House 2348

2025 REGULAR SESSION

Introduced

House Bill 2348

By Delegate Statler

[Introduced February 13, 2025; referred
to the Committee on Finance]

A BILL to amend and reenact §16-4C-25 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to the Emergency Medical Services Salary Enhancement Fund; and providing that 10 percent of salary enhancement funds be allocated to mental health be redirected to first responder mental health overseen by the Director of the West Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 4C. EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ACT.

§16-4C-25. Emergency Medical Services Salary Enhancement Fund.

(a) There is hereby created in the State Treasury a special revenue fund designated and known as the Emergency Medical Services Salary Enhancement Fund which is an interest- and earnings-accumulating account. The fund is established to support supplementing the salaries of, and providing crisis response for, county emergency medical service personnel as that term is defined in §16-4C-3(g) of this code or a county designated or contracted emergency medical service provider and all moneys must shall be spent to support increasing salaries of emergency medical service workers and providing crisis response to encourage retention. The fund consists of moneys appropriated by the Legislature, grants, gifts, devises, and donations from any public or private source.  All interest and other returns derived from the deposit and investment of moneys in the Emergency Medical Services Salary Enhancement Fund shall be credited to the fund. Any balance, including accrued interest and other returns, remaining in the fund at the end of each fiscal year shall may not revert to the General Revenue Fund but shall remain in the fund and be expended as provided in this section. The Director of the West Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services shall administer the fund.

(b) The Director of the Office of Emergency Medical Services shall propose legislative rules for promulgation and promulgate emergency rules pursuant to the provisions of §29A-3-15 of this code. These rules shall include a means of distributing any available funds to counties to accomplish the purpose of this section with an emphasis on the following factors:

(1) Counties who that may demonstrate the most need;  

(2) Counties that have a special levy for emergency medical services;

(3) Counties that have reached the maximum allowable rate on regular levies; and/or  

(4) Counties that have a challenge recruiting and retaining emergency medical services personnel due to interstate competition.   

(c) The Office of Emergency Medical Services shall prepare an annual report to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability.  The report shall provide:

(1) A county-by-county accounting of how the funds were distributed;

(2) An accounting by county of the number of emergency medical service workers receiving a salary enhancement; and

(3)  Recommendations for continued funding.

The first report is due by July 1, 2024, and annually thereafter.

(d) Upon passage of the amendment to this section and notwithstanding any provision of this article to the contrary, the Director of the Office of Emergency Medical Services shall propose legislative rules for promulgation that provide for a means of distributing a 10 percent salary enhancement to be directed to a more comprehensive statewide plan for first responder mental health overseen by the Office of Emergency Medical Services, rather than diluting the funds across 55 counties.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide that 10 percent of salary enhancement funds be allocated to the first responder mental health overseen by the Director of the West Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services.  The Director is required to propose legislative rules to effect this salary enhancement.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.