House 5601

WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE

2026 REGULAR SESSION

Introduced

House Bill 5601

By Delegate Green

[Introduced February 16, 2026; referred to the Committee on House Government OrganizationGovernment Organization]

A BILL making a supplementary appropriation from the Governor’s Office – Civil Contingent Fund to the Governor’s Office – Office of Resiliency for deposit into the West Virginia Disaster Recovery Trust Fund; and amending the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding a new section designated §29-31-7a, relating to disaster case management grants administered through the West Virginia Disaster Recovery Trust Fund; requiring competitive award; establishing eligibility requiring a brick-and-mortar presence and operational capacity in West Virginia; requiring coordination with Long-Term Recovery Organizations; setting reporting and accountability requirements; and providing an effective date.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 1. SUPPLEMENTARY APPROPRIATION FOR DISASTER CASE MANAGEMENT.

SECTION 1. Appropriation; transfer; required deposit to trust fund.

Whereas, The Governor submitted the Executive Budget Document to the Legislature, including the State Fund, General Revenue; and

Whereas, The Legislature finds that a public purpose exists to strengthen long-term disaster recovery for West Virginians through professional disaster case management services coordinated with local recovery partners; therefore,

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia, That the items of appropriation set forth below are hereby made for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026:

TITLE II — APPROPRIATIONS.

Section 1. Appropriations from General Revenue.

7 — Governor’s Office — Civil Contingent Fund
(W. Va. Code Chapter 5)
Fund 0105 FY 2026 Org 0100

1. Local Economic Development Assistance (R) (Appropriation 81900) is hereby decreased by $1,000,000.

5 — Governor’s Office — Office of Resiliency
(W. Va. Code Chapter 5)
Fund 0101 FY 2026 Org 0100

1. Office of Resiliency (R) (Appropriation 18600) is hereby increased by $1,000,000.

Provided, That the entire $1,000,000 increase provided in this section shall be deposited and credited by the State Resiliency Officer into the West Virginia Disaster Recovery Trust Fund established pursuant to §29-31-6 of this code and administered pursuant to §29-31-7 of this code, and shall be separately accounted for and used exclusively for the disaster case management purposes set forth in §29-31-7a, as added by this bill.

ARTICLE 2. DISASTER CASE MANAGEMENT GRANTS THROUGH THE DISASTER RECOVERY TRUST FUND.

SECTION 2. The Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, is amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §29-31-7a, to read as follows:

§29-31-7a. Disaster case management grants; competitive awards; West Virginia presence; coordination with Long-Term Recovery Organizations.

(a) Purpose. — The Legislature finds that disaster recovery timelines commonly extend for months and years and that households often require hands-on support to access federal, state, local, philanthropic, and nonprofit recovery resources. Therefore, the purpose of this section is to authorize the State Resiliency Officer to use moneys deposited into the West Virginia Disaster Recovery Trust Fund for professional disaster case management services to assist affected West Virginians in both declared and undeclared disaster events, consistent with the priorities and conditions applicable to the Disaster Recovery Trust Fund.

(b) Definition. — For purposes of this section, “disaster case management” means time-limited, structured support to disaster-impacted households, including: (1) intake and needs assessment; (2) development of a recovery plan; (3) assistance applying for and appealing FEMA or other disaster determinations; (4) navigation of housing, repair, essential-needs, and benefit programs; (5) coordination of referrals and documentation; and (6) transition from crisis response to stable recovery.

(c) Competitive grant process required. —
(1) The State Resiliency Officer shall award grants competitively to one or more eligible organizations to provide disaster case management services in West Virginia.
(2) The State Resiliency Officer may award grants on a statewide, regional, or disaster-event basis and may renew or extend awards based on performance and continued need.
(3) The State Resiliency Officer may require cost reasonableness, standardized reporting, and outcome-based performance measures as conditions of award.

(d) Eligibility; West Virginia brick-and-mortar presence and operational capacity. —
(1) To be eligible for a grant under this section, an organization shall demonstrate all of the following:
(A) A bona fide physical office location (brick-and-mortar presence) in West Virginia, available for public-facing service delivery or program administration;
(B) Operational capacity in West Virginia, which shall include, at a minimum, the ability to deploy and supervise case managers serving West Virginia households, including WV-based staff or contractors and established service-delivery systems; and
(C) Experience providing disaster recovery services, human services case management, or closely related recovery navigation services, as determined by the State Resiliency Officer.
(2) An organization is not required to be headquartered in West Virginia to be eligible under this section: Provided, That it satisfies the physical presence and operational capacity requirements of subdivision (1) of this subsection.

(e) Coordination with Long-Term Recovery Organizations. —
(1) A grantee shall coordinate its disaster case management activities with local or regional Long-Term Recovery Organizations (LTROs), long-term recovery groups, unmet needs committees, VOAD partners, or substantially similar recovery coalitions serving the affected area.
(2) The State Resiliency Officer shall require documentation of coordination as a condition of award, which may include memoranda of understanding, letters of coordination, referral pathways, meeting participation, or other evidence acceptable to the State Resiliency Officer.

(f) Allowable uses; staffing. — Funds awarded under this section may be used for case management staffing and supervision, training, travel for deployment within West Virginia, outreach and intake, client documentation systems, and other direct program costs necessary to deliver disaster case management services: Provided, That funds may not be used for unrelated general fundraising or activities not connected to disaster case management delivery in West Virginia.

(g) Reporting; accountability; records. —
(1) Grantees shall report at least quarterly, in a form prescribed by the State Resiliency Officer, including:
(A) households served and counties served;
(B) types of assistance accessed (including FEMA and other programs);
(C) estimated dollars leveraged or benefits accessed for households, where practicable;
(D) timeliness measures and case outcomes; and
(E) coordination activities with LTROs.
(2) Grantees shall maintain records for inspection and audit and shall comply with any applicable state grant requirements and the disbursement conditions applicable to the Disaster Recovery Trust Fund.

(h) Relationship to existing trust fund law. — Moneys expended under this section shall be administered as disbursements from the West Virginia Disaster Recovery Trust Fund and shall remain subject to the priorities and conditions of §29-31-7 of this code, including prioritization for low-income households and geographic areas.

(i) Effective date. — This section is effective upon passage.