CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Advocates for impoverished people are urging West Virginia lawmakers to oppose two bills being heard in a House committee Thursday, that they claim punish low-income people and drug users.

Senate Bill 387 would make permanent a pilot program that screens recipients of the state's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, for drugs.

Josh Lohnes, food policy research director at West Virginia University, thinks the bill places an unnecessary burden on low-income people and is a waste of taxpayer dollars since not many recipients test positive.

He pointed out the bill would restrict access to cash for the most vulnerable families with children during the pandemic, when they need assistance most.

"This is anti-poor legislation," Lohnes argued. "It's discriminatory, and there's this notion that the poor are irresponsible with their funds, that they don't know how to manage money, and they're going to go and use state funds to buy drugs, which is absolutely untrue."

Supporters of the bill say it's meant to help folks with substance-abuse problems get clean.

West Virginia is one of only 15 states in the nation to require drug screenings for cash assistance.

The second bill the House Committee on Health and Human Resources will consider would make it more difficult to run harm-reduction programs such as needle exchanges and syringe services that decrease the spread of diseases.

Jill Kriesky, retired associate director of the Southwest Pennsylvania Environment Health Project and author of a West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy report on harm-reduction solutions in the state, said the bill's requirements would make the programs too expensive to run and harm folks who depend on clean equipment.

"People who don't have access to clean syringes will reduce or share syringes, and diseases that are carried through used syringes like HIV and hepatitis C will increase significantly," Kriesky predicted.

She added the bill's provisions go against the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and will cost more money for medical care.

Advocates for Senate Bill 334 say the programs cause needle litter and needle-stick injuries and pose a risk to the public.


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Amid workforce issues within health care, the state of Minnesota is poised to soon roll out a nursing recruiting initiative.

In the meantime, some community-action agencies are helping those experiencing poverty enter the field. The offices connect low-income individuals to a variety of resources, including home heating assistance and housing support. At the Lakes and Prairies Community Action Partnership in Moorhead, job training is on the list, too.

Amy Feland, career connect manager for the partnership, said they work with a local technical college in helping people interested in becoming a certified nursing assistant. Her team serves as the coach, cheering and supporting clients along the way.

"Whether it's supporting [them] through the training, supporting them because they don't have housing or transportation, things like that," Feland explained.

When a client completes training, the office assists with things like resume writing and interview practice.

Meanwhile, the state health department said plans are still coming together for its recruiting effort, which will cover education and career advancement. A 2022 department report found job vacancies have increased in nearly all health professions since the pandemic began.

For her office's part, Feland emphasized follow-through is crucial in guiding clients who sign up for the training. She added they recognize those trying to escape poverty are navigating a variety of forces complicating the process.

"We don't want them to just go through the training and be like, 'OK, I did that.' And then not even getting a job because of A, B or C," Feland noted.

She stressed having success early on can help inspire clients to go back to school in hopes of taking their careers even further. The job training program uses funding from Community Services Block Grants. In Minnesota, the community action agency in Duluth carries out a similar training effort for nursing assistants, even providing participants with free child care.

Legislation introduced in the Commonwealth aims to reduce the racial wealth gap by creating a statewide "Baby Bonds" program.

The investments are made and managed by the government on behalf of newborn children in low-income households with little opportunity to generate wealth. The funds are then made available to the child once they turn 18, and can be used for college, starting a business or even to purchase a home.

Deborah Goldberg, State Treasurer, called it a proactive approach to addressing historic inequities.

"This is good for everybody, because it ultimately creates a stronger economy within our state," Goldberg asserted.

Goldberg noted a state task force advised an initial Baby Bonds investment from the American Rescue Plan. Children one year of age or younger in families receiving certain public benefits or in foster care would be automatically enrolled.

Many communities of color in Massachusetts have historically been excluded from traditional opportunities to build wealth. A 2015 Federal Reserve study found in the greater Boston area alone, the median net worth for white households is nearly $250,000, while for Black households it's just $8.

Joe Diamond, executive director of the Massachusetts Association for Community Action, a coalition of community action agencies, said Baby Bonds provide a foundation for equal opportunity.

"It's really difficult for the people that we serve to be in a position to not only work with what they have at the moment, but then to think about a hopeful future," Diamond observed.

Connecticut and Washington, D.C., have already passed laws creating Baby Bonds, and several other states are considering them. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., recently introduced the American Opportunity Accounts Act to create a national Baby Bonds program, as she puts it, to make "economic opportunity a birthright."

A bill to increase tax credits in the Commonwealth is backed up by research showing the credits lead to better nutrition for working families and better long-term health outcomes for children. Lawmakers want to expand the state Earned Income Tax Credit and streamline other existing dependent tax credits to help put even a few hundred dollars back in the pockets of working people, including immigrants and many essential workers.

Democratic State Senator Jamie Eldridge said while food, energy and housing prices are up significantly, the bill is about more than just rebates.

"It's also about their health care," Eldridge said. "It's about taking care of kids and making sure they have adequate nutrition, and it's something that really has a tremendous impact on the entire Commonwealth. "

Eldridge added the legislation will help decrease food insecurity and ensure a basic standard of living for people to survive in an increasingly expensive Commonwealth.

Expansion of the Child Tax Credit is credited with cutting child poverty in the U.S. by more than 40% during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies show the tax credits improve the health of mothers, decrease low birth weights in infants, and even lead to improved academic outcomes for children.

Charlotte Bruce, senior research and policy analyst with Children's Health Watch at Boston Medical Center, said the tax credits provide direct cash payments to those in need.

"When you look at the data of how families spend tax credits, particularly if they're done periodically, they're really being used to afford basic needs and other enrichments for their child," she said.

Bruce added the extra income allows people to spend money on healthy meals and necessary medical care.

But tax credits cannot help families if they don't know they exist. MASSCAP, a coalition of Community Action Agencies, operates 40 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance centers to help people receive the benefits to which they are entitled.

Ancel Tejada, Financial Empowerment Program Manager with MASSCAP, called the tax credits "course changing."

"A lot of our families do take that time and opportunity to get that money, and they do start their emergency savings account and they do start to pay back some back debt, Tejada said."

Tejada added the expanded tax credits recently helped one mother take her daughter to the beach for the first time, providing a healthy respite for both mother and child.