The proposed bill establishes the "Recharge West Virginia Act," which creates the Recharge West Virginia Program aimed at reimbursing qualifying employers for the costs associated with providing upskilling training to their employees. The program will be administered by the Division of Economic Development and will define key terms such as "eligible employee," "eligible training," and "qualifying employer." Employers can receive reimbursement for training costs up to $10,000 per employee, with a cap of $50,000 per employer per fiscal year. The bill outlines the application process, eligibility criteria, and the necessary documentation required for reimbursement, including proof of training and wage increases.

Additionally, the bill includes provisions to prevent duplicative reimbursements, requiring employers to certify that they are not seeking reimbursement for the same training costs from other state-funded programs. The Division of Economic Development is tasked with creating rules and guidelines for the program, including emergency rules to facilitate its implementation. Employers are also required to maintain detailed records related to the training and employee wage increases for a minimum of five years, with certain protections in place to ensure the confidentiality of this information.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 5B-2P-1, 5B-2P-2, 5B-2P-3, 5B-2P-4, 5B-2P-5
Committee Substitute: 5B-2P-1, 5B-2P-2, 5B-2P-3, 5B-2P-4, 5B-2P-5
Engrossed Committee Substitute: 5B-2P-1, 5B-2P-2, 5B-2P-3, 5B-2P-4, 5B-2P-5