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Senator urges immediate passage of $8 million emergency loan for Hancock County schools; colleagues call for deliberation
Summary
A senator urged the West Virginia Senate to immediately consider House Bills 4574 and 4575, which he said would provide an $8 million emergency loan to cover Hancock County school employees’ pay; another senator urged caution and called for a local prosecuting‑attorney inquiry into the circumstances that prompted the bills.
A senator urged the West Virginia Senate on Jan. 20 to suspend rules and immediately pass two House bills he said would provide an $8,000,000 emergency loan to ensure Hancock County school employees — including teachers, bus drivers, custodians and cooks — receive paychecks.
The senator from Ohio told colleagues the measure had passed the House overwhelmingly and that he expected the Senate to treat the matter as an emergency, saying the bills were referred instead to two committees. "These bills would provide an emergency $8,000,000 loan, and I want to emphasize loan, so that Hancock County teachers, bus drivers, custodians, and cooks could be paid," he said. "To the people of Hancock County, make no mistake, I have your back."
Why it matters: The senator compared the situation to a 2023 emergency action the Legislature took to prevent a hospital closure and said the financial request was roughly one‑tenth of that prior allocation. He argued that failing to act quickly could leave school employees without pay and students without staff.
A fellow senator pushed back on the call for rushed action. The senator from Cabell, a former prosecutor, said the Senate is a deliberative body and praised the decision to take time to examine the bills. He said he had spoken with the State Board of Education and suggested a local prosecuting attorney investigate "whether or not there was any criminal wrongdoing here," while adding, "I'm not saying there was." He recommended proceeding carefully rather than immediately suspending rules.
The House passage: The senator from Ohio said the two House bills passed the House with only two "no" votes and included "guardrails, transparency, and accountability provisions." He said he had worked with the House majority leader on the bills for more than a month.
Next steps: In this session the bills were referred to standing committees rather than taken up for immediate passage in the Senate. Senators did not vote on the measures during the Jan. 20 session; committee referrals mean further consideration and possible amendment at committee hearings or future floor action.
