House 5072

WEST virginia legislature

2026 regular session

Introduced

House Bill 5072

By Delegate Rohrbach

[Introduced; referred

to the Committee on]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding a new article, designated §18B-23-1, relating to the establishment of the TechCred program; providing for a definition; enacting the program; and providing for conditions.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 23. techcred program.

§18B-23-1. TechCred Program; definitions; enactment of program; conditions.

(a) As used in this section, "microcredential" means an industry-recognized credential or certificate that an applicant may complete in not more than one year and that is approved by the chancellor of higher education.

(b) There is hereby created the TechCred program to reimburse employers from appropriations made for that purpose for training costs for prospective and incumbent employees to earn a microcredential. The West Virginia Office of Economic Development, in consultation with the Governor's office and the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, shall develop the program.

(c)(1) An employer seeking to participate in the program shall submit an application to the West Virginia Office of Economic Development during an application period established by the director. The employer shall include in the application all of the following information:

(A) Proof that the employer is registered to do business in this state;

(B) Proof that the employer is current on all tax obligations to the state;

(C) Proof that the employer is in compliance with all environmental regulations applicable to the employer;

(D) The name of the training provider from which a prospective or incumbent employee will receive the training and earn the microcredential;

(E) The cost of the training;

(F) The positions for which earning the microcredential will make a prospective or incumbent employee qualified or the occupational skill set that the prospective or incumbent employee will acquire on completing the training;

(G) The address of the facility or location at which the prospective or incumbent employee is expected to be employed after completing the training;

(H) Any other information the director requires.

(2) In addition to the information required under subsection (c)(1) of this section, an employer seeking to participate in the program also may submit any of the following information the employer wishes to provide to the director:

(A) The estimated wage after completing the training and earning the microcredential;

(B) The demographic information of the employer, including race and gender;

(C) Any demographic information of a prospective or incumbent employee that the employee provides to the employer, including race and gender;

(D) Any other information the employer wishes to provide to the director.

(d)(1) The director shall consider all applications submitted during an application period after the application period ends. The director shall consider the following factors in determining whether to approve an application:

(A) The duration of the training program;

(B) The cost of the training;

(C) A prospective or incumbent employee's estimated wage after completing the training and earning the microcredential;

(D) Whether approving an application will promote regional diversity in apportioning reimbursements uniformly across the state;

(E) Any other factors the director considers relevant in determining whether to approve an

application.

(2) The chancellor of higher education shall establish a list of approved microcredentials. The director shall not approve an application submitted under division (C) of this section unless the microcredentials identified in the application are included in the chancellor's list. Not later than 90 days after July 1, 2026, the director shall create a list of training providers that offer a microcredential included in the chancellor's list. Thereafter, the director shall annually update the list of training providers.

(3) If the director approves an employer's application for participation in the program, the approval is valid as long as the employer maintains accurate application information under subsection (c)(1) of this section with the director. The employer shall submit the updated information to the director at the beginning of the third fiscal year the employer participates in the program and every other subsequent fiscal year thereafter.

(e)(1) Each participating employer seeking reimbursement for training costs for a prospective or incumbent employee shall submit an application to the director that includes all of the following information for each prospective or incumbent employee:

(A) The prospective or incumbent employee's name and position, if applicable, at the time of submitting the application;

(B) The actual amount the employer paid to the training provider for the training;

(D) Evidence that the prospective or incumbent employee earned a microcredential;

(D) Evidence that the prospective or incumbent employee is a resident of this state.

(2) The amount of the reimbursement shall be not more than $2,000 for each microcredential a prospective or incumbent employee receives.

(f) No participating employer shall require a prospective or incumbent employee who receives a microcredential because the employer participated in and received a reimbursement through the employer's participation in the TechCred program to accept or continue employment with the employer.

(g)(1) The director shall do both of the following regarding the operation of the program:

(A) Create an application to participate in the program and an application for reimbursement;

(B) Create an internet website with the applications for and information regarding the program created in this section.

(2) The governor's office of workforce transformation shall include on the office's internet website either of the following:

(A) The applications for and information regarding the program created in this section;

(B) An internet link to the internet website created under this section.

(3) The director may adopt rules regarding the operation of the program as the director considers necessary to administer the program, including establishing priority guidelines for approving applications under subsection (d) of this section.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to establish the TechCred program.

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