Tag: Legislature Today

Foster Care Reform Bill Offers More Than Pay Raises

A bill bringing major reforms to our foster care and social services system passed the West Virginia House of Delegates 99-1. Some key issues addressed in the bill will affect thousands of our most challenged children.

Sen. Richard Lindsay, D-Kanawha, is a member of the Senate Health Committee, where House Bill 4344 now resides. There is currently a statewide 25 percent vacancy rate among Child Protective Services workers. In some counties, vacancies are up to 70 percent. Lindsay said that means the state’s 7,000 or so protected children are underserved at best.

“It keeps those folks from being as maybe as attentive as they would be otherwise,” Lindsay said. “Instead of having four kids to worry about or four families to worry about, maybe they have upwards of 10 or 15.”

The bill sponsor, Del. Jonathan Pinson, R-Mason County says 4344 provides a 15 percent pay raise in addition to the 5 percent raise proposed by Gov. Jim Justice. He said that should help to recruit and retain CPS and Adult Protective Services workers. Before the bill’s passage in the House last week, Pinson said an overhaul of the DHHR’s centralized intake system would put now splintered helping agencies on the same page.

“This will allow us to specifically identify where the needs in West Virginia are, and how to respond to those needs,” Pinson said.

The bill also creates a social services data dashboard for planning and preparation that would also be available to the public. This would be a website tool intended to better solve foster care and other CPS challenges.

“It’s all so they know what’s going on,” Lindsay said. “So they know who to contact because what we heard during the interim committee was that that just wasn’t taking place.”

After urging more reforms to the state’s Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline without using legislation, Senate Minority Leader Stephen Baldwin, D-Greenbrier, plans to introduce a bill amendment that would require that every West Virginia medical provider’s call about possible abuse go directly to Child Protective Services and to local law enforcement.

Other amendments to encourage staff recruitment and retention may be introduced.

Bill Keeping Homeless People Away From Schools, Daycares Sparks Concerns

In a public hearing on House Bill 4753, which would ban homeless encampments within 1,000 feet of schools and daycare centers,18 people spoke against the bill and five supported the measure.

Maribeth Beller said the bill implies that people experiencing homelessness are dangerous and are pedophiles. She said many people who are homeless are veterans and trauma victims.

“What we do know is that many of the homeless have suffered from economic fluctuations, and what differs them from you and me is that we had help,” Beller said.

Among the many clergy speaking against the bill was Charleston pastor Bill Myers, who said he sees every day that caring for the homeless and children go hand in hand, without incident.

“On Friday, 20 children on the church steps were waiting to be picked up, and probably a half dozen homeless there as well,” Myers said. “There were no concerns, no issues.”

Of those for the bill, Charleston resident John Holland said there was alarm in finding that a neighborhood church was planning to put a homeless shelter 100 feet from a daycare center.

“Teachers are saying homeless people are already wandering in, they say they are finding needles on the playground,” Holland said. “Teachers told me they are having altercations with the homeless showing up on the day that no showers were available.”

The bill sponsor, House Minority Leader Doug Skaff, D-Kanawha, said there’s a blanket misconception, even among many in his own party, that restrictions for those who are unhoused aren’t compassionate. Skaff said the problem is statewide, not charleston centric, that there’s no jailing involved, and that this safeguard is not for your typical homeless person, and he said that we can do both.

“These are the unsheltered, mentally unstable and we need to help them,” Skaff said. “In addition we also owe it to keep our kids and schools safe, and if we can do both, why not do both?”

HB 4753 is on its second reading in the house.

History Day At The Capitol Showcases Ingenuity, Diversity

On History Day at the Capitol, highlights of West Virginia’s rich and diverse past come to life.

Groups and organizations came from throughout the state to share their piece of history, like the West Virginia Sons of the American Revolution. With 13 state chapters and 1400 members strong, WVSOAR acts as parade color guards, properly retires American flags and locates and marks revolutionary war graves. Color Guard Commander Ed Cromley said with our nation’s 250th anniversary coming up, new member recruitment is the task at hand.

“We try to portray our founding as accurately as possible while highlighting those people that really did remarkable things to defeat the British and start our country up as an independent state,” Cromley said.

Huntington’s Museum of Radio and Technology came with a table full of history. The Harveytown museum houses more than 3,000 communication devices that date back nearly 200 years. Museum curator Geoff Bourne explained that among the displays shown and stories told, the tale of West Virginia’s Dr. Mahlon Loomis, not the iconic Italian Marconi, may be the true inventor of wireless radio.

“There was a gentleman up in Terra Alta, called Dr. Mahlon Loomis, and he had a patent and everything on wireless in the Civil War,” Bourne said. “And Loomis was actually sending signals from one mountain top to another and was trying to get the army interested in it. But he was just a little too ahead of his time.”

A national Johnny Cash tribute show comes to the Mountain State in June. A show highlight is Johnny and June Carter Cash’s Wedding song, “Jackson”. You know it: ‘We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout…’

West Virginia Music Hall of Fame Director Michael Lipton showcased the man who wrote “Jackson” – West Virginia native and West Virginia Music Hall of Fame member Billy Edd Wheeler, who Lipton says is still going strong at 89 years old.

“He’s still great and has a great sense of humor,” Lipton said. “And he went from literally nothing out of high coal Boone County to study playwriting at Yale. He represents West Virginia well.”

From tri-corner hats, to “tune it in”, to troubadours, diversity shows it’s age on History Day.

Broadband Connectivity In W.Va. Will Require Full Cooperation

The FCC ranks West Virginia 47th among the 50 states in broadband connectivity. Now, long-stalled efforts are underway to change that ranking.

This week the Senate passed Senate Bill 494, a Democrat-sponsored bill creating the Broadband Carrier Neutral and Open Access Infrastructure Development Fund, for various uses by the WV Office of Broadband. The lead sponsor and longtime broadband advocate is Robert Plymale, D-Wayne.

“A full fifth of our state remains unconnected,” Plymale said. “And with only 39 percent of West Virginians having access to affordable broadband, defined as a plan under $60, the on-ramp to those opportunities is often simply out of reach for many household budgets.”

Secretary of Economic Development Mitch Carmichael will administer the fund, and the more than $1 billion in federal monies procured for broadband expansion. Carmichael said work is already underway in stringing fiber optic cable and bringing affordable broadband to the 300,000 remote West Virginia households in need. Carmichael said the plan creates a public-private partnership with the state working with commercial broadband carriers.

“The programs that we put in place are essentially a reverse bid, so that the internet service providers can bid on providing services to these customers, and whoever comes in at the lowest rate gets the award,” Carmichael said. “And we also make sure that they have validated financials, validated customer service metrics, all those good components.”

Del. Daniel Linville, R-Cabell is the lead sponsor on House Bill 4001. The bill ensures service reliability and provides long term oversight of overall connectivity.

“We need to make sure that as we partner with the private sector, that they understand that we mean business,” Linville said. “Because if they don’t, and if the failed promises of the past continue like we’ve seen previously with Frontier and Suddenlink, then ultimately, the people won’t be served.”

The federal government has a five year funding deadline to get broadband connectivity to all West Virginians. All involved say with cooperation, the job can be done quicker.

Camera Bill For Work Zones Will Stop Speeders, Save Lives

In West Virginia, the numbers show that too many drivers speed through active work zones, negligently causing deaths and injuries. One proposed bill uses technology to save highway workers’ lives.

Del. Josh Booth, R-Wayne, has a day job as a highway construction worker. So, Booth has both a public and personal interest in sponsoring House Bill 4595.

“I’ve been struck by a car twice, once in Huntington, once in Institute,” Booth said. “There have been 15 fatalities in West Virginia work zones over the past five years and 500 accidents with injuries.”

Booth said excessive speed is the leading cause of worker injuries and death. HB 4595 would set up a camera-assisted enforcement system on multi-lane, high-speed highways.

The system would operate only where workers are present. The camera would only capture rear license plates. Drivers will become informed of the camera systems and work zone safety through a public education awareness campaign, increased signage in construction areas, and notice of work zone camera placement on the WV 511 website.

Booth explained that the West Virginia border states of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia have an identical camera work zone speed system up and running. He says it works, but things change when drivers cross that border into the mountain state.

“You bet it does,” Booth said. “They start speeding because they know there’s no monitoring, they know there’s no oversight.”

Mike Clowser, the executive director for the Contractors Association of West Virginia explains that violators caught by camera will first be warned if traveling more than 10 MPH over the speed limit. Clowser said the second violation is a $75 fine and the third violation, a $150 fine.

“This isn’t a ‘gotcha’ plan. Drivers will see signs that say, cameras, cameras, cameras, warning them to slow down.” Clowser said.

Both men said they have seen vehicles go through active construction sites at up to 120 MPH. This isn’t the Daytona 500, it’s highway improvement work that needs to be safe.

Bill For Law Enforcement Training About Alzheimer’s Advances

On Alzheimer’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol Wednesday, many celebrated a bill with full bipartisan support that highlights first responder training.

In the house chamber, a citation was read recognizing the work of the West Virginia Alzheimer’s Association. Its public policy director, David Zielonka recognizes the need for HB 4521.

The bill requires all state law enforcement and correction officers undergo training to deal with those living with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Zielonka said more than half of the 40,000 West Virginians suffering the brain disorder affecting memory and behavior will wander off at some point.

“They can be showing erratic signs, they can be lost, we want to make sure the officers understand how to identify someone with Alzheimer’s, how to communicate with them and return them to their caregiver,” Zielonka said.

The specialized instruction also includes understanding the risks associated with Alzheimer’s, including elder abuse and exploitation.

Del. Ruth Rowan, R-Hampshire sponsors the house bill. She said she appreciates the term ‘respectfully treated’ included in the legislation.

“A lot of these people suffering from Alzheimer’s were productive citizens, very active in their communities, and all of a sudden their families are faced with the fact that they are not making the decisions they were making a few years ago,” Rowan said, “So it’s very important that the office understand and realize the backgrounds they are coming from.”

Sen. Ron Stollings, D-Boone is a physician specializing in geriatrics. Stollings sponsors similar Alzheimer’s legislation, SB 570.

“We don’t want any of our seniors being wrestled out of their car, or put to the ground because they don’t know how to obey what a police officer asks them to do,” Stollings said.

SB 570 passed unanimously, providing education and understanding for treating a unique and challenging disease.

Exit mobile version