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FISCAL NOTE
2024 REGULAR SESSION
Introduced
House Bill 4877
By Delegate Crouse
[Introduced January 17, 2024; Referred to the Committee on Pensions and Retirement then Finance]
A BILL to amend and reenact §8-15-8b of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; and to amend and reenact §33-3-14d and §33-3-33 of said code, all relating to authorizing an expenditure of revenue from the Municipal Pension and Protection Fund and Fire Protection Fund.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
(a) Money received from the state for volunteer and part-volunteer fire companies and departments, pursuant to §33-3-14d, §33-3-33, and §33-12C-7 of this code, shall be deposited into a bank account dedicated to state received funds and may not be commingled with moneys received from any source other than the state. Distributions from the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund and the Fire Protection Fund allocated to volunteer and part-volunteer fire companies and departments may be expended only for the following:
(1) Personal protective equipment, including helmet, bunker coats, pants, boots, gloves, or combination of bunker pants and boots, coats, and gloves;
(2) Equipment for compliance with the national fire protection standard or automotive fire apparatus, NFPA-1901;
(3) Compliance with insurance service office recommendations relating to fire departments;
(4) Rescue equipment, communications equipment, and ambulance equipment: Provided, That no moneys received from the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund or the Fire Protection Fund may be used for equipment for personal vehicles owned or operated by volunteer or part-volunteer fire company or department members;
(5) The direct costs incurred due to the purchase of land, the construction of new facilities, or the expansion of current facilities, when these costs can be demonstrated by the department to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the fire protection services; as well as maintenance required to maintain the functionality of physical facilities of the department;
(6) Retirement of debts, but only if the debts were incurred exclusively for the purchase of the goods and services allowed under this subsection;
(7) Payment of utility bills, including internet and telephone bills which may include cell phones when the cell phone is used for fire department related work only;
(8) Payment of the cost of immunizations, including any laboratory work incident to the immunizations, for firefighters against hepatitis-b and other blood-borne pathogens only when: (A) purchased through the state immunization program or lowest-cost provider; and (B) no-cost or low-cost administration from local boards of health or other similar programs are unavailable;
(9) Insurance policies, including:
(A) Property/casualty insurance premiums for protection and indemnification against loss or damage or liability;
(B) Life insurance premiums to provide a benefit not to exceed $20,000 for firefighters;
(C) Accident and sickness insurance premiums which may be offered to cover individual members of a volunteer or part-volunteer fire company; or
(D) Umbrella policies that contain various types of insurance policies to protect against loss and liability, so long as life insurance premiums in the amounts prescribed above and property/casualty insurance are part of any umbrella policy;
(10) Operating expenses reasonably required in the normal course of providing effective and efficient fire protection service, which include, but are not limited to, gasoline, bank fees, postage, and accounting costs;
(11) Dues paid to national, state, and county associations;
(12) Workers’ compensation premiums;
(13) Educational and training supplies and fire prevention promotional materials, not to exceed $500 per year; and
(14) Food, bottled water, and food-related items, like disposable plates and utensils, to provide necessary meals and water to a fire company when responding to an emergency and is in no way connected to any fundraising events; and
(15) Volunteer firefighter recruitment and retention.
(b) If a volunteer or part-volunteer fire company or department uses any amount of money received from the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund or the Fire Protection Fund for an item, service, or purpose not authorized by this section, that amount, when determined by an official audit, review, or investigation, shall be deducted from future distributions to the volunteer fire company or part-volunteer fire department.
(c) If a volunteer or part-volunteer fire company or department purchases goods or services authorized by this section, but then returns the goods or cancels the services for a refund, then any money refunded shall be deposited back into the same, dedicated bank account used for the deposit of distributions from the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund and the Fire Protection Fund.
(d) A volunteer or part-volunteer fire company or department shall have a dedicated bank account for all funds received from the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund, the Fire Protection Fund, and any other state distribution, including state grant money.
(1) Any distributions received from the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund or the Fire Protection Fund shall remain in the bank account dedicated to receiving state funds and be used in accordance with this section.
(2) All other moneys, including state grants, must be transferred out of the account used to receive state funds and transferred into another bank account within 60 days of receipt and such transfer must be in the exact amount of the deposit. If any money is received from sources other than the Municipal Pensions and Fire Protection Fund or the Fire Protection Fund and is not transferred to another account within 60 days, the money may only be used in accordance with this section.
(e) Each volunteer or part-volunteer fire company and department shall retain, for five calendar years, all invoices, receipts, and payment records for the goods and services paid with money received from the state for volunteer and part-volunteer fire companies and departments, pursuant to §33-3-14d, §33-3-33, and §33-12C-7 of this code and money received as a grant from the Fire Service Equipment and Training Fund as provided in §29-3-5f of this code.
(f) Volunteer and part-volunteer fire companies and departments may also invest the received moneys, described in subsection (a) of this section, and collect interest thereon: Provided, That volunteer and part-volunteer fire companies and departments shall not commingle the received moneys with funds received from any other source, shall not use the invested money as collateral or security for any loan, and shall retain all resulting statements of accounts and earnings for a minimum of five years from the date of the statements.
(a)(1) For the purpose of providing additional revenue for municipal policemen's and firemen’s pension and relief funds and the Teachers Retirement System Reserve Fund and for volunteer and part-volunteer fire companies and departments, there is hereby levied and imposed an additional premium tax equal to one percent of taxable premiums for fire insurance and casualty insurance policies. For purposes of this section, casualty insurance does not include insurance on the life of a debtor pursuant to or in connection with a specific loan or other credit transaction or insurance on a debtor to provide indemnity for payments becoming due on a specific loan or other credit transaction while the debtor is disabled as defined in the policy.
(2) All moneys collected from this additional tax shall be received by the commissioner and paid by him or her into a special account in the State Treasury, designated the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund: Provided, That on or after January 1, 2010, the commissioner shall pay 10 percent of the amount collected to the Teachers Retirement System Reserve Fund created in §18-7A-18 of this code, 25 percent of the amount collected to the Fire Protection Fund created in §33-3-33 of this code for allocation by the Treasurer to volunteer and part-volunteer fire companies and departments and 65 percent of the amount collected to the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund: Provided, however, That upon notification by the Municipal Pensions Oversight Board pursuant to the provisions of §8-22-18b this code, on or after January 1, 2010, or as soon thereafter as the Municipal Pensions Oversight Board is prepared to receive the funds, 65 percent of the amount collected by the commissioner shall be deposited in the Municipal Pensions Security Fund created in §8-22-18b of this code. The net proceeds of this tax after appropriation thereof by the Legislature is distributed in accordance with the provisions of this section, except for distribution from proceeds pursuant to §8-22-18a(d) of this code.
(b)(1) Before August 1 of each year, the treasurer of each municipality in which a municipal policemen’s or firemen’s pension and relief fund is established shall report to the State Treasurer the average monthly number of members who worked at least one hundred hours per month and the average monthly number of retired members of municipal policemen's or firemen's pension and relief fund or the Municipal Police Officers and Firefighters Retirement System during the preceding fiscal year: Provided, That beginning in the year 2010 and continuing thereafter, the report shall be made to the oversight board created in §8-22-18a of this code. These reports received by the oversight board shall be provided annually to the State Treasurer by September 1.
(2) Before September 1 of each calendar year, the State Treasurer, or the Municipal Pensions Oversight Board, once in operation, shall allocate and authorize for distribution the revenues in the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund which were collected during the preceding calendar year for the purposes set forth in this section. Before September 1 of each calendar year and after the Municipal Pensions Oversight Board has notified the Treasurer and commissioner pursuant to §8-22-18b of this code, the Municipal Pensions Oversight Board shall allocate and authorize for distribution the revenues in the Municipal Pensions Security Fund which were collected during the preceding calendar year for the purposes set forth in this section. In any year the actuarial report required by §8-22-20 of this code indicates that no actuarial deficiency exists in the municipal policemen's or firemen's pension and relief fund and that no pension funding revenue bonds of the building commission of such municipality remain outstanding, no revenues may be allocated from the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund or the Municipal Pensions Security Fund to that fund. The revenues from the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund shall then be allocated to all other pension and relief funds which have an actuarial deficiency. Pension funding revenue bonds include bonds of a municipality's building commission the net proceeds of which were used to fund either or both of a municipality’s policemen’s or firemen's pension and relief fund or bonds issued to refinance such bonds.
(3) The Municipal Pensions Oversight Board shall annually review the investment performance of each municipal policemen’s or firemen’s pension and relief fund. If the municipal pension and relief fund's board fails for three consecutive years to comply with the investment provisions established §8-22-22a of this code, the oversight board may require the municipal policemen's or firemen's pension and relief fund to invest with the Investment Management Board to continue to receive its allocation of funds from the premium tax. If the municipal pension and relief fund fails to move its investments to the Investment Management Fund within the 18-month drawdown period, provided in §8-22-19(e) of this code, the revenues shall be reallocated to all other municipal policemen's or firemen's pension and relief funds that have drawn down one hundred percent of their allocations.
(4) The moneys, and the interest earned thereon, in the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund allocated to volunteer and part-volunteer fire companies and departments shall be allocated and distributed quarterly to the volunteer fire companies and departments. Before each distribution date, the State Fire Marshal shall report to the State Treasurer the names and addresses of all volunteer and part-volunteer fire companies and departments within the state which meet the eligibility requirements established in §8-15-8A of this code.
(c)(1) Each municipal pension and relief fund shall have allocated and authorized for distribution a pro rata share of the revenues allocated to municipal policemen's and firemen's pension and relief funds based on the corresponding municipality's average monthly number of police officers and firefighters who worked at least 100 hours per month during the preceding fiscal year. On and after July 1, 1997, from the growth in any moneys collected pursuant to the tax imposed by this section and interest thereon there shall be allocated and authorized for distribution to each municipal pension and relief fund, a pro rata share of the revenues allocated to municipal policemen's and firemen's pension and relief funds based on the corresponding municipality's average number of police officers and firefighters who worked at least 100 hours per month and average monthly number of retired police officers and firefighters. For the purposes of this subsection, the growth in moneys collected from the tax collected pursuant to this section is determined by subtracting the amount of the tax collected during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, from the tax collected during the fiscal year for which the allocation is being made and interest thereon. All moneys received by municipal pension and relief funds under this section may be expended only for those purposes described in sections 16 through 28a, inclusive, article 22, chapter eight of this code. Notwithstanding the foregoing provision of this subdivision, if a municipality has outstanding pension funding revenue bonds and continues to pay the normal cost of its policemen's and firemen's pension and relief funds, then the allocable share of revenues to be allocated which would otherwise have been allocated to a municipal policemen's or firemen's pension and relief fund shall instead be allocated to the trustee of any outstanding pension funding revenue bonds.
(2) Each volunteer fire company or department shall receive an equal share of the revenues allocated for volunteer and part-volunteer fire companies and departments.
(3) (2) In addition to the share allocated and distributed in accordance with subdivision (1) of this subsection, each municipal fire department composed of full-time paid members and volunteers and part-volunteer fire companies and departments shall receive a share equal to the share distributed to volunteer fire companies under subdivision (2) of this subsection reduced by an amount equal to the share multiplied by the ratio of the number of full-time paid fire department members who are also members of a municipal firemen's pension and relief fund or the Municipal Police Officers and Firefighters Retirement System to the total number of members of the fire department. If a municipality has outstanding pension funding revenue bonds and continues to pay the normal cost of its policemen’s and firemen's pension and relief funds, then the share that would otherwise be payable to the municipality's firemen's pension and relief fund pursuant to this subsection shall be paid to the trustee of such outstanding pension funding revenue bonds.
(d) The allocation and distribution of revenues provided in this section are subject to the provisions of §8-22-20 of this code and §8-15-8a and §8-15-8b of this code.
(e) Based upon the findings of an audit by the Treasurer, the Legislature hereby finds and declares that during the period of 1982 through April 27, 2012, allocations from the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund were miscalculated and errors were made in amounts transferred, resulting in overpayments and underpayments to the relief and pension funds and to the Teachers Retirement System, and that the relief and pension funds and the Teachers Retirement System were not at fault for any of the overpayments and underpayments. The Legislature hereby further finds and declares that any attempt by the Municipal Pension Oversight Board or other entity to recover any of the overpayments would be unjust and create economic hardship for the entities that received overpayments. No entity, including, without limitation, the Municipal Pension Oversight Board, may seek to recover from a relief or pension fund, the Teachers Retirement System or the state any overpayments received from the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund and the overpayments are not subject to recovery, offset or litigation. Pursuant to the audit by the Treasurer, the amount of $3,631,846.55 is determined owed to specific relief and pension funds through the period of April 27, 2012. The Treasurer is hereby authorized to transfer the amount of $3,631,846.55 from the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund to the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund, which is hereby reopened for the sole purpose of the transfer and remittances pursuant to this subsection, and to use the amount transferred to remit the amounts due to the pension and relief funds. The payment of $3,631,846.55 to the pension and relief funds is complete satisfaction of any amounts due and no entity, including, without limitation, the Municipal Pension Oversight Board and any pension or relief fund, may seek to recover any further amounts.
(a)(1) For the purpose of providing additional revenue for volunteer fire departments, part-volunteer fire departments and certain retired teachers and the teachers retirement reserve fund, there is hereby authorized and imposed on and after July 1, 1992, on the policyholder of any fire insurance policy or casualty insurance policy issued by any insurer, authorized or unauthorized, or by any risk retention group, a policy surcharge equal to one percent of the taxable premium for each such policy. After June 30, 2005, the surcharge shall be imposed as specified in subdivisions (2) and (3) of this subsection.
(2) After June 30, 2005, through December 31, 2005, for the purpose of providing additional revenue for volunteer fire departments, part-volunteer fire departments and to provide additional revenue to the Public Employees Insurance Agency and municipal pension plans, there is hereby authorized and imposed on and after July 1, 2005, on the policyholder of any fire insurance policy or casualty insurance policy issued by any insurer, authorized or unauthorized, or by any risk retention group, a policy surcharge equal to one percent of the taxable premium for each such policy.
(3) After December 31, 2005, for the purpose of providing additional revenue for volunteer fire departments and part-volunteer fire departments, there is hereby authorized and imposed on the policyholder of any fire insurance policy or casualty insurance policy issued by any insurer, authorized or unauthorized, or by any risk retention group, a policy surcharge equal to fifty-five one hundredths of one percent of the taxable premium for each such policy.
(4) For purposes of this section, casualty insurance may not include insurance on the life of a debtor pursuant to or in connection with a specific loan or other credit transaction or insurance on a debtor to provide indemnity for payments becoming due on a specific loan or other credit transaction while the debtor is disabled as defined in the policy. The policy surcharge may not be subject to premium taxes, agent commissions or any other assessment against premiums.
(b) The policy surcharge shall be collected and remitted to the Commissioner by the insurer, or in the case of surplus lines coverage, by the surplus lines licensee, or if the policy is issued by a risk retention group, by the risk retention group. The amount required to be collected under this section shall be remitted to the Commissioner on a quarterly basis on or before the twenty-fifth day of the month succeeding the end of the quarter in which they are collected, except for the fourth quarter for which the surcharge shall be remitted on or before March 1 of the succeeding year.
(c) Any person failing or refusing to collect and remit to the Commissioner any policy surcharge and whose surcharge payments are not postmarked by the due dates for quarterly filing is liable for a civil penalty of up to $100 for each day of delinquency, to be assessed by the Commissioner. The Commissioner may suspend the insurer, broker or risk retention group until all surcharge payments and penalties are remitted in full to the Commissioner.
(d)(1) All money from the policy surcharge shall be collected by the Commissioner who shall disburse the money received from the surcharge into a special account in the state Treasury, designated the Fire Protection Fund. The net proceeds of this portion of the tax and the interest thereon, after appropriation by the Legislature, shall be distributed quarterly on the first day of the months of January, April, July and October to each volunteer fire company or department on an equal share basis by the state Treasurer. After June 30, 2005, the money received from the surcharge shall be distributed as specified in subdivisions (2) and (3) of this subsection.
(2)(A) After June 30, 2005, through December 31, 2005, all money from the policy surcharge shall be collected by the Commissioner who shall disburse one half of the money received from the surcharge into the Fire Protection Fund for distribution as provided in subdivision (1) of this subsection.
(B) The remaining portion of moneys collected shall be transferred into the fund in the state Treasury of the Public Employees Insurance Agency into which are deposited the proportionate shares made by agencies of this state of the Public Employees Insurance Agency costs of those agencies, until November 1, 2005. After the October 31, 2005, through December 31, 2005, the remain portion shall be transferred to the special account in the state Treasury, known as the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund
(3) (2) After December 31, 2005, all money from the policy surcharge shall be collected by the Commissioner who shall disburse all of the money received from the surcharge into the Fire Protection Fund for distribution as provided in subdivision (1) (2)(A) of this subsection.
(A) The Fire Protection Fund will be distributed as follows:
(i) All volunteer fire departments will be divided into four tiers to each have 25% of total number of volunteer fire departments in each tier. Tier one will be the highest 25% by call volume. Tier two will be the second highest 25% by call volume. Tier three will be the third highest 25% by call volume. Tier four will be the bottom 25% by call volume.
(ii) The net proceeds mentioned in subdivision (d)(1) of this section shall be distributed accordingly: 40% of net proceeds equally divided among tier one, 30% of net proceeds equally divided among tier two, 20% of net proceeds equally divided among tier three, 10% of net proceeds equally divided among tier four.
(4) (3) Before each distribution date to volunteer fire companies or departments, the state Fire Marshal shall report to the state Treasurer:
(A) The names and addresses of all volunteer and part-volunteer fire companies and departments within the state which meet the eligibility requirements established in §8-15-8a of this code during the preceding quarter;
(B) The number of volunteer firefighters and the number of full-time paid members providing services to each volunteer and part-volunteer fire company and department during the preceding quarter;
(C) A full accounting of each volunteer and part-volunteer fire company and department eligible to receive a distribution under this section’s revenues and expenditures for the last two calendar years; and
(D) A list of each volunteer and part-volunteer fire company and department has implemented the State Auditor’s West Virginia Checkbook fiscal reporting system on or before January 1, 2026.
(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection, each volunteer and part-volunteer fire company and department shall implement the State Auditor's West Virginia Checkbook fiscal reporting system on or before January 1, 2026, in order to remain eligible to receive any funds pursuant to this section.
(f) The allocation, distribution, and use of revenues provided in the Fire Protection Fund are subject to the provisions of §8-15-8a and §8-15-8b of this code.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to authorize an expenditure of revenue from the Municipal Pension and Protection Fund and Fire Protection Fund.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.
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