WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE

2024 REGULAR SESSION

Introduced

House Bill 4986

By Delegates Rohrbach, Warner, Statler, Ellington, Toney, Foggin, Mazzocchi, Longanacre, Ferrell, Jennings, and Hornby

[Introduced January 22, 2024; Referred to the Committee on Education]

A BILL to the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §18-5-19e, relating to providing computer science and cybersecurity instruction for adult learners.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

Article 5. County Board of Education.

§18-5-19e. Computer science and cybersecurity instruction for adult learners.

(a) The Superintendent of Schools shall provide grants not to exceed $300,000 total to school districts, nonpublic schools, area career and technology centers, job service and West Virginia Workforce centers, public libraries, adult education centers, and learning centers that qualify as non-profit entities under 26 U.S.C.S. §501(c)(3) to offer computer operations and cybersecurity courses for adults. This shall occur on a biennium basis beginning on July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2026.

(b) School districts, nonpublic schools, public libraries, area career and technology centers, job service and West Virginia Workforce centers, adult education centers, and learning centers that qualify as non-profit entities under 26 U.S.C.S. §501(c)(3) shall use all or part of the grant money to pay a stipend to a teacher of the course.

(c) The  Superintendent of Schools shall create guidance to implement the grant program.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide computer science and cybersecurity instruction for adult learners.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.