CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Members of the West Virginia House of Delegates took action this week to add more money to the paychecks of public school teachers, school service personnel and the West Virginia State Police. All other state employees are expected to receive a pay raise through the budget bill, but with House Bill 4765, which unanimously passed the House Feb. 19, the three classes of state employees with salary schedules set in state code also would be in line for a 3 percent raise starting July 1.
House Finance Committee Vice Chairman Clay Riley, R-Harrison, told Delegates just before the vote the amount would average out to about $1,800 across the three groups — more than $1,500 for the teachers and nearly $900 for school service personnel. The bill goes now to the Senate for consideration.
The Foster Youth Post-Secondary Transition Awareness Act, House Bill 4573, and House Bill 4730, which would develop a continuum of independent living and transitional support services for youth aging out of foster care, both passed the House this week with overwhelming support. HB4573 would direct the West Virginia Department of Education to coordinate direct communication about opportunities for higher education, job training, housing, healthcare and support for independent living to students with current or previous foster care experiences. Similarly, HB4730 would require the Department of Human Services to implement a program with the full spectrum of transitional services for young people who soon will exit or recently have exited from foster care. It also would require reports to the Legislature about its activity.
The House took unanimous votes this week on House Bill 5101, the Joanna Phillips Domestic Violence Prevention Act, which would enhance criminal penalties relating to domestic violence, and House Bill 4712, Baylea’s Law, which would increase the criminal penalties for DUI causing death, as well as House Bill 4819, which would allow a person with a criminal record who had met specific circumstances of rehabilitation to be licensed within certain categories of professional practice.
“We pass a lot of bills in here that increase penalties and make it tougher for individuals to get out of the criminal justice system, and I love bills like this because if you make a mistake, particularly in your youth, that should not be a scarlet letter for the rest of your life,” said Delegate Hollis Lewis, D-Kanawha, just before the vote on House Bill 4819. “Bills like this are important to get people back in the workforce and let people just get on with their lives.”
The House also passed House Bill 4009, which would create the Portable Benefit Account Act, with overwhelming support this week. The measure would allow West Virginia’s many independent contractors, freelancers and self-employed workers to maintain their benefits such as retirement savings and health care coverage across multiple clients or from job to job.
“Portable Benefits can help our state’s nearly 90,000 independent workers gain stability while holding on to their flexibility,” said Delegate Jonathan Kyle, R-Randolph, and the lead sponsor of the bill. “This would also allow companies to contribute to a worker’s account, which can help them attract talent while still protecting them from any new red tape or classifications.”
Eleven bills have completed the legislative process. The 60-day, regular legislative session ends at midnight March 14.
