West Virginia Code 21-1C-3 – Legislative findings; statement of policy
The Legislature finds that the rate of unemployment in this state is significantly higher than that of most other states and that a majority of West Virginia counties are designated as labor surplus areas by the United States department of labor.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 21-1C-3
- local labor market: means every county in West Virginia, and any county outside of West Virginia if any portion of that county is within fifty miles of the border of West Virginia. See West Virginia Code 21-1C-2
- public improvement: includes , the construction of all buildings, roads, highways, bridges, streets, alleys, sewers, ditches, sewage disposal plants, waterworks, airports and all other structures that may be let to contract by a public authority, excluding improvements funded, in whole or in part, by federal funds. See West Virginia Code 21-1C-2
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
The Legislature finds that the employment of persons from outside the local labor market on public improvement construction projects contracted for and subsidized by the taxpayers of the state contributes significantly to the rate of unemployment and the low per capita income among qualified state residents who would otherwise be hired for these jobs.
Therefore, the Legislature declares that residents of local labor markets should be employed for the construction of public improvement projects which directly utilize taxpayer funding, in whole or in part.