West Virginia Senate Bill SB 153

West Virginia 2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/14/26
• Refer: 1/14/26

Caption

Requiring background checks at certain drop-in child care services

Summary

SB 153 would require background checks for certain drop-in child care services. Based on the bill caption, the measure appears aimed at adding screening requirements for individuals working in or associated with child care settings that provide short-term, on-demand care, likely to improve child safety and parental confidence in those services. Because the full bill text is not available in the provided materials, the precise statutory changes cannot be identified from the text itself. However, the bill would likely affect state child care licensing or regulatory provisions by imposing criminal history or other background-check requirements on covered providers, employees, or volunteers at qualifying drop-in child care facilities. It would also likely create compliance obligations for operators and potentially enforcement responsibilities for the relevant health and human resources agency.

Impact

SB 153 would likely amend West Virginia law governing child care regulation by adding background-check requirements for certain drop-in child care services. The practical effect would be to impose screening obligations on providers and possibly limit who may work in these facilities, with corresponding administrative duties for state regulators overseeing child care safety and compliance.

Sentiment

The available record shows little direct debate or recorded voting history, so there is no clear evidence of controversy or broad opposition in the provided materials. The bill’s title suggests a child-safety purpose, which typically draws generally favorable sentiment, but without committee transcripts or votes, the level of support cannot be measured precisely.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Potential areas of debate, if raised, would likely include the scope of the background checks, the cost and administrative burden on small drop-in child care providers, privacy concerns for workers, and whether the requirements are narrowly tailored to the types of facilities covered by the bill.