Bill > HB4601

This bill expands the West Virginia State Police (WVSP) Child Abuse and Neglect Investigations Unit by increasing its size to 21 retired WVSP members, with each of the 21 WVSP Districts contributing at least one retired member, and establishes a unit director. The unit's primary purpose is to focus on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting criminal child abuse and neglect cases in coordination with Child Protective Services (CPS), a state agency responsible for child welfare. The unit will also provide training and expertise to other law enforcement agencies, CPS caseworkers, and multidisciplinary teams, which are groups of professionals from various fields working together to address child abuse and neglect. The bill specifies that these retired members will not accrue new pension rights and will undergo specific training to meet law enforcement recertification requirements, serving at the nonsupervisory rank of trooper with compensation equivalent to a corporal, but without eligibility for promotion or credit for years of service for pension purposes. The unit will maintain investigative offices within Department of Human Services offices across the state and will be supervised by members with prior experience in child abuse investigations or the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The unit director will oversee the unit's activities, coordinate with CPS, and help develop protocols for improving the identification and prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases. The unit will also maintain a statewide statistical index of child abuse and neglect convictions, excluding personally identifiable information, and will receive statistical data from all state law enforcement agencies. The bill also allows for the establishment of a special state treasury account for gifts, grants, and donations to the unit.

Budget and Finance, Justice

http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=4601&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill