The Senate Body convened Thursday morning and unanimously concurred with House amendments to Senate Bill 1, Increasing access to career education and workforce training.
The Proposed legislation would to establish an Advanced Career Education (ACE) program and create the West Virginia Invests Grant Program.
The ACE would prepare students in secondary schools for community and technical college for an associate’s degree or work certification. The program would require pathways that consist of a curriculum of courses leading to an associate degree or certification that has been determined to satisfy an area of workforce need as determined the Department of Commerce.
The West Virginia Invests Grants would provide tuition assistance to qualifying students who pursue higher education at a community or technical college. The bill also provides a provision for the Grant that people who graduate with assistance from the Grant must reside in the state for a minimum of two years. If they chose to leave the state, they will then be required to pay back the grant.
The House Amendment to the bill was for technical cleanup and stylistic changes.
Senate Bill 285, relating to sale of homemade food items, also completed legislation. The proposed legislation would create a procedure for the selling of unhazardous homemade food items, and would allow third-party distribution of those items.
The House Amendment to the bill was for technical changes.
The following bills also completed legislation:
- Senate Bill 546: Relating to health care provider taxes
- Senate Bill 617: Relating to method of payment to Municipal Pensions Security Fund
- Senate Bill 653: Relating generally to practice of medical corporations
- House Bill 2009: Creating a new category of Innovation in Education grant program
All six bills will be vent to Governor Justice to be signed into law or vetoed.
The Senate also passed 16 bills on third reading which include the following:
- Senate Bill 677: Supplemental appropriation to Division of Health and Division of Human Services
- Senate Bill 678: Supplemental appropriation from State Excess Lottery Revenue Fund to Office of Technology
- Senate Bill 679: Supplemental appropriation to Division of Finance
- Senate Bill 680: Supplemental appropriations to various divisions in DMAPS
- Senate Bill 681: Supplemental appropriation from Lottery Net Profits to Educational Broadcasting Authority
- House Bill 2001: Relating to exempting social security benefits from personal income tax
- House Bill 2363: Relating to the Upper Kanawha Valley Resiliency and Revitalization Program
- House Bill 2452: Creating the West Virginia Cybersecurity Office
- House Bill 2480: Relating to the regulation of an internationally active insurance group
- House Bill 2579: Relating to the collection of tax and the priority of distribution of an estate or property in receivership
- House Bill 2667: Supplemental appropriation to the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, Division of Corrections
- House Bill 2703: Relating to refunds of excise taxes collected from dealers of petroleum products
- House Bill 2853: Establishing the West Virginia Program for Open Education Resources
- House Bill 2954: Defining certain terms used in insurance
- House Bill 2992: Relating to governmental websites
- House Bill 3135: Expiring funds to the balance of the Department of Commerce, Development Office
30 bills were advanced to third reading including House Bill 2010, relating to foster care, with amendments passing as well.
The proposed legislation updates the regulation of foster care in West Virginia. The bill does nine things which include:
- Mandates the transition of the foster care population into managed care.
- It requires that the Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) transition the foster care system into a managed care system by Jan. 1, 2020.
- Creates a foster care child and parent investigator.
- Implements performance-based contracting.
- Studies kinship care.
- Requires DHHR to update their legislative rule to ensure normalcy for the foster child.
- The bill would extend the time a foster family is certified from one to three years.
- Clarifies the amount that DHHR will pay for court ordered services
- Changes policies of child residential providers with the goal of keeping children in West Virginia.
- Clarifies the type of assessment performed on a foster child.
- States that the use of Medication Assisted Treatment may not be the sole reason parental rights may be terminated.
The Senate Committee on Finance amended the bill for technical cleanup and reorganization.
The Senate is currently in recess until 4:30 p.m.
The following committees will meet today:
Rules immediately following floor session in the President’s Chamber
Health 10 minutes following the conclusion of Rules in 451M
Education 10 minutes following the conclusion of Health in 451M
UPDATE:
The Senate is adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m.
The following committee will meet tonight:
Judiciary at 5:40 p.m. in 208W
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