The House Education Committee met Tuesday afternoon and advanced legislation establishing the West Virginia Collaboratory while also holding hearings on additional education-related bills.

House Bill 4002 would establish the West Virginia Collaboratory, which is a state initiative designed to coordinate research, workforce development, and education programs across agencies and institutions.

The bill was reported to the House with a recommendation that it do pass.

The Committee then held hearings on two bills, HB4014 and HB4422.

House Bill 4014 would establish the Workforce Readiness and Opportunity Act.

The bill would create a micro-credentialing system, allowing individuals to earn credentials that reflect specific skills and areas of knowledge they have acquired.

House Bill 4422 would permit students in grades eight and nine to use summer school to improve academic performance and meet eligibility requirements for fall athletic participation.

The bill was advanced for markup and further discussion.

The Subcommittee on Government Administration met this afternoon.

Committee Hearing

House Bill 4088 updates code governing the education, examination, and experience requirements for certified public accountants. It enhances the ability for certification. Delegate Criss (R-Wood), the lead sponsor, said the bill is needed to address the declining number of CPAs in the state. The bill allows the path to CPA to begin sooner with a bachelor’s degree. The bill provides three paths to CPA: a bachelor’s degree in accounting, a bachelor’s degree with 30 credit hours completed in accounting, or a master’s degree in accounting. All paths require passing the CPA exam. If the applicant has a master’s or bachelor’s degree in accounting, they only need 1 year of experience when applying for licensure, but within 30 completed hours, they must have 2 years of experience.

Virginia Slack, the president of the WV Board of Accountancy, said this is a nationwide initiative, and 20 states have already passed it. She said this bill opens a pathway for students to enter the career sooner, while still maintaining examination standards.

House Bill 4148 requires real estate salesperson applicants to submit proof of United States Citizenship to apply for licensure. Delegate Patrick Lucas (R-Cabell), the bill’s sponsor, said this came at the request of the Real Estate Commission. The delegate said he isn’t opposed to rewording the language to include anyone legally authorized to work in the United States. The intent of the bill is to ensure that the individual applying is legally in the United States and authorized to work, not just citizens.

The Subcommittee on Agriculture, Commerce, and Tourism met this afternoon.

Committee Hearing

House Bill 4141 exempts an honorably veteran of any branch of the armed services of the United States from the payment of vehicle registration fees, with the exception of a special initial application fee of $10. The bill allows the spouse to continue using the veteran’s plate until the surviving spouse dies, remarries, or fails to renew the plate.

House Bill 4176 allows youth and those who carry a Class Q special hunting permit to take one antlered deer during the special youth deer season.

The DNR cannot do this itself, as the law ties youth and Class Q licenses to Class XS licenses.

Kent Leonhardt provided a presentation on the Department of Agriculture.

In 2017, 148 tractor and supplies businesses were registered with Agriculture; now there are 238. Farmers’ markets have tripled. Agricultural output in West Virginia increased by 27 percent from 2017 to 2022. West Virginia has seen growth in Agriculture.

Leonhardt said we’ve changed the way we do agriculture in WV. Poultry is the state’s number one agricultural industry. An egg-cracking facility is being built in Pendleton County to sell liquid eggs to schools.

The apple industry is doing well, and maple syrup production is up in the state.

The House Judiciary Committee met Tuesday morning to review three bills addressing human smuggling, drug testing, and juvenile jurisdiction, and heard a presentation on the Office of the Inspector General.

House Bill 4433 updates current law by increasing penalties for knowingly transporting undocumented individuals.

The bill would require a minimum of five years in prison before parole eligibility for those convicted.

The bill also adds a legal definition of “illegal alien” under state human trafficking law and makes undocumented individuals ineligible for restitution.

Del. Evan Hansen (D) – Monongalia, 079) minority chair of the Energy and Public Works Committee, expressed concerns that the bill could increase the presence of ICE agents in West Virginia, noting that the state already has approximately 300 ICE detainees, which only adds to the overcrowding in West Virginia jails. He stated that three-quarters of the individuals that ICE is detaining have no criminal records and are not in the country illegally.

“My concern is that this will subject people of faith to criminal penalties and time in jail”, Del. Hansen said. “For a lot of people, religion is not just about going to church or praying; it’s about taking care of the poor, needy, and immigrants; this bill criminalizes compassion.”

Supporters say the legislation is intended to address gaps in existing law.

“Our compassion has been exploited for too long, and the perpetual amnesty cries and the facilitating of the invasion of this country have gone on for far too long. I strongly support this bill”, Del. Joe Funkhouser (R – Jefferson, 098) said.

The bill was reported to the House with the recommendation that it do pass.

Next, the Inspector General for the West Virginia Department of Health Facilities, Ann Urling, presented a report to the Committee about the role of Inspectors General.

Urling states that their mission is to promote efficiency, transparency, and accountability in the integrity of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Following, the Committee discussed House Bill 4169, which expands who is authorized to complete and verify a mental health examination.

The bill removes language limiting examinations for licensed psychologists or psychiatrists and instead allows a verified certificate of mental health examination to be completed by a:

* Physician

* Psychologist

* Licensed professional counselor (LPC)

* Licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW)

* Advanced nurse practitioner with psychiatric certification, practicing in compliance with state code

* Psychiatric assistant, practicing in compliance with state code

The bill was advanced and marked up for further discussion.

Next, the Committee advanced House Bill 4364, which clarifies how juvenile cases are handled on military installations and allows the state to regain exclusive jurisdiction in certain cases currently under federal authority.

The bill was advanced and marked up for further discussion.

The Finance Committee met this morning for budget hearings and to consider House Bill 4007.

House Bill 4007 adds approved industrial development sites to the Industrial Access Road Fund. The bill also increases the amount of matched and unmatched funds. The bill advanced from committee.

The Secretary of State provides its budget presentation. The office stated that FTEs have decreased over the past 10 years, but services have increased, and quality has been maintained. The One Stop Business Center portal continues to have success with online filings and increased partnerships. Newer partnerships include providing services through the WV Grants Resource Center and Small Business Development Centers. Business One Stop has locations in Charleston, Martinsburg, and Clarksburg.

For FY27, the goals of the WV Secretary of State are to continue to build resources for small businesses and entrepreneur support. The Office plans to continue modernizing campaign finance and voter registration systems. The office is working to update the Administrative Law Database for rule filing and the Investigations Division case system. Additionally, the office plans to expand statewide the “Cyber Navigator” election security program in partnership with Marshall University’s Institute for Cyber Security.

In the budget as introduced, there is a 2% decrease in the Secretary of State’s budget allocation. The office is requesting supplemental funding for employee compensation increases and benefits. The FY27 budget request for the Secretary of State is $8,716,936.

The Department of Transportation also provided its FY27 budget presentation to the House Finance Committee. The estimated revenue for the WV DOT is just around $1 million from registrations, sales (privilege tax), and motor fuel taxes. The federal reimbursement to the state is estimated at $929,175,000 in 2027, while the federal expenses are expected to be $975,000,000.

The Division of Motor Vehicles is requesting $77,531,606 from the State Road Fund for 2027. The Division of Highways is requesting $2,039,710,962 from the State Road Fund for 2027. The primary uses for the State Road Fund are debt services and obligated fixed costs, federal matching, maintenance and preservation, resurfacing and bridge programs, and equipment purchases and maintenance. The Division of Multimodal Transportation Facilities is requesting $7,838,972 from the General Revenue Fund; $400,000 will be used for railroad maintenance.

The DOT has experienced cost increases due to inflation for steel, stone and aggregate, fuel, equipment, contractors and construction, buildings and grounds, and PEIA costs.

The House Committee on Education met this afternoon to discuss three bills.

HB4081 – Higher Education Health Aid Grant

House Bill 4081 would create the Higher Education Health and Aid Grant, requiring the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission to establish a grant program to address food, health, and hygiene insecurities among students enrolled in state institutions of higher education. The bill is intended to support students’ basic needs to improve well-being and academic success.

The bill was sent to the floor with a recommendation that it do pass, but first referred to the House Committee on Finance.

HB4087 – West Virginia-Ireland Education Alliances

House Bill 4087 would create a West Virginia-Ireland Education Alliance by expanding the membership of the West Virginia-Ireland Trade Commission to include an interest in education.

The bill was sent to the House with the recommendation that it be passed, first being referred to the House Committee on Finance.

HB4002 – West Virginia Collaboratory

House Bill 4002 would establish the West Virginia Collaboratory, outlining its powers and duties, directing funding, and creating an advisory group to guide its operations.

The bill was advanced on mark-up and discussion phase for further consideration.