CHARLESTON — Lawmakers ducked a possible run-in with religious groups Sunday in their decision to hold off on a proposed bill dealing with child care license exemptions.
The bill, recommended by the state Bureau for Children and Families, would require certain residential and day care facilities currently exempt from state intervention to be licensed.
Centers targeted in the bill are privately run operations where children are enrolled by their parents, not placed there by the courts.
State officials claim such facilities need to be licensed to ensure that basic standards and guidelines are in place to protect children from abuse and neglect.
But lawmakers expressed concern over the fine line between safeguarding against abuse and neglect and regulating the program content of religious or other private schools.
“We’re saying the department needs to tell us what they’re really getting at,” said Senate Education Chairman Lloyd Jackson, D-Lincoln. “If they want to try to control their programs at a parochial school, the Legislature has already said we’re not going to go there ... and I guarantee the parochial schools are going to object to that.
“If we’re talking about the health, safety and welfare of children, that’s something we will support,” he said.
On a motion from Delegate Barbara Fleischauer, D-Monongalia, the Juvenile Foster Care, Detention and Placement Task Force agreed to move forward without recommending the bill. A redrafted bill that addresses lawmakers’ concerns could potentially receive the committee’s support, Jackson said.
The committee on Sunday approved two other bills it will introduce during this year’s 60-day session, which starts Wednesday.
One would enhance the ability of Child Protective Services staff to find allegedly abused or neglected children by using subpoenas.
The other would amend a law on placing abused or neglected children in long-term or permanent foster care to comply with federal regulations and avoid loosing federal child welfare funds.

Senate Bill 653 is the main topic on tap for West Virginia University President David Hardesty in his annual State of the University Address Monday.
Hardesty will outline the five-year higher education compact at 3 p.m. at WVU’s National Research Center for Coal and Energy.
Senate Bill 653 addresses the goals to elaborate and continue graduate offerings and to support economic development through professional programs.
Each institution was required to create its own compact representing its mission and plan for meeting the goals of the bill.
WVU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Gerald Lang and Regional Campus Presidents Karen LaRoe of WVU Institute of Technology, Mary Rittling of Potomac State College at WVU and Erik Bitterman of WVU Parkersburg are also scheduled to speak about the compact Monday.
Compacts were submitted to the Higher Education Policy Commission Feb. 1 for approval.
Faculty Senate will meet following Hardesty’s address. The meeting will focus on new curriculum and course changes and attendance policies at WVU.
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