CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Members of the West Virginia House of Delegates continue to move bills through the legislative process as the 60-day regular session nears its halfway point. A total of 42 House bills had passed the full House as of Feb. 6, and they now are with the West Virginia Senate for deliberation.
Among them is House Bill 4004, which passed the House Feb. 4 by a vote of 86-7. It would create the Recharge West Virginia Program to support companies in the state that give their employees an expansion in skills along with at least a 25% boost in pay.
Delegate Clay Riley, R-Harrison, presented the bill and answered questions about it before the vote. He told his fellow Delegates it was important to ask questions and be deliberative when casting votes about how to invest the state’s tax dollars.
“I can’t think of a better place to invest than the state’s people … and building a stronger economy for our state,” Riley said. “It creates a smart incentive for companies to grow here and hire here — West Virginians.
“It creates real opportunities for West Virginians to earn industry-recognized credentials and move into higher-paying jobs; it’s what we always talk about. Let’s raise people up — help them up. It closes the skills gap. It keeps talent in West Virginia, which is our biggest export right now, and it prioritizes regions with economic distress — those southern coalfields who said we need something. This is something.”
Delegate Kayla Young, D-Kanawha, who voted for the bill after asking several questions, said she thought it was “a great idea.”
“I think anything we can do to help with upskilling our employees is fantastic,” Young said just ahead of the vote. “I really think this is going to help with manufacturing.”
House Bill 4456 unanimously passed the House Feb. 4. It would allow law enforcement agencies in West Virginia to enter into written agreements with law enforcement agencies in border states to better help with investigations.
The measure, sponsored by Delegate Scot Heckert, R-Wood, passed unanimously Feb. 4. It came about after the sheriffs in Wood and Pleasants counties met with their counterparts in the Buckeye State and discussed ways to better aid and cooperate with one another.
“Especially with the nature of our state and so many borders we share, I thought this would be a simple but important way to better help our law enforcement officers easily cut through red tape and get to the jobs they’re trained to do,” Heckert said.
The last day to introduce bills is Feb. 17, and 1,316 bills have been introduced in the House. The 60-day, regular legislative session ends at midnight March 14.
