State lawmakers are entering the upcoming legislative session hoping to make improvements to West Virginia’s overwhelmed foster care system, announcing 16 bills so far to fix long-standing problems. One measure would put body cameras on Child Protective Services workers, and another bill would require some counties to use artificial intelligence to help CPS with high caseloads.

Republican lawmakers also want to increase in-state facilities for foster children with the goal of bringing 543 foster children who are in out-of-state group homes back to West Virginia.

West Virginia spent nearly $70 million last fiscal year to house foster children in out-of-state facilities, and some children kept in-state end up living in hotels . The state could funnel that money to in-state facilities

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