House 4439

WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE

2026 REGULAR SESSION

Introduced

House Bill 4439

By Delegate Statler

[Introduced January 16, 2026; referred to the Committee on Finance]

A BILL to amend and reenact §16-4C-24 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to the emergency medical services equipment and training fund; creating a special court cost fee on certain criminal convictions dedicated to the fund; and providing that state grants are available from this fund to local emergency medical services providers contingent on a matching contribution.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 4C. EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ACT.

§16-4C-24. Emergency Medical Services Equipment and Training Fund; establishment of a grant program for equipment and training of emergency medical service providers and personnel.

(a) There is continued in the State Treasury a special revenue fund to be known as the Emergency Medical Services Equipment and Training Fund. Expenditures from the fund by the Office of Emergency Medical Services and Bureau for Public Health, are authorized from collections. The fund may only be used for the purpose of providing grants to equip emergency medical services providers and train emergency medical services personnel, as defined in §16-4C-3 of this code, and for the program established in §16-4C-6(p).  The funds shall be made available by grants to local emergency medical services providers in a 70%-30% matching basis with 30% of the funding being provided by the local emergency medical services provider receiving the grant. Any balance remaining in the fund at the end of any fiscal year does not revert to the General Revenue Fund but remains in the special revenue fund.

(b) The secretary shall establish a grant program for equipment, training of emergency medical services providers and personnel, and for the program established in §16-4C-6(p). Such grant program shall be open to all emergency medical services personnel and providers, but priority shall be given to rural and volunteer emergency medical services providers.

(c) The secretary shall propose legislative rules for promulgation in accordance with §29A-3-1 et seq. of this code to implement the grant program established pursuant to this section and for the program established in §16-4C-6(p).

(d) Effective July 1, 2026, a $10 fee shall be added to the usual court costs of all criminal court proceedings involving violation or any criminal law of the state or any county or municipality of the state, excluding violations of municipal parking ordinances. All fees collected shall be deposited in a separate account by the collecting agency.  Within 10 calendar days following the beginning of each calendar month, the collecting agency shall forward the amount deposited to the State Treasurer. The Treasurer shall deposit all fees received into the special revenue account provided in §16-4C-24 (a) of the code.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to establish a court fee for all criminal violations to fund grants to equip and train emergency medical service providers and personnel; and to provide that local emergency medical service providers will receive grants on a 70%-30% matching basis, with the local provider providing 30% of the total funds.

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