West Virginia Watch, News from the States - A bill that would create a work apprenticeship program for 11th and 12th graders in West Virginia has raised concerns it may also expose them to hazardous working environments, including roofing operations. Read the full article. House Bill 5162 would direct the state Department of Education to create a…
WVCBP in the News
Martinsburg Journal-News - On Feb. 7, hundreds of people, including 300 students, gathered for Black Policy Day at the state Capitol, in Charleston to advocate for and educate state lawmakers about communities of color. Thirty of these students represented high schools throughout Berkeley and Jefferson counties. The students were granted the opportunity to meet as…
Public News Service - Critics say a bill passed by West Virginia lawmakers increases the bureaucratic red tape folks who rely on unemployment benefits have to navigate and could financially hurt families already struggling with the high cost of living and ongoing inflation. Read the full article. Kelly Allen, executive director with the West Virginia…
West Virginia Watch, News from the States - With hours to spare on the last night of the West Virginia Legislature’s 60-day session, the House of Delegates approved an amended version of a Senate bill that changes the structure of the state’s unemployment benefit program. Read the full article. Delegates passed Senate Bill 841 with a…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - The West Virginia Senate approved a bill in a 23-9 vote Friday that would bar magistrates from releasing defendants charged with a felony on a personal recognizance bond, which allows a defendant to be released from jail without posting bail. Read the full article. The ban, which is poised to create more…
Associated Press, Cumberland Times-News - West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice’s administration has been characterized by flat budgets and record surpluses that helped cut the state’s income tax last year. Read the full article. Now, the state could face collateral damage: a possible $465 million clawback of pandemic aid by the U.S. Department of Education. It has…
Bolts - In the months leading up to her death, Ashley Omps of Charleston, West Virginia, felt ashamed to be taking suboxone. It was prescribed to her to treat opioid dependency by limiting cravings and withdrawal symptoms, and though it was clearly a much healthier alternative to the pills and heroin she’d been taking before,…
Mountain State Spotlight, Times West Virginian, Fayette Tribune - As the House Finance Committee began discussing a quickly-drafted unemployment bill on Monday, it quickly became apparent that lawmakers were going to have lots of questions. Within minutes, the committee hit its first roadblock: How much are unemployment benefits? Read the full article. Questions continued over the course…
Mountain State Spotlight, Beckley Register-Herald - Senators are trying to breathe new life into a bill that critics say would lead to more people sitting in jail awaiting trial after a House Committee overwhelmingly rejected the legislation last week. Read the full article. SB 725 would’ve stripped magistrates — who generally see someone first after they…
Public News Service - Nationwide, people with disabilities are overrepresented both as victims of crime and those who are accused of crimes, and advocates believe the justice system could do much more to improve accessibility. Read the full article. The system is not always fair to people with autism, cognitive disabilities and learning disorders, and…