CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVDN) — The West Virginia House of Delegates finished its first full week of the 60-day regular legislative session with seven House Bills having passed the full Chamber and been sent to the West Virginia Senate for deliberation.
“Nearly all our Delegates told us they wanted to double down on putting West Virginians to work because the best way we can fix so many other problems in our state is to help put as many West Virginians as possible to work in good-paying jobs,” said House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay. “These legislators have been consistent, focused and they have been hard at work having the necessary conversations to move these bills forward.”
Many members of the House took time Wednesday during Trades Day at the Legislature to celebrate the success of the Skilled Trades Apprenticeship Nontraditional Degree (STAND) Program. The program allows those who complete their apprenticeships to apply their on-the-job and classroom training toward college credit. It was created during the 2024 legislative session and funded during the 2025 session. The West Virginia Building and Construction Trades received the national Construction User’s Roundtable Workforce Development Award for the program back in November and shared it with the House of Delegates this week.
“What we’re seeing right now is a lot of young people are going straight into college,” said Delegate Evan Worrell, R-Cabell, a sponsor of the STAND Program. “They’re amassing a large amount of debt and then coming out still trying to find a job with whatever their degree program is.
“We have a slate of bills this year that sends a clear message of what we’re here for, and that’s to support workers, support fair competition, support local jobs and also making sure that we ensure accountability when taxpayer dollars are on the line.”
The full House passed House Bill 4007, related to industrial access roads, Jan. 23, with only a few dissenting votes. The bill would update the 25-year-old program to account for inflation, doubling the amount of money a county or municipality could request within one year for industrial access road construction to help projects get completed faster.
House Bill 4008 also passed the full House Jan. 23. It is another measure aimed at flexibility for communities to cultivate right-sized and responsible economic growth in every corner of the state. The measure would expand the current grants to include 5-acres sites for grants of as much as $75,000 in assistance, 20-acre sites for as much as $100,000 and sites of more than 20 acres may be eligible for as much as $250,000.
The last day to introduce bills is Feb. 17, and 798 bills have been introduced in the House. The 60-day, regular legislative session ends at midnight March 14.
