Capitol Beat: Legislators speak on priorities in second half of 2024 session
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVVA) - The W.Va. Legislature has moved past the deadline to introduce bills in the House of Delegates, and is nearing the same cut-off for the State Senate on Thursday.
As lawmakers move toward the end of this year’s session, Sen. Rollan Roberts (R-Raleigh) is leading the charge to expand employment and training requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP -- as the lead sponsor of Senate Bill 562.
“It is about the thousands of people we have in WV aged 18-59 that are receiving SNAP benefits but are not voluntarily engaging in becoming productive citizens,” said Sen. Roberts.
If made law, Roberts’ bill would require West Virginian SNAP recipients older than 17 and younger than 60 either get a job or enter training to stay enrolled. There are exceptions, including parents of a child younger than six -- along with students, and people in drug treatment programs to name a few.
For Sen. Roberts, however, the work to change requirements in W.Va. is an important step in the right direction.
“It’s a hand-up not a handout only. They will still be able to receive benefits and we’re only talking about twenty hours a week so we’re just getting them off the ground with this thing,” said Roberts.
Roberts’ bill made it out of the Senate Workforce Committee this week, and now sets in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Meanwhile, in the House of Delegates -- Del. Marty Gearheart (R-Mercer) said a main focus on his end is education. But, there’s still a need for consensus between each chamber.
“We have bills in both houses that are passing out, so they’ve got to be able to mesh them together and come up w/ one that can pass both houses,” said Del. Gearheart.
One such bill WVVA has been following is House Bill 4776, which looks to expand teachers’ ability to remove disorderly students to Pre-k through Grade Five. After passing the House of Delegates in late Jan., that bill now sits in the Senate Education Committee.
While Del. Gearheart anticipates some changes to be made, he remained confident on Thursday that the legislation can make it through before time runs out.
“The fact that both houses have taken them up and see the importance in those particular issues, is indicative that consensus can be found,” said Del. Gearheart.
On Thursday, Gearheart also spoke on a rise in “social legislation” moving through both chambers this session. It’s something he credits to tax cuts being passed in 2023, which now gives lawmakers more time to focus on other issues. A prime example is House Bill 5243, dubbed the “Women’s’ Bill of Rights.” That bill passed the House of Delegates on Wednesday by a vote of 87-12, and now sits in the Senate Education Committee.
Stay with WVVA and Capitol Beat as we continue to cover the 2024 legislative session in Charleston.
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