House Health and Human Resources engaged in discussions about House Bill 4196, House Bill 4335, and House Bill 4336; HB 4196, HB 4335, and HB 4336 will be moved to markup and passage.

House Bill 4196 plans to require licensed programs to offer long-acting contraceptives, such as an injectable or an implant, to patients recovering from methadone and suboxone. This would include new and current patients in accordance with the Medication-Assisted Treatment Program Licensing Act.

House Bill 4335 is planned to create a quick, standard practice for Medicaid providers and require the electronic submission of credentialing applications. The bill aims for the Department of Human Services to implement an electronic system that is consistent statewide for credentialing of Medicaid providers. Under this bill, the Department of Human Services will be expected to complete enrollment determinations within five business days of a completed application. The credentialing form is expected to be simple, straightforward, and easily accessible.

House Bill 4336 will update the drug testing standards for medication-assisted treatment programs. In addition to West Virginia code, 16B-13-5, the bill plans for drug testing under the medication assisted-treatment program to include one test each month for the first three months; then one test each quarter for the next nine months; and then four tests per year. Under the new addition, the program may drug test a patient when there is a reasonable basis to believe that a patient may be engaging in substance use or diversion that goes against the treatment plan.

The proposed bill includes removing the following language, as stated in §16B-13-5 of the West Virginia Code.

– The medication-assisted treatment program shall be eligible for, and not prohibited from, enrollment with West Virginia Medicaid and other private insurance. Prior to directly billing a patient for any medication-assisted treatment, a medication-assisted treatment program must receive either a rejection of prior authorization, rejection of a submitted claim, or a written denial from a patient’s insurer or West Virginia Medicaid denying coverage for such treatment: Provided, That the director, in consultation with the Inspector General, may grant a variance from this requirement pursuant to §16B-13-6 of this code. The program shall also document whether a patient has no insurance. At the option of the medication-assisted treatment program, treatment may commence prior to billing.
– (h) All employees of an opioid treatment program shall furnish fingerprints for a state and federal criminal records check by the Criminal Identification Bureau of the West Virginia State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The fingerprints shall be accompanied by a signed authorization for the release of information and retention of the fingerprints by the Criminal Identification Bureau and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The opioid treatment program shall be subject to the provisions of §16B-15-1 et seq. of this code and subsequent rules promulgated thereunder.
– (s) The physician shall follow the recommended manufacturer’s tapering schedule for the medication-assisted treatment medication. If the schedule is not followed, the physician shall document in the patient’s medical record and the clinical reason why the schedule was not followed. The director may investigate a medication-assisted treatment program if a high percentage of its patients are not following the recommended tapering schedule.

With these removals in mind, delegates engaged in debate with Lee Weingart, a telehealth representative from QuickMD, and Stephen Loyd, director of the West Virginia Office of Drug Control Policy.

Weingart provided reasons for the changes that provisions cause harm over time; the requirement of fingerprinting and federal background checks is overly broad and could include people who do not physically interact with patients. Weingart said the heart of the bill is the reduction of excessive monthly testing. Lastly, he said many medication-assisted treatment programs don’t offer tapering schedules and shared concerns of patients not having the capacity for tapering, and an unnecessary burden on patients.

Main concerns from the delegates include the practice of patients paying cash for treatment using suboxone, reduction in the amount of drug testing for patients being treated for drug addictions, and the removal of background checks for employees in these clinics that treat people with addiction.

Following the debate with Weingart, Loyd provided his perspective as a physician on the bill and the current language included in it. Loyd said he agreed with the bill’s idea on drug screening, adding that there is no proven benefit for excessive drug screening. Loyd recommended patients receive once a week for the first four weeks and for the remainder of the year every 45 days, resulting in eight screenings a year. With consideration of disagreements between the delegates, Loyd expressed a desire to find a happy medium and believes some positives could come out of the bill with amendments.

The House Energy and Public Works Committee met this afternoon.

House Bill 4008 allows the West Virginia Business Ready Sites Program to provide micro-grants of up to $100,000 to sites that are at least five acres and up to $250,000 that are over 20 acres.

House Bill 4040 allows municipalities to facilitate improvements to nonstate roads by providing legal safeguards and ensuring public safety.

House Bill 4045 creates the Rossi Act, which requires entities providing goods, services, and utilities to allow changes to an electronic account to be made by telephone or mail.

The House Committee on Government Organization met this afternoon to hear about two bills.

House Bill 4005, the Workforce Development Act of 2026, amends the WV Code, Chapter 12, Article 6, regarding child labor. It provides provisions for when children aged 16 to 18 can be employed.

House Bill 4006, the West Virginia Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing Growth Act, establishes the Aerospace Development Program to be administered within the Department of Commerce. The bill provides tax incentives for the program. Additionally, the bill establishes the Job Development Investment Grant Program to be administered by the Division of Economic Development.

The House Judiciary Committee met this morning.

The committee heard from two agencies discussing the state of child welfare across the state of West Virginia.

The committee had no bills up for markup or passage this morning. The Judiciary Committee indicated that they will prioritize reviewing child welfare.

Cindy Largent-Hill, director of the Division of Children’s Services, provided a presentation comparing the state of child welfare over the past few years and its current status.

In 2024, 5,489 juvenile abuse petitions were filed. As of 2025, there has been a 9% decrease in filed petitions, resulting in 5,018 petitions.

On the county level, 18 counties had an increase in petitions from 2% to 113%, remaining counties petitions decreased anywhere from 1% to 95%.

Before 2025, the organization saw a 149 decrease in the number of beds for children who need long-term care. In Feb. 2020, there were 810 beds for children. In Feb. 2025, there was a decrease to 661 beds. After Aug. 1, 2025, there are currently no beds for children needing long-term psychiatric treatment.

Hill said children who need to receive long-term psychiatric treatment are currently being sent out of state to receive the necessary care.

Following Hill’s presentation, Alex J. Mayer, cabinet secretary for the Department of Human Services, reported on the department’s listening tour conducted across May and June 2025.

The Department of Human Services listening tour consisted of eight in-person sessions with the goal of receiving different opinions, ideas and perspectives about child welfare across the state. This tour had more than 350 participants.

The department also held 10 targeted virtual sessions to gather perspectives from any person who works within or is affected by the child welfare system.

Hill said one of the biggest findings from the listening tour is a high rate of inconsistency across the state with child welfare cases, in practice, and policy regarding the system.

The Department of Human Services for West Virginia currently does not have a practice model for child welfare cases. Hill said that without this practice model, creating consistency among cases is challenging.