2025 REGULAR SESSION

Introduced

House Bill 3318

By Delegates G. Howell and Kump

[Introduced March 12, 2025; referred to the Committee on Government Organization]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding a new article, designated §6C-5-1, §6C-5-2, and §6C-5-3, relating to requiring all employees of the State of West Virginia who have interactions with the public to be trained in customer service.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

article 5. public employee customer service training.

§6C-5-1. Legislative findings.

The Legislature finds that there is a need for a consistent policy and training in customer service in every state agency, division, and subdivision. The Legislature further finds that state employees, state agencies, and the public will be best served if this training is conducted in-person and is fully interactive.

§6C-5-2. Customer service training.

(a) The State of West Virginia Department of Personnel and the Department of Transportation personnel shall prepare a customer service training program for all employees in every state agency who work in positions that deal with the public, whether via email, telephone, in person, or in written letters.

(b) This training program shall be developed by January 1, 2026.

(c) The training program shall be in-person training of eight hours, and must be taught to all employees currently employed in public-facing positions by July 1, 2027, and to all new hires as they are on-boarded and before the new hires can begin their employment.

(d) A handbook of state customer service policies shall be available online.

§6C-5-3. Customer service course updates.

(a) Every three years, a four-hour refresher course in customer service for state employees must be completed by every state employee who works in a position that deals with the public through email, via telephone, in-person, or in written letters to update the employees in new policies and to refresh the employees on customer service protocol.

(b) Every employee who completes the required customer service training shall receive email updates when a new policy or procedure is adopted by the Department of Personnel.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide customer service training to all state employees.

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