Relating to establishing the West Virginia Youth Summer Employment and Career Readiness Program.

Added a new subsection requiring the Department of Commerce to coordinate with the Department of Education and Division of Labor to identify training opportunities and emerging job trends.

Added a new subsection mandating that employer partners pay youth participants at least the applicable minimum wage.

Added a new subsection requiring the department to actively engage with employers and educational institutions to identify employment trends and encourage placements aligned with those trends.

Added a new 'Immunities' section protecting employers and their agents from civil, criminal, or administrative liability when hiring youth participants in good faith.

Updated the funding section to create a specific 'West Virginia Youth Summer Employment and Career Readiness Fund' and authorized expenditures from collections for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 instead of requiring prior legislative appropriations.

Refined the definition of 'Priority youth population' to specify the age range as 'at least 14 and not more than 20 years of age' without the additional detailed criteria list found in the original text.

Added a specific definition for 'priority youth population' that includes youth in foster care, those from households receiving TANF or SNAP benefits, and justice-involved youth.

Added a new requirement for the Department of Commerce to coordinate with the Department of Education and county school boards to identify existing training opportunities.

Added a requirement for the Department to actively engage with employers and economic development partners to recruit them for placements aligned with emerging job growth trends.

The definition of 'Priority youth population' was changed from a general age range (14-20) to a specific age range (14-20) combined with specific vulnerability criteria.

Added a new Section 10 granting legal immunity to employers and their staff from civil, criminal, or administrative liability when hiring youth under 18 in good faith, unless malicious intent is proven.

Clarified that program funds are deposited into a special revenue account and can only be used for specific youth-related expenses like wages, training, and transportation, with a temporary exception allowing spending from collections in 2026 and 2027 before requiring legislative appropriation.

Updated the reporting requirement to mandate a detailed annual report to the Governor and Joint Committee on Government and Finance by December 1, including data on participant outcomes and leveraged funds.

Refined the definition of 'Priority youth population' to specify the age range as 'at least 14 and not more than 20 years of age' and clarified the definition of 'Program' to explicitly include the requirement of being administered by the Division of Workforce Development.

Expanded the legislative findings to explicitly state that the program aims to reduce dependence on governmental assistance and services.

Changed the short title citation from 'West Virginia Youth Summer Employment and Career Readiness Act' to 'West Virginia Youth Summer Employment and Career Readiness Program' in the definitions section, though the short title section remains consistent.

Removed specific statutory criteria defining 'priority youth populations' (e.g., foster care, justice-involved) from the text, shifting the authority to define these groups to legislative rules.

Added a new requirement for employer partners to provide 'matching contributions' (cash or in-kind) to qualify for state grants, with the Department setting minimum standards.

Added new protections ensuring program participation cannot displace existing employees or reduce their wages or hours.

Expanded the program's design goals to explicitly include public service opportunities and exposure to entrepreneurship and small business development.

Simplified the definition of 'priority youth population' to only require age (14-20) and general eligibility, removing the list of specific vulnerable categories from the statute itself.