📣Make Some Noise! 📣in support of good childcare policy!
Finally, some good news about childcare! The Finance Committee of the House
of Delegates has passed a committee substitute for HB 4191
------------------------------
Background on HB 4191:
The legislature has decreased funding for childcare over the past decade,
which has contributed to the loss of a significant number of available
childcare slots, and many areas of the state becoming childcare deserts.
Childcare workers are paid very low wages, families cannot afford the true
cost of childcare, and many child care businesses cannot cover their
expenses to stay open.
HB 4191 helps to #solvechildcare by taking a broad approach to help
families, employers and childcare workers:
-
Adds tax incentives for businesses to sponsor or provide childcare for
their workers [Helps employers!]
-
Requires that the state pay childcare subsidies based on the status of a
child’s enrollment rather than a daily rate. This stabilizes the funding
stream for childcare providers that serve lower income families . [Helps
childcare providers!]
-
Ensures that the government is using an accurate model to determine cost
of care (right now they are paying a very low amount that doesn't cover
actual childcare costs,) when paying subsidies in the future.
[Forward-looking
stability!]
-
Gives power to the Department of Human Services which manages state
childcare funding to reduce the cliff effect that families encounter when
coming off of subsidized childcare [Helps families!]
LWVWV Supports childcare as an early education tool that helps families
ensure their children are cared for in a nurturing environment while also
supporting a healthy workforce and economy.
Status of the bill: HB 4191 was on first reading in the House of Delegates
Monday, 3/2, and will be up for amendment phase and passage just in time to
meet the crossover deadline. Assuming it passes the House, it will need to
quickly go through committee and passage in the Senate before the session
ends.
ACTION:
✳️ Call or email your Delegate directly and ask them to vote yes for HB
4191. Find your delegate here:
https://fastdemocracy.com/find-your-legislators/
<https://fastdemocracy.com/find-your-legislators/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAY…>
State Board, Local League Presidents and League Friends,
Attached is the February Newsletter from the Huntington League of Women
Voters, Enjoy!
Beverly Murrell
Patricia Keller
[image: lwv msn logo.png]
📣Make Some Noise About the Budget📣 - Support Funding for Essential
Services
The League of Women Voters believes that government budgets reflect
government values. We advocate for state and local budgets that cover
essential services and protect our most vulnerable.
We strongly disagree with the values expressed by the West Virginia
Legislature in their various versions of the budget, which fail to
adequately fund programs essential for the livelihood of the majority of
West Virginians, while giving tax breaks to benefit the richest among us.
The League’s legislative priorities
<https://lwvwv.org/2026/01/18/2026-program-and-policy-priorities/> include
Protecting Children and Families and Creating a Sustainable Future. Both
have budget implications, including funding for Medicaid, child care,
public education, SNAP, and infrastructure to provide clean water to the
southern coalfields. “Flat” budgets and more tax cuts serve none of these.
Without adequate funding, many of the critical challenges facing West
Virginia families — issues like the ongoing childcare crisis, access to
affordable health care, and protecting public health and our environment —
all remain unresolved.
Join LWVWV and partners in calling for Care Over Cuts
<https://wvpolicy.org/education-health-care-organizations-call-for-care-over…>.
Tell them West Virginians deserve investment in people, care, and public
infrastructure, not reckless tax cuts that favor the wealthiest few.
Find contact information for your legislators here:
https://fastdemocracy.com/find-your-legislators/