Recharge West Virginia Program - Workforce Upskilling Reimbursement Act
Summary
West Virginia Governor signed HB4004 into law, establishing the Recharge West Virginia Program to reimburse employers for workforce upskilling costs. Employers may receive up to $10,000 per trainee, with a $50,000 annual cap per employer. Eligible employees must have received a 25% wage increase from training and earn above the state average weekly wage.
What changed
HB4004 enacts the Recharge West Virginia Program, establishing a employer workforce upskilling reimbursement mechanism administered by the state. Employers are eligible for $10,000 per trainee reimbursement when training results in a 25% wage increase for employees whose wages exceed the BLS-reported state average weekly wage. Annual employer reimbursement is capped at $50,000 per fiscal year.
West Virginia employers seeking workforce development cost recovery must ensure upskilling programs generate measurable wage increases meeting the 25% threshold. Employers should evaluate current training investments against program criteria and coordinate with state workforce development agencies for reimbursement processing. The program creates a new financial incentive for employers to invest in employee skill development while meeting wage growth benchmarks.
What to do next
- Review program eligibility criteria for workforce training investments
- Determine if existing employee upskilling initiatives qualify for reimbursement
- Register with West Virginia workforce development authorities to participate
Source document (simplified)
ChangeBridge / West Virginia / HB4004 Signed by Governor HB4004 House Bill Signed by Governor 2026-03-14
Creating the Recharge West Virginia Program
The purpose of this bill is to establish the Recharge West Virginia Program, which reimburses West Virginia employers for the costs of upskilling their workforces. To be eligible for reimbursement, an employee must have received a 25% wage increase as a result of the upskilling training, and the wage must be above the average weekly West Virginia wage, as published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Each employer may receive $10,000 per trainee, and no employer may receive more than $50,000 during any fiscal year.
Bill Details
State West Virginia
Session 2026 Regular Session
Chamber House
Official Source www.wvlegislature.gov/BillStatus/Billshi...
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Sponsors
Evan Worrell (Rep - R) Ryan Browning (Rep - R) Sarah Drennan (Rep - R) Marty Gearheart (Rep - R) Jordan Bridges (Rep - R) George Miller (Rep - R) Andy Shamblin (Rep - R) Mickey Petitto (Rep - R) David Cannon (Rep - R) Stanley Adkins (Rep - R) Lisa White (Rep - R)
Action History
2026-04-01 H Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 2026-03-14 H Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 - House Journal 2026-03-14 S Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 - Senate Journal 2026-03-18 H To Governor 3/18/2026 2026-03-14 S To Governor 3/18/2026 - Senate Journal 2026-03-14 S House Message received 2026-03-14 H Completed legislative action 2026-03-14 H Communicated to Senate 2026-03-14 H Effective from passage (Roll No. 707) 2026-03-14 H House concurred in Senate amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 706) 2026-03-14 H Motion for previous question adopted (Roll No. 705) 2026-03-14 H House received Senate message 2026-03-14 S Senate requests House to concur 2026-03-14 S Effective from passage (Roll No. 705) 2026-03-14 S Passed Senate (Roll No. 704) 2026-03-14 S Read 3rd time 2026-03-14 S On 3rd reading 2026-03-13 S Finance com. amendment adopted (Voice vote) 2026-03-13 S Read 2nd time 2026-03-13 S On 2nd reading 2026-03-12 S Read 1st time 2026-03-12 S Immediate consideration 2026-03-12 S Reported do pass, with amendment 2026-03-05 S To Finance 2026-03-05 S Reported do pass, but first to Finance 2026-02-05 S To Economic Development 2026-02-05 S To Economic Development then Finance 2026-02-05 S Introduced in Senate 2026-02-04 H Communicated to Senate 2026-02-04 H Effective from passage (Roll No. 45) 2026-02-04 H Passed House (Roll No. 44 ) 2026-02-04 H Read 3rd time 2026-02-04 H On 3rd reading, Special Calendar 2026-02-03 H Read 2nd time 2026-02-03 H On 2nd reading, Special Calendar 2026-02-02 H Read 1st time 2026-02-02 H On 1st reading, Special Calendar 2026-01-30 H By substitute, do pass 2026-01-14 H To House Finance 2026-01-14 H Introduced in House 2026-01-14 H To Finance 2026-01-14 H Filed for introduction
Votes
2026-02-04 Passed House (Roll No. 44 ) Yea: 86 Nay: 7 2026-02-04 Effective from passage (Roll No. 45) Yea: 87 Nay: 6 2026-03-14 Passed Senate (Roll No. 704) Yea: 33 Nay: 1 2026-03-14 Effective from passage (Roll No. 705) Yea: 34 Nay: 0 2026-03-14 Motion for previous question adopted (Roll No. 705) Yea: 55 Nay: 40 2026-03-14 House concurred in Senate amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 706) Yea: 89 Nay: 6 2026-03-14 Effective from passage (Roll No. 707) Yea: 92 Nay: 4
Committee Referrals
2026-01-14 H Finance 2026-02-05 S Economic Development 2026-03-05 S Finance
Amendments
2026-03-12 hb4004 s fin am _1 3-12 2026-03-12 hb4004 s fin am _1 3-12 adopted Adopted
Bill Text Versions
0000-00-00 Introduced 0000-00-00 Comm Sub 0000-00-00 Engrossed 0000-00-00 Enrolled
Subjects
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