§49-6-1a. Minimum staffing complement for child protective services.
For the sole purpose of increasing the number of full time front line child protective service case workers and investigators, the secretary of the department of health and human resources shall have the authority to transfer funds between all general revenue accounts under the secretary's authority and/or between personnel and nonpersonnel lines within each account under the secretary's authority:
Provided, That nothing in this section shall be construed to require the department to hire additional child protective service workers at any time if the department determines that funds are not available for such workers. Additionally, the secretary shall prepare a plan to allow the department to progressively reduce caseload standards in West Virginia for child protective services workers, which if adopted by the Legislature during the regular session of the year one thousand nine hundred ninety-five, shall require implementation no later than the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-six, with said plan to be submitted to the joint committee on government and finance by the thirtieth day of September, one thousand nine hundred ninety-four, and a final report to be submitted to the Legislature by the first day of January, one thousand nine hundred ninety-five.