Southern Legislative Conference Networking Leads to New Bills

A bill created in West Virginia that would create a work apprenticeship program for 11th and 12th graders stemmed from conversations and networking held at The Southern Legislative Conference.

Bill sponsor Del. Gary Howell, R-Mineral, said he got the idea by hearing about a similar one while attending the Council of State Governments Southern Legislative Conference last summer in Charleston, South Carolina.

“I was learning about this program — I think it was Mississippi, where they were starting apprenticeship programs the last two years of high school, and that there was some federal money available to do this,” Howell said. “So I thought, this is a really good program.”

Delegate Gary Howell currently sits on CSG South’s Executive Committee, Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, and Economic Development, Transportation, and Cultural Affairs Committee.

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