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Let's go visit wvu.edu.

And welcome to the legislature today.

I'm Maria young.

This week the House of delegates hit a significant deadline.

After Tuesday, no one is allowed to introduc new bills in the lower chamber.

The Senate hit that same milestone next week.

Now, more than halfwa through the 2026 West Virginia legislative session, things are starting to move quickly.

The Senate advanced multiple bills this week that could have a big impact across the state.

Senate Bil 228 relates to the establishment of a pilot program in two West Virginia counties to be determined for the use of mobile devices by child protective Service workers in child abuse and neglect investigations.

The pilot program would begin in October 2027 and requires annual reporting to the legislature.

We'll have more on the state's child protective services system and efforts to improve it later on in today's show.

House Bill 4196 would offer long acting reversible contraception to male and female patients receiving methadone and Suboxone as part of a qualified medication assisted treatment program.

Tied to the federal government's Rural Health Transformation Program.

House Bill 4982 to Make West Virginia Healthy Again Act create the Office of Healthy Lifestyles within the state Department of Health and allows Medicaid to participate in the federal government's Food is Medicine program, including allowing a prescription for produce and both chambers advanced state budget bills, the only bill the legislature is constitutionally required to pass.

This, by the way, is the Senate version of the budget.

I made the mistake of printing it off on the office printer, which I don't recommend.

As you can see, it is fairly comprehensive and the house has its own version.

By the end of the session, in just a few weeks, the two chambers will reac agreement on a single version.

That final version of the budget is expected to include a 3% raise for public employees, a 3% increase to the employer share of their insurance plan known as Pia and a personal income tax cut.

Governor Patrick Morrisey's proposed budget included a 5% cut, but he has asked lawmakers to find another 5 to make a total tax cut of 10%.

This year.

Public observers like Kelly Allen, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, advise against the cut given a changing federal funding landscape as well as predicted budge shortfalls in the coming years.

I wil say, you know, we're also happy that the executive reinstated the six year plan last year.

And you all know as well as I do that it reflected, some, some deficits in, in the out years, I think $200 million next year and a growing amount in upcoming years.

And an easy way.

Not to have that $200 million deficit is not to do the 5% tax cut, which is saves you about $125 million of those.

So again, appreciate it seems like you all are really thinking deeply about the importance of not getting over our skis, right, making sure that we can meet the basic obligations.

Our high school report this week comes from Navaeh Siggers and Jenna Walker.

This week, they explain a variety of actions in the legislature that involve teachers in West Virginia.

Good evening.

Welcome to the student segment of the legislature today.

I'm Jenna Walker, and I'm Navaeh Siggers.

Governor Patrick Morrissey has recently given his say the state address in which proposals related to education were introduced.

Several of these DOH financial support for schools and teachers.

Examples of the bills introduced include support for Neglected Schools Act, a bill approving overtime pa for teachers, and one increasing the minimum salary for teachers.

Senate Bill 224.

The support for Neglected Schools Act was proposed by Senator Craig Hart, a member of the Senate Education Committee.

The bill's goal is to provide additional support and resources for schools that are classified as neglected.

These schools are struggling with less funding, low enrollment, and other challenges.

Senate Bill 240, which approves overtime pay for teachers sponsored by Senator Bil Hamilton, would allow overtime pay for teachers.

This means additional compensation when teachers wor beyond certain standard hours.

These bills are part of an ongoing discussion about teachers working conditions and compensation.

If enacted, changes to how teachers are paid for overtime could affect school employers, employees, and how school systems budget for labor cost.

Continuing to examine working conditions and compensation, teachers may also be seeing an increase in their minimum salary introduced in Senate Bill 516 by Senator Tom Takubo.

This piece of legislation would allow new teachers to see an increase in their starting salary.

This would also encourage more young people to pursue teaching and aid in filling the demand for teachers statewide.

Not only are pay raise something for the new teachers coming in, but something all teacher may be able to look forward to.

As House Bill 4584, introduced by State Delegate Joe Funkhouser, is strivin for teachers to get market pay.

Market pay would allow for teachers to be paid according to the demand for teachers at that time.

Currently, there's a high demand for teachers statewide, meaning that those currently working would see an estimated 6.5 salary increase over the course of the next few years as student in the public education system.

We plan to follow along with the legislation impacting our teachers and how the actions of the West Virginia Legislature affect students.

If you are interested i learning more about all bills, you can follow updates onlin at the West Virginia Legislature Bill status website as the session progresses.

For the legislature today I Navaeh Siggers and I'm Jenna Walker.

Last year, the state legislature removed the voting rights of student and faculty representatives on college and university boards of governors.

Two bills in the legislature this session are trying to reverse that.

We used student legislative reporter Samantha Smith brings us this story.

Two major programs Colin Street is of use Student Government Association president and sits on the WBU Board of Governors, but with no vote.

Something he feels is essential for his job.

Having a vote is foundational to my ability to express and articulat the needs of the student body, because I can say all I want and without a vote, it.

It doesn't have to mean anything if no one will listen.

Street says his vote allowed him to represent the voice of his peers on the board.

But now they've been silenced.

And Street is not the only person that feels this way.

Members of the West Virginia Senate are looking to give him and others voices back.

The bill to remove voting rights for students, staff and faculty representatives started here in the House last session.

But this year, it's the Senate that' trying to reverse that measure.

Republican Senator Mike Oliverio is the lead sponsor of Senate Bill 675, which would restore only the student vote.

I think it's important that students be involved in the process.

I think it's important to have a right to vote.

If we're going to ask them to complete their education and stay in West Virginia, we need to show them that their voice matters.

Senate Bill 551 sponsored by Democratic Senator Mike Woelfel, would restore the votes of all faculty, staff and studen representatives on these boards.

Can't give the students and the faculty and the staff a voice on the Board of governors for university.

I think you're leaving out, you know, critical parties that should have input.

Even though their bills are different.

Both senators say having a vote can inspire young people to be involved in more than just the board of governors.

If we take away the right of 20 students to vote statewide on their local board of governors, we're denying 20 kids every year an opportunity to get experience and prepare them to be the leaders of the future.

Street hopes at least one of the bills passed, and he can continue to represent the student voice at WVU.

For the Legislature Today, I'm Samantha Smith in Charleston.

Both of those bills are awaiting a hearing in the Senate Education Committee.

Issue with Child Protective Services and the state foster care system are persistent.

It seems the legislature faces questions on how to correct those problems that arise every year.

Eric Douglas spoke with delegates.

Jonathan Pinson a Republican from Mason County, and Hollis Lewis, a Democrat from Canal County to get their takes on the issue.

Welcome to the interview portion of the legislature today.

I'm joined by Delegate Pinson, Delegate Jonathan Pinson.

Excuse me.

Delegate Hollis Lewis.

I'm sorry I've forgotten which county.

Mason and Jackson County.

That's right.

Mason Jackson you're in Kenosha now.

Yeah.

All right I knew that, but I forgot.

Sure.

Gentlemen I'm going to jump right into it.

It's not necessarily the most pleasant subject, bu we're going to talk about CPS.

And, you know between foster care and the the, Child Protective Services.

This has been an ongoing issue for a long time.

I mean, just kind of writ large.

The the biggest, biggest issues.

I did notice just yesterday that the the vacancy rate is down below 10%, which I think has got to be considere a success under the legislature.

Put some, put some money into it.

In the last few years to to retain those employees and, but we're still we're still not where any of us I think we want to be.

So I think just to start, I'd like to you have a piece of legislation with you, some, I'm sure you have opinions on it, but, let's just kind of I'd like to get your kind of opening opinions on things.

Sure.

So thank you for the opportunity to speak.

It's an important issue.

It is at times an unpleasant topic to talk about, but it's a necessary topic to discuss.

So I'd like to back all the wa up to when I was 15 years old.

I was adopted and brought to West Virginia as a result of my adoption.

Okay.

After after a troubled home life and parents divorced, and and I was left more or less alone, my 17 year old sister and I were or more or less abandoned.

Started making a lot of bad decisions as a result of my adoption, though.

I got to West Virginia.

Okay.

And I had the opportunity to start life over again because of adoption.

So even long before I was in the legislature, I was an advocate for families, for children who were in the system because I could relate.

My wife and I got married.

We end up having children of our own and then adopting children.

Right.

So we have four biological, four adopted.

We're a West Virginia foster family.

So you're right, Erik, in that there are times where it's unpleasant, but this is a necessity of the day and age that we live in, that we have these child welfare issues.

So if we're going to have to have the issues and unfortunately, we're not alone, every state in the nation has these same obstacles.

If we're going to have the obstacles and we just got to tackle them correctly, and that has been the focus for the last six years that I've been here and trying to address some of these obstacle and we're seeing some successes.

You mentioned one here today, but there's still a lot o obstacles and and I'm committed and others are committe to addressing this.

Fair enough.

Yeah.

And I appreciate you being here.

And I also appreciate you sharing that story.

I think the longer I'm here, the more we find commonality amongst each other, even though we may be across the aisle having, you know, those similar experience of having, you know, those, difficult backgrounds, but overcoming those to obviously get here.

I think what I would like to see more of what I think we are doing a good job, but I also think we are reactive in how we are handling this.

We have to be more responsive.

When you look at West Virginia, when you look at our incarceration rates, we have one of the highest incarceration rates in the world.

We have one of the highest overdose and drug use rates in the country.

So when you take just those two factors alone that the the result of that is going to be child welfare issues.

So I think we have to back all the way up.

We have to get more to preventative measures to ensure that, we are preventing people from getting on drugs.

We have to make sure that we have proper deterrents, methodologies.

So that way those individuals who find themselves into the criminal justice systems can find a way ou and reunite with their families.

In addition, you know, we have to look at, you know, CPS and child welfare as an investment as far as the workers are concerned.

So when you talk about those CPS employees, we have to pay them.

You know, one of the issues is that it is a and again, God bless anybody who does that.

We think we got a hard job is nothing in comparison t what they do on a daily basis.

You know, being a former magistrate, I've read ratifications.

I've seen it firsthand, as far as, you know, just the, the, the sadness that can result from, those cases.

So we have to make the proper investment to ensure that we are compensating our CPS workers at a rate in which they can at least be able to live and feel fulfilled in what they're doing.

And because, again, if you're going to internet of a lot of work, you're not doing it for the money.

You're doing it because you have a heart to the same thing.

If you're not being an adoptive parent, you're not doing it because of the money.

You're doing it because you have a heart to do it.

But we have to make sure that we properly compensate all parties involved.

And I know, delegate a person who was involved with the bill, a kinship bill that made it, equal pays for the foster families and the kinship family, which is a great thing.

So we want to make sure that we, you know, not look at these things had expenditures, but as investments into our children and our future.

One other thing, actually, that the, legislature passed a couple of years ago was requiring, CPS to have a, the dashboard to have an online presence so we can easily look these things over and see what's going on.

Just yesterday, as of yesterday, 5900 children, in the foster care system, which is an awful lot, but that's that's as you laid out a couple of the factors, the the drug abuse issues and that sort of thing.

About about 49% of those kids are in kinship, situations, which, and a lot of those are grand families to a lot of grandparents raising their grandchildren.

But what do we do?

What's what's the next step?

So there have been a couple successes.

We discussed a couple, but what's the next step?

Well, I would agree with Delegate Lewi in that we have to get upstream.

And and I'm thankful to see the the tide turning even slightly in some of the thing that we've already spoke about.

We are doing better at retaining CPS workers.

And as Delegate Lewis said, God bless them for the hard job that they have.

So they are dealing with trauma every single day.

That imprints on them too.

It's not just it's not.

You don't go home at the end of the day and forget what you heard all day.

Yeah, you do not.

So we are doing better at retaining CPS workers.

We are seeing a declin in the kids coming into custody just a few years ago.

That numbe was almost 6500 kids in custody.

So it's it's beginning to trend down and we're thankful for that.

And then we are doing better at putting resources in the hands of CPS workers to make their job more effective.

And efficient and also in the hands of families, foster families or kinship families to allow them to have the resources that they need in orde to be able to invest in a child.

And that was one of the biggest complaint when I came into the legislature is foster families felt like they were trying to help children.

They were trying to help their state because somebody has to take these children once they come into state custody.

So they're trying to help children.

They're trying to help their state, humanity as a whole.

But they felt like they were on an island.

And just a few years back, we passed a foster care communication portal tool that would put on every foster famil and every foster child who's old enough, on their phone or on their tablet, a resource that they can immediately contact all the stakeholders within that organization or within that child's case.

So you have teenagers that can immediately have access to their caseworkers in the event of a need or emergency.

You have young people who can immediately contact, their psychiatrist or thei doctor at the touch of a button.

These are these are advancements in technology that we take for granted in every other space.

12 months ago I had brain surgery, and I laid in my hospital bed 16 hours after having brain surgery.

And I communicated directly with the guy who was just touching my brain 16 hours earlier.

And I did that through the Mychart app, through the hospital that did my brain surgery.

And I laid there and thought, this is exactly what we have been advocating for in the foster world, that you could have a place where you could log in to and talk to anybody.

You need to.

And if I can do it from a multi-billion dollar hospital complex with hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of employees, 16 hours after having brain surgery, there's no reason why we can't infuse that technology in the state government.

So we are seeing some advancements after kids come into care.

But to answer your question, we've got to get upstream and we've got to provide family supports to familie who are teetering on the edge.

There is a very limited number of people out there who just want to do harm and do wicked things to children.

Those people need put in prison.

The vast majority of our child abuse and neglect cases are rising out of an inability to properly raise, to properly care for to properly discipline children, mainly because of the drug and alcohol epidemic and because of the erosion of the family, the the family values that it's okay to treat kids right, and it's not okay to treat kids wrong.

So we have to get upstream.

We have to be able to suppl the needs around those families.

That was fantastic.

And it's an amazing story abou your, your surgery, by the way.

Glad you seem to be doing fine.

I'm glad to see tha opinion is very well understood.

Delegate.

You.

You have anything you want to add to that?

We are I again I excuse me I we did everything a delegate Penson said.

But agai I go back to sort of like the, responsive methodology in dealing with this issue.

You know, I'm reminded of a situation I was at a recovery home in the director of the recovery home.

She was once a patient or client in that.

So she went all the way through the process.

This is a living facility, and she went through the recovery, the detox and all that process.

And she was able eventually able to get to a point where she actually had her kids living in sort of one of the offshoots, the that now she rose from being a client to being the director of this services.

So I say that to say that we must make investments to have behavioral health ers.

You know, I have a bill right now that would, if somebody call A911 and they having a mental health emergency thinking about suicide, not one one would be able to transit transfer that person to nine, eight, eight in order to get maybe the help with mental help they need.

So we have to cut the problem off at the very beginning.

We have to, I was in North Carolina a couple months ago, and they have behavioral health, urgent care units.

So it's just like the urgent care we have around here for medical.

We need those sort of, facilities for behavioral health, for issue to make sure that when somebody.

Because what we want to d is we want to catch that person at the first point of contact.

If we can catch this teenager early, this young mom, this young father, we can catch him early.

We may be able to prevent them from going to incarceration and furthering that drug use.

So we in everything we want to do, we want to be responsive and not reactive.

And you both seem to be o pretty much the same page here.

What do we do though?

I mean, what what legislation are we seeing this year?

What's going to pass this year.

And we all understand the legislative process.

Not everything moves through to the way we would like to see it, that kind of thing.

There's been 250 ish bills introduced this year.

We don't want to see all of them pass, to be honest with you.

So s you have a piece of legislation here in front of you.

What do you want to talk about?

Yeah.

So first you're right.

This is supposed to be a slow process.

It's supposed to be a methodical process because, every good idea that I come up with in the moment doesn't nee to be written into law.

Right?

We are.

We are taking steps to ensure that there are, there are avenues and off ramps for families who are teetering on the verge of a neglect situation where judges can order by the courts, order that you're going to you're going to be involved in these wraparound services and support services, or we're going to have to take your children and it is it is a shame that we have to do that as a society.

Like it would just be better if government didn't have to do that.

Like it would be bette if judges didn't have to mandate by order of the court, you're going to take these classes to be good parents, but that's not the day and age we live in.

So because of all of the external factors that we've already went over, bills like what we have championed and passed out of the House of delegates already and sent to the Senate that say, you will have these support systems and you will you will take advantage of these services, and you will improve as parents so that it doesn't continue spiraling downhill and result in abuse case or serious neglect case.

Things like that are ways, one of many ways that we can get upstream.

Unfortunately, gentlemen, this has been a fascinating conversation.

I would love to go a whole lot longer on it.

Got about a minute left.

So, Doug Lewis, I'll give you the final word.

All right.

As I researched far as the House side, I think we have 17 or maybe 20 foster care specific bills, but we have very little deterrents or preventative bills.

So I think that, you know, moving forward, we have to make sure that, you know, we have to use the process and make sure that, you know, if those persons entering the criminal justic system, particularly with kids, that we have determined a different methodology.

So that way we're not just punitive in everything we do.

We look at long term, in addition, far as preventative, we have to ensure that we have some sort of preventative measures for our children as far as to not get them on drugs or criminality.

I know everybody doesn't like there anymore.

I was a decade.

It worked for me.

So maybe there specifically is in the way.

But we have to have something where we're giving our kids the information and knowledge about what they would faces and methodologies and how to avoid that.

Thank you gentlemen.

Appreciate you both for fo sitting down with us today and, good talking to you.

We'll I'm sure we'll sure.

We'll be havin this conversation for a while, but thank you both.

Thank you.

That was Delegate Jonatha Pinson and Delegate Hollis Lewis speaking with Eric Douglas about the pending legislation intended to improve the child Protective services situation in West Virginia.

And that's it for tonight.

Thank you for joining us.

Catch the legislature today, Fridays at 6 p.m.. And remember, West Virginia Publi Broadcasting covers the session and our daily radio new program, West Virginia morning and on our news site at the public.org.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting also has a new podcast of all of our radio stories throughout the week, entitled The Legislature.

This week.

It drops at 5 a.m.

Saturday mornings so you can listen with your Saturday morning coffee or in my case your Saturday morning Diet Coke.

We also broadcast a daily floor sessions of both the House and Senate on the West Virginia Channel.

I'm Maria Young.

Good evening and we'll see you again here next week.

Support for the legislature today is provided by West Virginia University, serving our state with pride, impact and purpose through education, health care, and discovery.

Let's go visit wvu.edu.