Public Comments

I support bill 927 with no amendments.   Please continue to support large farmers small farmers and pollinators a like.  Let those who know remain in charge.

1. I feel that it is very important that Senate Bill 927 be passed as is (ie without amendments). Bees and pollinators are a very important part of our ecosystem and allowing/not allowing them on the whims of local leaders is detrimental to beekeeping. The WV Dept of Ag already has best practices in place to mitigate any problems involved. I thank you in advance for your consideration

I am opposed to any law preventing the public from filming police and their abuses of our rights. Cameras are everywhere now, and that is how we know what they are really up to. This bill is an attempt to violate the rights of West Virginians, and cover up police brutality. I will vote out any of my representatives who vote for this bill or attempt to violate my rights.

• Defining "harassment" so broadly as "to willfully engage in a course of conduct directed at a first responder which intentionally causes substantial emotional distress in that first responder and serves no legitimate purpose." seems to be intentionally vague. If you define harassment as this, you must define also what constitutes as "substantial emotional distress" and what constitutes a "legitimate purpose". Both definitions should be recorded or referenced specifically in this bill or its amendments. Observation of a law enforcement officer in a public space is a legitimate purpose.
• 25ft seems too far a distance to require people to be to accurately record and document a law enforcement interaction, something they are guaranteed to be able to do as part of their constitutional rights. This means I would consider this bill itself to be a violation.
• Defining the starting target of the 25ft distance as a moving entity as a first responder seems unreasonable and nearly impossible to enforce for several reasons:
  • How are individuals meant to measure a distance of 25ft to be able to comply to this?
    • If an individual cannot reliably know the exact distance they are from the first responder, it is impossible for them to comply with this requirement. Equally - it seems impossible for law enforcement to enforce this when everyone is capable of saying they did not know and had no way of knowing that they were closer than 25ft.
    • Law Enforcement will equally be unable to tell when someone is under, on or over 25ft from them reliably to know when it is appropriate to charge someone or act on this.
  • How are individuals responsible for staying 25ft away when the target is moveable and can come closer to them without any way to discern the distance between individuals and the target point (first responder)?
  • If 25 of space must be kept in a radius, first responders should be equipped with a device such as a laser point measure that they activate when the 25 ft distance must be maintained that provides a clear guideline for where the 25ft distance starts. This bill should specify these dispensations being conditions required for the bill to pass.

• appears to undo the current relationship of the State Charter School Board which currently operates UNDER the State Board of Education by exempting these schools from statutes and state board policies and rules.   These policies are rooted in state code emanating from the legislature, Do elected officials so distrust their own work?
• allows institutions of higher education to operate charter microschools and learning pods.  Microschools are currently eligible for Hope funds.  Is this merely a way to lure more money away from county boards of education (99% of per pupil funding) and to also receive additional taxpayer funds through Hope?  Microschools currently receiving Hope dollars are allowed to have religious orientation.  SB 67 states that microschools under this law cannot be affiliated with a specific denomination.  Hope and SB 67 are in conflict.
• creates conflicts with best practices regarding testing.  Standardized tests are high stakes for county-operated and charter schools.   The results are taken seriously.  Virtual testing opens doors for mischief.  This bill does not require certified teachers to administer tests -- virtually or in brick-and-mortar schools.  Certified teachers are trained to administer STANDARDIZED TESTS under STANDARD TESTING CONDITIONS.  By removing this requirement, the validity of testing is undermined and invalidated in the eyes of the public.  Elected officials should also be in doubt.  Who can trust that children taking on-line tests are actually doing the work without help from a family member or without using aids to affect their performance?
• states that a compendium of best practices is to be generated for charter schools.  What resources will be used?  Are the people choosing these resources qualified to do so?
• the sections on underutilization of existing public school buildings shows a distinct lack of understanding as to how schools actually operate and to the overall current status of school facilities.  Our schools were built over decades, times in which the state population was if not burgeoning was at least steady.  The metrics to determine building utilization are outdated, a reflection of past ages.  These metrics don't account for types of programs that have been added over the years and the changing needs of schoolchildren.  Citing schools with less than 70% utilization will include the near majority of schools in the state.  SB 67 encourages/allows situations where charter and traditional public schools will be operating in the same building.  Talk about chaos!  And sharing public spaces???  Public schools already have challenges scheduling use of cafeterias, gyms, and media centers for their own students.
• County boards of education are already handing over 99% of their per student funds to charter schools for each child enrolled there.  Counties are doing so out of CURRENT YEAR OPERATIONAL FUNDS that they have already budgeted.  No wonder counties are suffering financially.  And why are counties expected to take up 1% of funding for PEIA and Teacher Retirement?  Let the charters pay 100% out of their own funds without dipping further into counties' resources.

1. If a charter school is using public school space, the public school will face additional physical costs but receive no extra money to pay for them.
2. I understand that 80% of charter school students are virtual. Who is monitoring their testing situations? Let's be practical, kids would LOVE to take tests with no teacher making sure they are being honest.
3. The regular public school will likely end up paying for extra-curricular opportunities for charter students, too.

I am a West Virginia retail liquor license holder and small business owner. I respectfully ask the committee to slow down consideration of SB 928.

According to the fiscal analysis prepared by the West Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Administration, the bill could result in approximately $1.2 million in annual state revenue loss based on current product sales.

Under the proposed tax structure, sales of these products would need to increase by more than three times current volume in order for the state to recover the same level of tax revenue. That assumption deserves further review before structural changes are made to the state’s alcohol regulatory system.

West Virginia’s current system generates strong and reliable revenue for the state while maintaining clear product classifications between beer, wine, and distilled spirits. Creating a new category for low-proof spirit products risks weakening that structure and could lead to unintended consequences for both state revenue and existing license holders who invested under the current framework.

This issue deserves broader stakeholder discussion and economic analysis before moving forward.

Thank you for your consideration.

Dear Delegate,

I am writing to respectfully ask for your support of SB 956, which would modernize PA practice by removing the outdated physician supervision requirement.

Physician Assistants are highly trained medical professionals who already practice with significant autonomy across the country. Many states have moved toward modernized practice models that allow PAs to practice to the full extent of their education and training while still maintaining strong collaboration with physicians.

Modernizing PA practice in West Virginia will:

• Improve access to care, especially in rural communities

• Reduce administrative barriers that limit patient care

• Help retain and recruit healthcare providers in our state

Patients deserve timely access to care, and allowing PAs to practice more efficiently will help meet the growing healthcare needs of West Virginians.

Thank you for your time and for supporting healthcare providers and patients across our state.

Sincerely,

Michelle Porembka PA-C

1. Barth, R. P. (2009). Privatization and performance based contracting in child welfare: Recent trends and implications. Child Welfare, 88(3).
2. Wulczyn, F., Chen, L., & Hislop, K. (2015). Foster Care Dynamics and System Performance. Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.
3. Government Accountability Office (GAO). (2010). Child Welfare: Lessons Learned from Nebraska’s Privatization of Child Welfare Services.
4. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) and National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS).
5. Zlotnik, J. L., DePanfilis, D., Daining, C., & Lane, M. (2005). Factors influencing retention of child welfare staff. Child Welfare League of America.

Dear Committee on the Judiciary,

As West Virginia Socially Necessary Service (SNS) providers who deliver critical in-home family preservation, supervised visitation, parenting education, and reunification support every day, we write in strong opposition to HB 4964. We appreciate the Senate’s recent passage of SB 937 on March 3, but we respectfully urge the House to reject this companion legislation and the Lead Agency model it promotes.

We live the child welfare crisis in the homes of the families we serve. While we support thoughtful reform, the fundamental principle must remain: First, do no harm. Implementing an unproven Lead Agency structure risks destabilizing the very grassroots services that keep children safe and families together.

Key concerns that remain unaddressed include:

• Financial survival of local providers — Smaller SNS agencies forced into subcontracting under a large Lead Agency face unsustainable margins and potential closure.
• Conflicts of interest — Lead Agencies would control referrals and oversight of their own competitors, undermining fairness and access to care.
• Workforce and resource diversion — Adding another administrative layer does nothing to solve our severe frontline staffing shortages and pulls dollars away from direct family interventions.
• Fiscal and judicial risks — The true cost of this bureaucracy is unknown, and court-ordered services must not be delayed or overridden by private entities.

We stand ready to collaborate on real solutions that strengthen frontline workers and community-based services. However, we cannot support legislation that experiments with our state’s most vulnerable children and families.

We respectfully request that HB 4964 be tabled or defeated. We also ask for public hearings that include direct input from SNS providers before any further action on this model.

Thank you for your service to West Virginia’s children and families. I am available to testify or provide additional information at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Dear Chair Worrell and Members of the House Health and Human Resources Committee,

As West Virginia Socially Necessary Service (SNS) providers who deliver critical in-home family preservation, supervised visitation, parenting education, and reunification support every day, we write in strong opposition to HB 4964. We appreciate the Senate’s recent passage of SB 937 on March 3, but we respectfully urge the House to reject this companion legislation and the Lead Agency model it promotes.

We live the child welfare crisis in the homes of the families we serve. While we support thoughtful reform, the fundamental principle must remain: First, do no harm. Implementing an unproven Lead Agency structure risks destabilizing the very grassroots services that keep children safe and families together.

Key concerns that remain unaddressed include:

• Financial survival of local providers — Smaller SNS agencies forced into subcontracting under a large Lead Agency face unsustainable margins and potential closure.
• Conflicts of interest — Lead Agencies would control referrals and oversight of their own competitors, undermining fairness and access to care.
• Workforce and resource diversion — Adding another administrative layer does nothing to solve our severe frontline staffing shortages and pulls dollars away from direct family interventions.
• Fiscal and judicial risks — The true cost of this bureaucracy is unknown, and court-ordered services must not be delayed or overridden by private entities.

We stand ready to collaborate on real solutions that strengthen frontline workers and community-based services. However, we cannot support legislation that experiments with our state’s most vulnerable children and families.

We respectfully request that HB 4964 be tabled or defeated. We also ask for public hearings that include direct input from SNS providers before any further action on this model.

Thank you for your service to West Virginia’s children and families. I am available to testify or provide additional information at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Brandon Brewster

1. Please support sb-927. Protect our pollinators!

1. Please pass sb-927 without amendments. We need the Dept of Agriculture to be the sole authority regulating beekeeping.