SB 490 West Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Approving short-term training programs for eligibility for federal Workforce Pell Grants

This bill establishes a process for determining which short-term workforce training programs in West Virginia qualify for federal Workforce Pell Grants. It directs the West Virginia Workforce Development Board to assess programs against federal criteria, define key terms, and require reporting from institutions offering eligible programs. The bill directly affects short-term training providers (like vocational courses or certifications) seeking federal funding to help workers access career-focused education. It creates a state-level mechanism to align local programs with federal grant requirements without changing the federal Pell Grant program itself. The summary focuses solely on the eligibility process, as described in the bill's provisions (§5B-12-1 through §5B-12-6).

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Mar 2026

Signed into Law

Jun 2026

Introduced Jan 19, 2026 Signed Jun 25, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Committee Substitute → Enrolled Committee Substitute · 3 edits · Apr 1, 2026

MINOR

The bill was finalized and enrolled for passage, changing its status from a committee substitute to the official enrolled version. The effective date was updated to July 1, 2026, and the bill now includes standard legal certification signatures from the Senate and House Clerks, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House, and the Governor. One minor text change removed a line break in the description of the statewide workforce information system.

Scope change

The bill's substantive scope regarding the Workforce Pell Grant program and the duties of the Workforce Development Board remains unchanged; the differences are procedural and relate to the bill's finalization and enactment.

TIMELINE

The effective date was updated to July 1, 2026, and the report date was changed to March 12, 2026, reflecting the bill's passage.

TECHNICAL

Added certification signatures for the Senate and House Clerks, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House, and the Governor to formally certify the enrolled bill.

Removed a line break in the description of the statewide workforce and labor market information system.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 6, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 12, 2026

How they voted

32–0

Passed · 1 other

Total votes 33

Feb 6, 2026

D Democratic2

2 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican31

30 Yea 1

96% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 1, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by Governor 4/1/2026

upper

Mar 14, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 - House Journal

lower

Mar 14, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 - Senate Journal

upper

Mar 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed House (Roll No. 422)

lower

Mar 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

Do pass

lower

Feb 10, 2026

Committee

To Government Organization

lower

Feb 9, 2026

Committee

To House Government Organization

lower

Feb 9, 2026

Introduced

Introduced in House

lower

Feb 6, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed Senate (Roll No. 49)

upper

Feb 3, 2026

Upper · Passed

Committee substitute reported

upper

Jan 19, 2026

Introduced

Introduced in Senate

upper

1 primary · 3 co-sponsors