CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The Senate met Saturday morning, passing a bill that would create the Office of Entrepreneurship within the Secretary of State’s Office.
Senate Bill 878 would help guide entrepreneurs through the earliest stages of starting a business. The legislation was proposed to the State Senate and House Finance Committees by WV Secretary of State Kris Warner late last month.
The office would serve as a direct liaison for emerging entrepreneurs and small business owners across West Virginia. The office would focus on helping entrepreneurs navigate business formation without duplicating the responsibilities or services of other state agencies, such as the WV Department of Economic Development and the WV Small Business Development Center (SBDC).
Housed within the Secretary of State’s Office, the Office of Entrepreneurship would be designed to make the business formation experience easier, faster, and more approachable for first-time business owners. The office would serve as a centralized gateway, directing entrepreneurs to the appropriate programs. Whether they need help navigating past red tape, business coaching, workforce assistance, financing guidance, or site development opportunities, the office would have the expertise and connections to provide help and refer entrepreneurs to the right agencies.
Also on Saturday, the body passed House Bill 4575, which would provide $8 million to the Hancock County Board of Education to prevent missed payrolls at the end of the current fiscal year following the state’s intervention in the county’s troubled school system. The Senate Finance committee made technical changes to the bill, which will now head back to the House of Delegates for final approval.
The companion bill to this legislation, House Bill 4574, provides the conditions by which Hancock County, and any future distressed board of education, would pay the state back. This legislation has passed the House of Delegates and is currently in the Senate Education Committee. The legislation is also referenced to Senate Finance.
According to HB474, the county board would have to repay the loan amount with interest capped at 3 percent by Dec. 31 of the calendar year following the appropriation. Repaid funds would be returned to the state general revenue fund. Counties receiving the funds would required to follow all West Virginia Education Information System reporting requirements, implement the West Virginia Checkbook transparency portal maintained by the State Auditor’s Office and present their financials to the Department of Education upon request.
The bill also requires that any employee responsible for financial decisions in a school district receiving such a loan be prohibited from employment in a financial capacity in all county school systems for two years, with those employees being immediately removed from their positions. It also states that county board members could be removed from office for official misconduct, neglect of duty, or incompetence, citing already existing State Code for the removal of elected officials.
The Senate is adjourned until Monday, Feb. 23, at 11 a.m.
