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West VirginiaHB 28802025 Regular SessionHouse

Relating to parent resource navigators

Sponsored By: Adam Burkhammer (Republican)

Signed by Governor

§49-1-201§49-2-02a§49-2-809§49-4-405§49-5-101§49-11-101§61-12B-1§61-12B-2§61-12B-3§61-12B-4§61-12B-5§61-12B-6§61-12B-7

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

5 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

More public reporting on child welfare

The public child welfare dashboard must be updated by July 1, 2026, and monthly afterward. It covers intake, investigations, open cases, placements, staffing, and performance, with trends searchable by year, reporting date, and county. Data may be hidden to protect identities. For cases covered by incident review, death and near-death details must appear within 48 hours. The Secretary must be notified within 24 hours of the incident; final review reports must be linked within 24 hours of completion. The Department must also publicly release information about child abuse or neglect deaths and near deaths and share it with designated groups. The Foster Care Ombudsman can request case records for official duties. Reporter identities generally stay private, but the Ombudsman may receive them for official work involving foster-care deaths or near deaths.

More records access for children's care

The Department must give child-placing agencies electronic access to information needed to complete adoptions. Agencies handling adoptions as Department contractors also get needed secure records from vital statistics offices and other record holders. The Bureau for Social Services must share children's medical records when needed for their care or treatment. Recipients include the managed care organization, child-placing agency, and person with temporary custody.

New reviews of children's critical incidents

A new Critical Incident Review Team operates under the Office of the Inspector General. It reviews deaths and near deaths involving children in Department custody or with a known Department case. It also covers children with immediate-family or household ties to someone with a known case. Children identified through centralized intake are covered even when no investigation was accepted. Near deaths include doctor-certified life-threatening conditions and incidents posing a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury. The team examines causes and risks and must meet at least quarterly and within 45 days after an incident. State, county, and local agencies must provide information requested in writing, including needed health and government records. Substance-use records remain subject to federal law. The team cannot contact witnesses to take testimony in fatality investigations or interfere with ongoing law enforcement investigations.

Parent navigators join child welfare teams

The law adds parent resource navigators to treatment teams for covered child abuse or neglect cases. This applies to cases brought under the law's child abuse and neglect court process when the Department convenes a team. Navigators help parents find services and work toward keeping or bringing their families together.

Child incident reviews get privacy protections

The review team's proceedings and records are confidential and must follow federal health privacy rules. They cannot be obtained through public records requests, discovery, or subpoenas, or used as evidence in civil or criminal cases. Team members generally cannot be questioned about information or opinions from meetings. Information obtained entirely outside the team's proceedings remains available for discovery or use in court. Members may testify about public information they learned independently. The law takes effect 90 days after passage.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

  • Adam Burkhammer

    Republican • House

Cosponsors

  • Laura Kimble

    Republican • House

  • Margitta Mazzocchi

    Republican • House

  • Mickey Petitto

    Republican • House

  • Jonathan Pinson

    Republican • House

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 255 • No: 3

Senate vote • 4/12/2025

Senate adopted conference report and passed bill (Roll No. 602)

Yes: 32 • No: 1

House vote • 4/12/2025

House adopted conference report and passed bill (Roll No. 624)

Yes: 98 • No: 0

Senate vote • 4/10/2025

Passed Senate (Roll No. 435)

Yes: 33 • No: 1

House vote • 3/26/2025

Passed House (Roll No. 193)

Yes: 92 • No: 1

Actions Timeline

  1. Chapter 51, Acts, Regular Session, 2025

    7/31/2025House

  2. Approved by Governor 4/30/2025

    4/30/2025House

  3. To Governor 4/22/2025

    4/22/2025House

  4. Communicated to Senate

    4/12/2025House

  5. House Message received

    4/12/2025Senate

  6. Senate agreed to conference and appoints conferees: Rucker, Rose, Woelfel

    4/12/2025Senate

  7. Communicated to House

    4/12/2025Senate

  8. To conference

    4/12/2025Senate

  9. Conference report filed - Senate

    4/12/2025Senate

  10. House received Senate message

    4/12/2025House

  11. House adopted conference report and passed bill (Roll No. 624)

    4/12/2025House

  12. Communicated to Senate

    4/12/2025House

  13. House Message received

    4/12/2025Senate

  14. Senate adopted conference report and passed bill (Roll No. 602)

    4/12/2025Senate

  15. Communicated to House

    4/12/2025Senate

  16. Completed legislative action

    4/12/2025Senate

  17. To Governor 4/22/2025 - House Journal

    4/12/2025House

  18. To Governor 4/22/2025 - Senate Journal

    4/12/2025Senate

  19. Approved by Governor 4/30/2025 - Senate Journal

    4/12/2025Senate

  20. Approved by Governor 4/30/2025 - House Journal

    4/12/2025House

  21. House received Senate message

    4/11/2025House

  22. House refused to concur, requests conference

    4/11/2025House

  23. House appointed conferees: Burkhammer, Pinson, and Pushkin

    4/11/2025House

  24. On 3rd reading with right to amend

    4/10/2025Senate

  25. Read 3rd time

    4/10/2025Senate

Bill Text

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