reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
WV Code § 49-7-303 (2021)
2021 West Virginia Code|Chapter 49. Child Welfare|Article 7. Interstate Cooperation|§49-7-303. Appointment of Compact Administrator

(a) Upon and after the effective date of the interstate compact for juveniles, the Governor is hereby authorized and empowered to designate an officer who shall be the compact administrator and who, acting jointly with like offices of the other party states, shall be responsible for the administration and management of this state's supervision and transfer of juveniles subject to the terms of this compact, the rules adopted by the interstate commission and the policies adopted by the state council under this compact. The compact administrator shall serve subject to the will and pleasure of the Governor, and must meet the minimum qualifications for the position of compact administrator, as established by the state council. The compact administrator is hereby authorized, empowered and directed to cooperate with all departments, agencies and officers of and in the government of this state and its subdivisions in facilitating the proper administration of the compact or of any supplementary agreement or agreements entered into by this state hereunder.(b) Until the state council has met and established minimum qualifications for the position of compact administrator the individual or administrator who has been designated to act as the juvenile compact administrator for the interstate compact for juveniles may perform the duties and responsibilities of compact administrator under this article.(c) Until the state council has met and designated a commissioner to vote on behalf of the State of West Virginia at the interstate commission, the individual or administrator who has been designated to act as the juvenile compact administrator for the interstate compact for juveniles shall function as the acting commissioner for the State of West Virginia before the interstate commission formed under the new compact.
WV Code § 49-7-304 (2021)
2021 West Virginia Code|Chapter 49. Child Welfare|Article 7. Interstate Cooperation|§49-7-304. Notification of the Effective Date of the Interstate Compact for Juveniles

Within ten days of the date that the thirty-fifth state adopts legislation approving this compact, the appointed or designated juvenile compact administrator under section three hundred three, article seven of this chapter shall advise the Governor, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, the Speaker of the House of Delegates and the President of the Senate of the effective date of this compact.
WV Code § 49-9-101 (2021)
2021 West Virginia Code|Chapter 49. Child Welfare|Article 9. Foster Care Ombudsman Program|§49-9-101. The Foster Care Ombudsman

(a) There is continued within the Office of the Inspector General the position of the West Virginia Foster Care Ombudsman. The Office of the Inspector General shall employ a Foster Care Ombudsman to affect the purposes of this article.(b) In addition to the duties provided in 9-5-27 of this code, the duties of the Foster Care Ombudsman include, but are not limited to, the following:(1) Establishing a statewide procedure to receive, investigate, and resolve complaints filed on behalf of a foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent, or, on the Foster Care Ombudsmans own initiative, on behalf of a foster child, relating to action, inaction, or decisions of the state agency, child-placing agency, or residential care facility which may adversely affect the foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent;(2) Review periodically and make appropriate recommendations for the policies and procedures established by any state agency providing services to foster children, foster parents, kinship parents, including, but not limited to, the system of providing foster care and treatment;(3) Pursuant to an investigation, provide assistance to a foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent who the Foster Care Ombudsman determines is in need of assistance, including, but not limited to, collaborating with an agency, provider, or others on behalf of the best interests of the foster child;(4) Recommend action when appropriate, including, but not limited to, undertaking legislative advocacy and making proposals for systemic reform and formal legal action, in order to secure and ensure the legal, civil, and special rights of foster children who reside in this state;(5) Conduct programs of public education when necessary and appropriate;(6) Have input into the creation of, and thereafter make recommendations consistent with, the foster children, foster parents, and kinship parents bill of rights;(7) Take appropriate steps to advise the public of the services of the Foster Care Ombudsman, the purpose of the ombudsman, and procedures to contact the office; and(8) Make inquiries and obtain assistance and information from other state governmental agencies or persons as the Foster Care Ombudsman requires for the discharge of his or her duties.
WV Code § 49-9-102 (2021)
2021 West Virginia Code|Chapter 49. Child Welfare|Article 9. Foster Care Ombudsman Program|§49-9-102. Investigation of Complaints

(a) Upon receipt of a complaint filed on behalf of a foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent, on his or her own initiative or by court order within the scope of the Foster Care Ombudsman Program, the Foster Care Ombudsman shall investigate, except as provided in 49-9-102(c), any act, practice, policy, or procedure of any state agency, child-placing agency, or residential care facility which affects the health, safety, welfare, or rights of a foster child, a foster parent, or a kinship parent.(b) Investigative activities of the Foster Care Ombudsman include, but are not limited to: information gathering, mediation, negotiation, informing parties of the status of the investigation, notification to any aggrieved party of alternative processes, reporting of suspected violations to a licensing or certifying agency, and the reporting of suspected criminal violations to the appropriate authorities.(c) The Foster Care Ombudsman need not investigate any complaint upon determining that:(1) The complaint is trivial, frivolous, vexatious, or not made in good faith;(2) The complaint has been too long delayed to justify present investigation;(3) The resources available, considering the established priorities, are insufficient for an adequate investigation;(4) The matter complained of is not within the investigatory authority of the Foster Care Ombudsman; or(5) A real or apparent conflict of interest exists and no other person within the office is available to investigate the complaint in an impartial manner.(d) The Office of the Inspector General and other appropriate state governmental agencies may establish and implement cooperative agreements for receiving, processing, responding to, and resolving complaints involving state governmental agencies under the provisions of this section.(e) Beginning with the third quarter of 2020, the Foster Care Ombudsman shall submit a written report to the Governor containing:(1) The number of complaints;(2) The types of complaints;(3) The location of the complaints;(4) How the complaints are resolved; and(5) Any other information the Foster Care Ombudsman feels is appropriate.(f) Beginning in December 2020, the Foster Care Ombudsman shall summarize the quarterly reports and present that information to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability.
WV Code § 49-9-103 (2021)
2021 West Virginia Code|Chapter 49. Child Welfare|Article 9. Foster Care Ombudsman Program|§49-9-103. Access to Foster Care Children

(a) The Foster Care Ombudsman shall, with proper identification, have access to a foster family home, a state agency, a child-placing agency, or a residential care facility for the purposes of investigations of a complaint. The Foster Care Ombudsman may enter a foster family home, a state agency, a child-placing agency, or a residential care facility at a time appropriate to the complaint. The visit may be announced in advance or be made unannounced as appropriate to the complaint under investigation. Upon entry, the Foster Care Ombudsman shall promptly and personally advise the person in charge of his or her presence. If entry is refused by the person in charge, the Foster Care Ombudsman may apply to the magistrate court of the county in which a foster family home, a state agency, a child-placing agency, or a residential care facility is located for a warrant authorizing entry, and the court shall issue an appropriate warrant if it finds good cause therefor.(b) For activities other than those specifically related to the investigation of a complaint, the Foster Care Ombudsman, upon proper identification, shall have access to a foster family home, a state agency, a child-placing agency, or a residential care facility between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. in order to:(1) Provide information on the Foster Care Ombudsman Program to a foster child, foster parents, or kinship parents;(2) Inform a foster child, a foster parent, or a kinship parent of his or her rights and entitlements, and his or her corresponding obligations, under applicable federal and state laws; and(3) Direct the foster child, the foster parents, or the kinship parents to appropriate legal resources;(c) Access to a foster family home, a state agency, a child-placing agency, or a residential care facility under this section shall be deemed to include the right to private communication with the foster child, the foster parents, or the kinship parents.(d) A Foster Care Ombudsman who has access to a foster family home, a state agency, a child-placing agency, or a residential care facility under this section shall not enter the living area of a foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent without identifying himself or herself to the foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent. After identifying himself or herself, an ombudsman shall be permitted to enter the living area of a foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent unless that foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent communicates on that particular occasion the foster child, foster parents, or kinship parents desire to prevent the ombudsman from entering. A foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent has the right to terminate, at any time, any visit by the Foster Care Ombudsman.(e) Access to a foster family home, a state agency, a child-placing agency, or a residential care facility pursuant to this section includes the right to tour the facility unescorted.
WV Code § 49-9-104 (2021)
2021 West Virginia Code|Chapter 49. Child Welfare|Article 9. Foster Care Ombudsman Program|§49-9-104. Access to Records

(a) The Foster Care Ombudsman is allowed access to any foster childs, foster parents or kinship parents records, including medical records reasonably necessary to any investigation, without fee.(b) The Foster Care Ombudsman is allowed access to all records of any foster family home, state agency, child-placing agency, or residential care facility that is reasonably necessary for the investigation of a complaint, including, but not limited to, incident reports; dietary records; policies and procedures that a foster family home, a state agency, a child-placing agency, or a residential care facility are required to maintain under federal or state law; admission agreements; staffing schedules; or any document depicting the actual staffing pattern.
WV Code § 49-9-105 (2021)
2021 West Virginia Code|Chapter 49. Child Welfare|Article 9. Foster Care Ombudsman Program|§49-9-105. Subpoena Powers

(a) The Foster Care Ombudsman may, in the course of any investigation:(1) Apply to the circuit court of the appropriate county or the Circuit Court of Kanawha County for the issuance of a subpoena to compel at a specific time and place, by subpoena, the appearance, before a person authorized to administer oaths, the sworn testimony of any person whom the Foster Care Ombudsman reasonably believes may be able to give information relating to a matter under investigation; or(2) Apply to the circuit court of the appropriate county or the Circuit Court of Kanawha County for the issuance of a subpoena duces tecum to compel any person to produce at a specific time and place, before a person authorized to administer oaths, any documents, books, records, papers, objects, or other evidence which the Foster Care Ombudsman reasonably believes may relate to a matter under investigation.(b) A subpoena or subpoena duces tecum applied for by the Foster Care Ombudsman may not be issued until a circuit court judge in term or vacation thereof has personally reviewed the application and accompanying affidavits and approved, by a signed order entered by the judge, the issuance of the subpoena or subpoena duces tecum. Subpoenas or subpoenas duces tecum applied for pursuant to this section may be issued on an ex parte basis following review and approval of the application by the judge in term or vacation thereof.(c) The Attorney General shall, upon request, provide legal counsel and services to the Foster Care Ombudsman in all administrative proceedings and in all proceedings in any circuit court and the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.
WV Code § 49-9-106 (2021)
2021 West Virginia Code|Chapter 49. Child Welfare|Article 9. Foster Care Ombudsman Program|§49-9-106. Cooperation Among Government Departments or Agencies

(a) The Foster Care Ombudsman shall have access to the records of any state government agency reasonably necessary to any investigation. The Foster Care Ombudsman shall be notified of and be allowed to observe any survey conducted by a government agency affecting the health, safety, welfare, or rights of the foster child, the foster parents, or the kinship parents.(b) The Foster Care Ombudsman shall develop procedures to refer any complaint to any appropriate state government department, agency, or office.(c) When abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a foster child is suspected, the Foster Care Ombudsman shall make a referral to the Bureau for Children and Families, Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification, or both.(d) Any state government department, agency, or office that responds to a complaint referred to it by the Foster Care Ombudsman Program shall make available to the Foster Care Ombudsman copies of inspection reports and plans of correction, and notices of any citations and sanctions levied against the foster family home, the child-placing agency, or the residential care facility identified in the complaint.
WV Code § 49-9-107 (2021)
2021 West Virginia Code|Chapter 49. Child Welfare|Article 9. Foster Care Ombudsman Program|§49-9-107. Confidentiality of Investigations

(a) Information relating to any investigation of a complaint that contains the identity of the complainant or foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent shall remain confidential except:(1) Where disclosure is authorized in writing by the complainant foster child, foster parent, kinship parent, or the guardian. (2) Where disclosure is necessary to the Bureau for Children and Families in order for such office to determine the appropriateness of initiating an investigation regarding potential abuse, neglect, or emergency circumstances; or(3) Where disclosure is necessary to the Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification in order for such office to determine the appropriateness of initiating an investigation to determine facility compliance with applicable rules of licensure, certification, or both.(b) Notwithstanding any other section within this article, all information, records, and reports received by or developed by the Foster Care Ombudsman Program which relate to a foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent, including written material identifying a foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent, are confidential pursuant to 49-5-101 et seq. of this code, and are not subject to the provisions of 29B-1-1 et seq. of this code, and may not be disclosed or released by the Foster Care Ombudsman Program, except under the circumstances enumerated in this section.(c) Nothing in this section prohibits the preparation and submission by the Foster Care Ombudsman of statistical data and reports, as required to implement the provisions of this article or any applicable federal law, exclusive of any material that identifies any foster child, foster parent, kinship parent, or complainant.(d) The Inspector General shall have access to the records and files of the Foster Care Ombudsman Program to verify its effectiveness and quality where the identity of any complainant or foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent is not disclosed.
WV Code § 49-9-108 (2021)
2021 West Virginia Code|Chapter 49. Child Welfare|Article 9. Foster Care Ombudsman Program|§49-9-108. Limitations on Liability

(a) The Foster Care Ombudsman participating in an investigation carried out pursuant to this article who is performing his or her duties is immune from civil liability that otherwise might result by reason of his or her participation in the investigation, as long as such participation is not violative of any applicable law, rule, or regulation, and done within the scope of his or her employment and in good faith.(b) If an act or omission by the Foster Care Ombudsman or an act in good faith pursuant to a specific foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent complaint causes a foster childs, foster parents, or kinship parents rights to be violated, no foster family home, state agency, child-placing agency, or residential care facility, its owners, administrators, officers, director, agents, consultants, employees, or any member of management may be held civilly liable as a result of the act or omission.
WV Code § 49-9-109 (2021)
2021 West Virginia Code|Chapter 49. Child Welfare|Article 9. Foster Care Ombudsman Program|§49-9-109. Willful Interference; Retaliation; Penalties

(a) An individual who willfully interferes with or impedes the Foster Care Ombudsman in the performance of his or her official duties shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $100.(b) An individual who institutes or commits a discriminatory, disciplinary, retaliatory, or reprisal action against a foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent for having filed a complaint with or provided information in good faith to the Foster Care Ombudsman in carrying out the duties pursuant to this article is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $100.(c) An individual violating the provisions of subsection (a) or (b) of this section is, for the second or any subsequent offense under either of these subsections, guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $250. Each day of a continuing violation after conviction shall be considered a separate offense. (d) Nothing in this section infringes upon the rights of an employer to supervise, discipline, or terminate an employee for other reasons.
WV Code § 49-9-110 (2021)
2021 West Virginia Code|Chapter 49. Child Welfare|Article 9. Foster Care Ombudsman Program|§49-9-110. Funding for Foster Care Ombudsman Program

The Foster Care Ombudsman Program shall receive such funds appropriated by the Legislature for the operation of the program.
WV Code § 50-1-1 (2021)
2021 West Virginia Code|Chapter 50. Magistrate Courts|Article 1. Courts and Officers|§50-1-1. Magistrate Court Created

There is hereby created in each county of this state a magistrate court with such numbers of magistrates for each court as are hereafter provided. There shall be elected by the voters of each county, at the general election to be held in 1976, and in every fourth year thereafter, such number of magistrates as is provided in section two of this article. The filing fee for the office of magistrate shall be one percent of the annual salary. The term of magistrates shall be for four years and shall begin on January 1, of the year following the year of election.Effective with the primary election of 2016, all elections for magistrates will be on a nonpartisan basis by division. Beginning in 2016, there will no longer be primary elections held for magistrates and all elections for magistrates are to be held in the nonpartisan judicial election as set forth in article five, chapter three of this code. All indications of party identification on election ballots for magistrate shall be omitted.
WV Code § 50-1-2 (2021)
2021 West Virginia Code|Chapter 50. Magistrate Courts|Article 1. Courts and Officers|§50-1-2. Number of Magistrates

(a) The number of magistrates to be elected in each county of this state shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of this section.(b) The number of magistrates serving in each county of the state shall comport with the numbers certified by the Supreme Court of Appeals to the ballot commissioners of each county on or before January 31, 2000, for purposes of the primary and general elections to be held in the year 2000.(c)(1) The Legislature finds that there exists among the various counties large and unwarranted disparities of caseload between the magistrate courts. The Legislature further finds that the disparity causes an inequity with regard to magistrate court resources and the ability of the courts to effectively meet the needs of the citizens of this state who need to avail themselves of this judicial resource. The Legislature further finds that the system currently in place for allocating magistrate court resources which has been in effect since the year 1991 produces certain anomalies which cause quadrennial reallocation of magistrate resources based upon said anomalies which in turn cause a waste of funds, inequitable workloads, unnecessary shifting of resources and confusion among the various counties.(2) The office of Legislative Services is hereby directed to undertake a comprehensive study of the magistrate courts of the various counties to determine, among other things, the work performed by various personnel in the magistrate court system, how work time is spent by said employees and to report its findings no later than December 10, 2001, to the joint standing committee on the judiciary.(3) The division of criminal justice and highway safety shall, in conjunction with the administrative office of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, compile for consideration by the Legislature statistical information and documentation regarding caseloads, cases handled per year per magistrate, cases per county, cases per circuit and provide to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Delegates no later than the first day of the 2002 regular session of the Legislature, their recommendations for improving the magistrate process, better utilization of court resources, including, but not limited to, categorizing the various types of cases heard in magistrate court and developing a new weighted formula to evaluate types of cases by the amount of time necessary to bring said cases to a resolution.(d) Notwithstanding the other provisions of this section, the allowable number of magistrates serving the counties of Berkeley and Nicholas on March 1, 2001, shall be increased by one in each county, effective July 1, 2001. The initial appointment to the position shall be made in accordance with the provisions of section six of this article.