A West Virginia Senate committee advanced a bill Tuesday that would require the Bureau for Behavioral Health to study the state’s homeless population and report the findings to lawmakers for consideration of legislation concerning the issue.
The Health and Human Resources Committee approved Senate Bill 239, which would require the bureau to work with behavioral health and substance use disorder providers, municipal and county governments to study “a breakdown of homeless demographic information throughout West Virginia.”
The legislation’s lead sponsor is Sen. Mike Azinger, R-Wood.
The study would include a breakdown of homeless demographic information throughout the state and regionally; an inventory of homelessness resources by region; an epidemiological analysis of homeless populations in West Virginia; and identification of key metrics to measure homelessness across West Virginia in a more consistent manner.
It also would include an analysis of whether the West Virginia homeless population concentrates in certain counties or municipalities and why; a determination of whether state policy causes the homeless population to relocate to certain counties or municipalities; a determination of percentage of homeless people who lived in another state or jurisdiction in the past three years or are from another state or jurisdiction; and analysis of whether any health and human service benefits offered in West Virginia attract populations that are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
The committee substitute approved Tuesday included technical changes throughout the original bill and added July 1, 2024 as a deadline for the study to be complete and submitted to lawmakers for consideration of legislation that may be appropriate relating to homelessness in the state.
The committee advanced the bill with no discussion and with no witness testimony.
Also Tuesday, the Senate Health Committee approved Senate Bill 241 and Senate Bill 243, which are also sponsored by Azinger.
Committee Chairman Mike Maroney, R-Marshall, said the bills are all related. Another bill concerning similar issues will be brought up but was not able to be “cleaned up” enough in time for Tuesday’s meeting, Maroney said. He was not available to answer questions Tuesday afternoon.
SB 241 would authorize the state Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification to investigate and enforce the Patient Brokering Act, a law that makes it illegal for health care providers to offer pay or commission for patient referrals. The bill also requires the office to develop a tool that facilitates public complaints regarding the act.
A committee substitute for SB 243 would add a section to the Patient Brokering Act to require inpatient substance use providers to offer their patients, on discharge, transportation back to their home state, a state where they’ve they previously lived, or a state where they have family support. The bill does not address how the transportation would be funded.
All three bills were referred next to the full Senate for a vote.
Lori Kersey covers the city and county. She can be reached at 304-348-1240 or lori.kersey
