W.Va. Legislature: House of Delegates Ushers in Budget Compromise, Adjourns After Successful Session

CHARLESTON, West Virginia, April 13 -- The West Virginia Legislature issued the following news release:

The House of Delegates adjourned Saturday, April 10 at midnight having completed 281 bills, 78 of which have already been signed into law.

An additional measure of success for the House of Delegates was completing a budget without the need for an extended legislative session as has occurred for the past few years. The West Virginia Senate just before 6 p.m. accepted the budget compromise House members approved the previous night as an amendment to the amendment of House Bill 2022.

The 60-day regular legislative session took place amid heavy precautions for COVID while members worked to advance legislation that makes West Virginia the easy choice for businesses and families through promoting job creation and economic growth, working to improve education outcomes as well as improving the quality of life in West Virginia while increasing government transparency and integrity.

House Finance Committee Chairman Eric Householder, R-Berkeley, described the final $4,495,032,115 general revenue budget as a compromise agreement between the two houses. All Medicaid and social services programs are fully funded, and $7 million is included to fund a new veterans' nursing home in Beckley. Some state agencies and programs were trimmed 1.5 percent, but funding to higher education is maintained through general revenue surpluses. Senior Medicaid Waiver and Meals programs are fully funded, and the budget includes a net increase of $2,629,426 to State Aid to Schools.

House leadership focused early during the session on quickly moving measures of great importance due to fears of widespread COVID infections. One early priority was increasing education options throughout the state to drive better outcomes. House Bill 2001, the Jumpstart Savings Program, was championed by Treasurer Riley Moore to allow individuals, families and employers to contribute tax-free dollars to invest in the costs of pursuing a trade or an occupation. The bill goes into effect June 9 and will allow the savings and investment earnings from the account to pay for tools, equipment or supplies needed for a trade or occupation, completing a certified apprenticeship program, Associate degree from a community and technical college or to open a new business.

House Bill 2012 goes into effect June 1 and expands West Virginia's charter school program. Under the new law, two virtual charter schools may be created statewide and will allow as many as 10 total in-person and virtual charters to launch every three years. House Bill 2013, creating the Hope Scholarship Program, goes into effect June 15. The program will give public school students interested in switching to private or home schooling a voucher equal to about $4,600 per year, depending on the annual School Aid Formula. Vouchers can be used for expenses such as tuition, tutoring, after-school programs or standardized exams.

The Coronavirus pandemic made the crucial need to expand West Virginia's broadband connectivity even more urgent, as physical isolation and distance made virtual and remote options essential. House Bill 2002 will support broadband expansion through several avenues, including detailed powers and responsibilities for the state Office of Broadband, an accurate broadband availability map, pressure for internet providers to submit to greater legislative oversight and speeds up the development of rights-of-way. The Legislature expects to devote federal dollars to carrying out broadband initiatives.

The need for House Bill 2014 became evident as all aspects of life with COVID continued much longer than anyone expected. This bill went into effect March 31 and strikes a more equal balance of power in state government as the Constitution demands by clarifying and ensuring legislative oversight of how federal dollars are spent. It will keep crucial funds during a crisis from being held back, earmarked or dispersed in government silos that do not answer to West Virginia taxpayers, which will help root out potential corruption. Another bill drafted because of COVID, House Bill 2011, will help keep more people working steadily by making temporary state employees hired by the West Virginia Division of Personnel exempt from civil service without the current hourly requirement.

Two professional licensing reform bills will make it easier for a licensed contractor to work anywhere in the state without first jumping through unnecessary and burdensome regulatory hoops of both the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board and the Division of Labor by allowing the Board to stand alone, just like all other State Boards. Safety and quality still would be preserved through Division of Labor inspections. The second bill will make it easier for people interested in a profession to get a license to do so and start working by changing some of the licensure requirements for elevator mechanics, crane operators, HVAC, electricians and plumbers. It also will allow veterans who meet certain conditions to take the HVAC licensing exam and would give electricians more time to renew a license without retesting and provides exemptions for licensure under certain conditions.

After many years of legislative attempts to create an Intermediate Court of Appeals, West Virginia will join more than 40 states to have an intermediate appellate court when Senate Bill 275 takes effect June 30. The court will consist of three judges expected to take over cases involving administrative appeals, workers' compensation and family court, allowing for more abuse and neglect cases to move through the Circuit Court.