WEST virginia legislature

2020 regular session

Introduced

House Bill 4437

By Delegates J. Jeffries, Toney, Maynard and Porterfield

(By Request of the State Auditor)

[Introduced January 21, 2020; Referred
to the Committee on Government Organization.]

A BILL to amend and reenact §12-3A-4 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to the West Virginia Pay Card program; and providing additional eligible unbanked recipients of a pay card.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

Article 3A. Financial Electronic Commerce.

§12-3A-4. Payment by a West Virginia pay card.

The State Auditor and the State Treasurer may jointly establish a state-stored value debit card program known as the “West Virginia Pay Card” for recipients of employee payroll, retirement benefits, or entitlement programs, vocational rehabilitation services funds disbursed pursuant to §18-10A-6 of this code, foster care and adoption stipends, subsidies, and other payments made under programs administered by the Department of Health and Human Resources, payments to contractors of the state, or other eligible payees of state funds, who do not possess a federally insured depository institution account. The State Auditor and the State Treasurer shall use every reasonable effort to encourage all identified unbanked recipients to obtain a federally insured depository account. The State Auditor shall include an unbanked recipient in the program upon determining that good cause exists. Once an unbanked recipient is included in the program, the State Auditor shall provide the State Treasurer with an electronic file containing the necessary unbanked recipient information. The State Treasurer shall issue a request for proposals in accordance with §12-3A-3 of this code to aid in the administration of the program. The State Auditor shall assist in the review of pay card proposals. In carrying out the purposes of this article, the State Treasurer shall not compete with banks or other federally insured financial institutions, or for profit.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to add additional eligible unbanked payees of state funds to the West Virginia Pay Card Program in order to increase efficiencies and decrease the amount and expense of paper check issuances.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.