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Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia allows Workforce WV to match unemployment claimants with private job openings
Last action · February 11, 2026: To House Government OrganizationSponsors: Linville and 8 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Workforce West Virginia is permitted to share tailored private-employer job openings with unemployment claimants based on their prior job history and salary range. The measure requires claimants to apply for suitable referred jobs within one week and accept offers of . Employers must report any refusals of referred jobs or departures within six weeks of hiring.
Unemployment claimants face mandatory job application timelines and referral acceptance rules tied directly to their benefit eligibility, while employers assume new reporting duties regarding candidate responses and early job departures.
- Workforce West Virginia is the state agency responsible for administering unemployment compensation and providing reemployment services to job seekers. context
- House Bill 4978 was introduced during the 2026 Regular Session of the West Virginia Legislature and referred to the House Committee on Government Organization. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Unemployment compensation claimants
Claimants are subject to mandatory job application timelines for agency referrals and must accept suitable work offers to maintain benefit eligibility.
Private employers
Employers must report to the commissioner if a referred claimant refuses an employment offer or leaves or is dismissed within six weeks of starting.
Workforce West Virginia
The agency is authorized and directed to establish processes for sharing open positions, making direct referrals, facilitating contact, and monitoring claimant responsiveness.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must an unemployment claimant do when referred to a job by Workforce West Virginia?
Are part-time workers penalized under these rules?
What are employers required to report regarding referred candidates?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
6 actions- Feb 11, 2026HouseCommitteeTo House Government Organization
- Jan 30, 2026HouseCommitteeTo House Government Adminstration
- Jan 29, 2026HouseCommitteeTo House Government Organization
- Jan 29, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced in House
- Jan 29, 2026HouseCommitteeTo Government Organization
- Jan 29, 2026HouseIntroducedFiled for introduction
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Active Private Sector Job Matching
The measure shifts state workforce operations from passive job search verification to active outreach connecting unemployment claimants with tailored private-employer openings.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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