I expect a bit of a free-for-all, because that’s extremely odd and I’m frustrated by that.” 

Smith on Tuesday named Sen. Brian Helton, R-Fayette, as Chapman’s replacement on the Health Committee. 

He also named Jay Taylor, R-Taylor, president pro tempore; Ben Queen, R-Harrison, Senate majority whip; and Anne B. Charnock, R-Kanawha, chair of the Committee on Confirmation. 

Lawmakers will gavel in Wednesday at noon for the regular 60-day session.

Smith named Chapman chair of the Health Committee after he took charge of the Senate ahead of the 2025 legislative session.

Last year, Chapman advocated for West Virginia to allow religious vaccine exemptions to its strict immunization rules. After the bill dramatically failed in the House of Delegates, she attempted to amend the wording into a different piece of legislation dealing with Alpha-gal syndrome. The House refused to concur on the changes to the bill, killing the legislation. Gov. Patrick Morrisey later said West Virginia could allow religious exemptions under a current religious freedom law, and the issue will come before the state Supreme Court next year.

She previously said she didn’t plan to sponsor the vaccine exemption bill again this year. 

Chapman was a staunch supporter of a bill banning artificial food dyes, which was signed into law last year. The measure, which is challenged in court, prohibits the sale of any food product with certain types of yellow, blue, green and red dyes.

She also worked on reforming the state’s troubled child welfare system and attempted to put stricter vetting requirements in place to prevent child abuse at in-state facilities for children. 

“I’ve focused on children and women’s issues as a mother of two young children,” she said. 

On Monday, Chapman filed to run for reelection this year for a four-year term.

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West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.