A bill relating to the foster care system in West Virginia was highly debated on the House floor Wednesday.
The House took up House Bill 2010, which was on the amendment stage Wednesday. Three amendments were offered with two ultimately adopted.
An amendment offered by House Majority Leader Amy Summers, R-Taylor, and Delegate Kayla Kessinger, R-Fayette, consumed much of the debate. The amendment inserted new language in the bill to say: “A residential child care center which has entered into a contract with the department to provide services to a certain number of foster children, shall accept any foster child who meets the residential child care center’s program criteria, if the residential child care center has not met its maximum capacity as provided for in the contract.”
Some delegates expressed concern with the amendment and how it would affect residential care centers.
The House adopted this amendment along with another amendment proposed by Delegate Lisa Zukoff, D-Marshall. Her amendment inserted a section to the bill that would mandate that the managed care organization shall create a voluntary advisory group of foster parents to meet every six months to discuss issues they encounter with the managed care organization.
The House advanced these bills, which were on second reading Wednesday:
- Senate Bill 28 which relates to removing hotel occupancy tax limit collects for medical care and emergency services. There was one amendment adopted.
- Senate Bill 177 relates to the Fire Commission rule relating to State Building Code.
- House Bill 2324 concerns authorizing the acupuncture board to issue certificates to perform auricular acudetox therapy. There was one amendment made to the bill to correct language that was adopted.
- House Bill 2503 relates to court actions.
- House Bill 2521 relates to permitting fur-bearer parts
All bills for first reading were advanced to second reading.
The House of Delegates will reconvene tomorrow, January 31 at 11 a.m.
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