The Joint Commission on Economic Development met on July 24, 2022 and heard a presentation on the Small Business Development Center (SBDC).

The SBDC is a hybrid between state and federal governments. As such, it receives funding from both levels of government. The agency has 13 centers across the state and services all 55 counties. West Virginia has about 113,000 small businesses and 98 percent of WV businesses are considered small businesses by the Federal Government.

The agency received funding from the cares act, which has helped the agency better serve the state’s small businesses with cyber security and succession planning. To continue to do more and continue to put small businesses at the forefront of the state, more funding is needed.

The Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources heard presentations from the Bureau of Behavioral Health, the Office of Drug Control, and the Office of Inspector General on June 14, 2022.

The BBH is the designated state authority for mental health and substance use disorder, as well as the lead agency for intellectual and developmental disabilities. There are 72 positions with eight vacancies. The agency’s budget is $227 million. Federal funding has increased by 1,200 percent in the last four years. BHH works with other agencies in DHHR; they have complementary roles.

The Office of Drug Control’s goal is to address substance use with early intervention, treatment, and recovery. The agency works with several other DHHR agencies to help with recovery. Successful treatment not only treats the substance use disorder but also the underlying mental health disorder that led to substance use.

The Office of Inspector General seeks to ensure the integrity of WV DHHR programs and operations. The OIG has several units that work within it. The Board of Review preserves the integrity of Department programs by providing due process to the appellant through impartial hearings and timely decisions. The Foster Care Ombudsman is an independent impartial and confidential resource that advocates for the rights of foster children and foster/kinship parents, investigates and resolves complaints, and makes recommendations for system reform. The Investigations and Fraud Management Unit conducts an investigation of internal matters at the direction of the inspector general as well as conducts investigations of suspected fraud and abuse within the programs the department administers. The Mental Health Ombudsmen assists all WV residents who are experiencing difficulties with behavioral health services. The Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certifications shape a healthy environment for clients, patients, and residents within health care facilities by promoting the quality services and high standards of care that exist when facilities follow state and federal regulations. The Olmstead Office assists all WV residents with disabilities by providing the opportunity to receive support and services in the most integrated setting in the community. Quality Control assures the integrity of the department programs through impartial evaluations of program determinations. The WV Clearance for Access: Registry & Employment Screening establishes efficient, effective, and economic procedures for conducting background checks on all prospective direct patient access employees of long-term care facilities and providers.

West Virginia retirees and their representatives urged lawmakers to consider a one-time supplement to provide financial relief for the state’s older population during a meeting of the Joint Standing Committee on Pensions and Retirement Tuesday morning.

AARP West Virginia State President Jane Marks told the committee that many retirees are struggling to pay for rising household and utility costs due to inflation, a situation made worse as they continue to recover from the health and financial impacts of the pandemic.

Marks and other speakers encouraged lawmakers to utilize the state’s estimated $400 million surplus (after nearly $800 million in already-approved surplus earmarks are subtracted) to provide a one-time supplement for certain state retirees living on fixed incomes.

Marks believes a cost of living adjustment for retirees would make more sense in the future given the state’s older population generally drives economic growth by spending a higher percentage of their income on the goods and services they need.

AARP reports the state’s 50-plus population accounted for 41 percent of West Virginia’s population, yet contributed 44 percent — or $37 billion — of the state’s total Gross Domestic Product, supporting 426,000 jobs and generating $22 billion in wages and salaries.

There are currently 250,000 AARP members in West Virginia.

Danny Gray, a retired teacher representing the West Virginia Association of Retired School Employees, told lawmakers prices are going up on everything, and he, and others like him, need help keeping up with necessities.

Gray explained that when he retired 20 years ago he didn’t take any medication. He now takes six prescriptions daily. He says his situation is not unique across West Virginia.

“In all of those years since I retired, I’ve never gotten a cost-of-living adjustment or any kind of increase, so the household budget becomes more strained with each passing year,”  Gray said.

Lawmakers heard about efforts to improve the state’s rail-trail networks during the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Subcommittee Sunday evening at the Capitol.

Rail-trails refer to public, shared use paths built on a railway’s path, usually after the railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed.

Assistant Commissioner of Highways Rita Pauley gave lawmakers an overview of the network, informing them that there are close to 70 rail-trails across the state. She also discussed possible expansion of the system, noting that it all depends on trails that would be safe to develop along with the railroad company’s willingness to allow the state to use their property.

Senate Bill 588, introduced in January’s Regular Session, was discussed. The legislation dealt with rail line liability and also proposed updating the West Virginia Rail Trails Program with a “rail with trail” system that would develop public trails next to active rail lines.

Representatives from railroad companies CSX and Norfolk Southern were opposed to the bill,telling the subcommittee that public access so close to active trains was inviting possible injury or death.

Despite broad support in both the Senate and House, the bill failed to pass prior to the end of the 2022 session.

A general session was held to hear about WV School Safety. On May 26, the Department of Homeland Security began looking at best practices. West Virginia Schools are required to have a crisis response plan, which must be submitted annually. DHS presented that school safety is everyone’s responsibility and the agency is looking to expand safety. The agency is currently in discussions for a reporting app where students, teachers, parents, and members of the public could submit reports if they hear about a potential shooting or other threat. The hope is the app could be used to report security issues such as an open door or a gate into campus being opened.

The Department of Education has been working with the Department of Homeland Security to connect county boards for safety plans. It is important to be proactive and have a threat assessment plan in place. Other programs in schools are designed to help identify vulnerable students. The One Caring Adult Program connects students with one school employee to provide them with an outlet for discussion because not all students have home lives where they can talk to parents. This helps identify students who might need additional resources or services.

The School Building Authority presented safety precautions taken in the design of the building. In 2017, the School Safety Act was adopted. All new schools constructed with SBA funds must have certain safety features. Concrete barriers must be in front of the entrance to stop cars from crashing into the building. Door and window numbering on the outside is required. Administrative traps are in new buildings to prevent visitors from entering the school. A-Phone cameras must be installed for visitors to identify themselves and be buzzed into the school. Safety glass and security glazing on windows are required. Panic exiting doors are required, which are doors that you cannot enter, but can exit. Currently, 326 of the 674 schools in the state have panic exit schools.

Lawmakers listened to testimony regarding the obstacles to fostering children in West Virginia during a meeting of the Joint Committee on Children and Families Monday afternoon at the Capitol.

With more than 6,600 children in foster care, West Virginia has one of the highest rates of kids in the system in the country. Finding qualified and willing foster care parents continues to be a challenge in the state.

The goal of lawmakers in the meeting was to learn more about the obstacles and find ways the state can encourage and increase the number of foster families to help support a system in crisis.

Lawmakers raised concerns about paper vouchers foster parents receive from the state to buy necessities such as diapers, clothes and car seats.

Jeff Pack, social services commissioner for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, said those vouchers used to be accepted at Walmart, but now they are only accepted at JCPenney and Gabe’s. That leaves a lot of the state out of receiving those benefits.

Pack said DHHR is rolling out an app-based voucher system through Apple Pay and Google Pay with hopes of helping foster families purchase the items they need at a variety of retailers available to them.

Christy Beaver, foster parent and Foster Support Coordinator for the SafeHaven Campaign, said inconsistencies in policies and a lack of communication are two issues that have bothered her for years. Beaver has been a foster care parent in Fayette County for 16 years.

“When you have poor communication, it’s hard to take care of the child; it’s hard to know what’s going on,” Beaver said. “It’s hard to know the proper steps to take when it comes to moving the kids back to their biological parents.”

Beaver also spoke of the need for child care, especially for part-time workers. She also mentioned the need for better training, respite care and money to take care of the children.

Lawmakers ended the meeting by emphasizing that there are several issues they need to address regarding foster care policy, communication and logistics during the next legislative session.

The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development met on June 14, 2022 and heard a presentation on Meat Processing Facilities in the state.

West Virginia has 25 commercial processing plants with 17 of them being slaughter-only plants. Twenty-three custom-exempt plants provide slaughtering and processing services, but the meat isn’t available for sale. West Virginia is one of 27 states that have its only meat inspection licensing. Therefore, plants have the option of being inspected by the state or federal government. Some states only have the federal option. If meat is going to be sold across state lines, it must be federally inspected. Commercial plants are inspected daily, and every animal is inspected while it is alive and during the slaughter process to ensure it is safe for human consumption. Processing plants are also inspected for sanitation.

The federal government handles import and export as well as egg and catfish inspection. WV’s state licensure only includes red meat and poultry.

The limitations of the meat processing industry include the size of the plants. The plants are small and primarily for local or regional processing. The size of the plants doesn’t have the compacity to handle mechanic operations and because of this, the industry is labor-intensive. Staffing is another limitation, as it is difficult to find skilled employees. Advertising for the industry needs to be more frequent and target younger generations to teach them about meat processing.

WVU and 17 high schools have meat processing labs, which are inspected by the state. Several of the high school instructors have expressed their want to use the labs more often.

State Revenue Secretary Dave Hardy told the Joint Finance Committee on Monday that the state is projected to end the year on June 30 with an estimated $1.2 billion ahead of revenue estimates.

Hardy informed the committee that the state is already $73 million ahead of estimates for the month of June alone. West Virginia came into the month having collected $1.1 billion more in revenue than originally anticipated through the first 11 months of the fiscal year. Hardy noted that June is an impactful collection month with estimated taxes due on June 15.

The Legislature has already earmarked close to $800 million in surplus funding in the 2023 budget, which will leave roughly $400 million for other needs. The Legislature will need to allocate those remaining funds, a task that is likely to take place in a special session later this summer.

Speaking next, Deputy Revenue Secretary Muchow explained a substantial rise in severance taxes due to raising prices of coal and natural gas. Muchow informed the committee that May 2022 collections were at $754 million.

Answering how energy markets might be impacted by a coming recession, Muchow predicted energy to stay stronger than other sectors of the economy and only feel the effect later if there is less demand.