HB 4817 West Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Relating to modifying the Charter Schools Startup Fund

HB 4817 changes the name of West Virginia's "Charter Schools Stimulus Fund" to the "Charter Schools Startup Fund" and modifies its administration. The bill requires charter school applicants to submit applications directly to the West Virginia Professional Charter School Board, expands eligible uses of funds to cover startup costs like personnel, instructional materials, equipment, and building renovations, and eliminates prior financial capacity requirements. It mandates repayment with interest if schools fail to open within 30 months after receiving grants (up to $300,000 initially, plus $100,000 later), with the Board managing distributions based on funding availability. This bill directly affects new and existing charter school applicants and schools seeking startup financial support in West Virginia.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 26, 2026 Last action Feb 17, 2026
Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
10
Key actions
0
Committee
6
Feb 17, 2026
Committee
To House Finance
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Committee
Do pass, but first to Finance
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Committee
To House Education
lower
Jan 28, 2026
Committee
To House Educational Choice
lower
Jan 26, 2026
Committee
To House Education
lower
Jan 26, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Jan 26, 2026
Committee
To Education then Finance
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Kathie Hess Crouse
Kathie Hess Crouse
RRepublican
WV
19