H. B. 2471
(By Delegates Caputo, Argento, Azinger,
Talbott, White, D. Poling and Williams)
[Introduced February 16, 2009; referred to the
Committee on Natural Resources then Finance.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §20-7-1a and §20-7-1c of the Code of
West Virginia, 1931, as amended, all relating to providing an
increase in compensation for conservation officers.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §20-7-1a and §20-7-1c of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 7. LAW ENFORCEMENT, MOTORBOATING, LITTER.
§20-7-1a. Conservation officers salary increase based on length
of service.
(a)
Effective the first day of July, two thousand two, each
conservation officer shall receive and be entitled to an increase
in salary based on length of service, including that heretofore and
hereafter served as a conservation officer as follows: For five
years of service with the division, a conservation officer shall
receive a salary increase of six hundred dollars per year payable during his or her next three years of service and a like increase
at three-year intervals thereafter, with these increases to be
cumulative. Each conservation officer whose salary is fixed and
specified pursuant to section one-c of this article shall receive,
and is entitled to, an increase in salary over that set forth in
section one-c of this article, for grade in rank, based on length
of service, including that service served before and after the
effective date of this section as a conservation officer as
follows: At the end of two years of service as a conservation
officer, the officer shall receive a salary increase of $400 to be
effective during his or her next year of service and a like
increase at yearly intervals thereafter, with the increases to be
cumulative.
A salary increase shall be based upon years of service as of
July 1 of each year and may not be recalculated until July 1 of the
following year.
Conservation officers in service at the time the amendment to
this section becomes effective
shall be are given credit for prior
service and shall be paid such salaries as the same length of
service will entitle them to receive under the provisions hereof.
(b) This section does not apply to special or emergency
conservation officers appointed under the authority of section one
of this article.
§20-7-1c. Conservation officers, ranks, salary schedule, base pay, exceptions.
(a) Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the
contrary, the ranks within the law-enforcement section of the
Division of Natural Resources are colonel, lieutenant colonel,
major, captain, lieutenant, sergeant, corporal, conservation
officer first class, senior conservation officer, conservation
officer and conservation officer-in-training. Each officer while
in uniform shall wear the insignia of rank as provided by the chief
conservation officer.
(b) Beginning July 1, 2002, and continuing thereafter,
conservation officers shall be paid the minimum annual salaries
based on the following schedule:
ANNUAL SALARY SCHEDULE (BASE PAY)
SUPERVISORY AND NONSUPERVISORY RANKS
Conservation Officer-In-Training(first year until end of
probation)................................................$26,337
Conservation Officer (second year)........................$29,768
Conservation Officer (third year).........................$30,140
Senior Conservation Officer(fourth and fifth year)........$30,440
Senior Conservation Officer First Class(after fifth year)..$32,528
Senior Conservation Officer (after tenth year)............$33,104
Senior Conservation Officer (after fifteenth year)........$33,528
Corporal (after sixteenth year)...........................$36,704
Sergeant..................................................$40,880
First Sergeant............................................$42,968
Lieutenant................................................$47,144
Captain...................................................$49,232
Major.....................................................$51,320
Lieutenant Colonel........................................$53,408
Colonel...................................................
Beginning July 1, 2009, until and including June 30, 2010,
conservation officers shall be paid the annual salaries based on
the following schedule:
ANNUAL SALARY SCHEDULE (BASE PAY)
SUPERVISORY AND NONSUPERVISORY RANKS
Conservation Officer(In training 1-6 months)..............$29,622
Conservation Officer (After Training Through First Year)....$36,458
Conservation Officer Second Year .........................$37,922
Conservation Officer Third Year ..........................$38,294
Senior Conservation Officer (4th - 6th Year)................$38,682
Conservation Officer First Class (7th - 9th Year)...........$39,270
Corporal (10+ years)......................................$39,858
Sergeant .................................................$44,034
First Sergeant............................................$46,122
Lieutenant ...............................................$50,298
Captain...................................................$52,386
Major.....................................................$54,474
Lieutenant Colonel .......................................$56,562
Colonel ..................................................
Beginning July 1, 2010, and continuing thereafter,
conservation officers shall receive annual salaries as follows:
ANNUAL SALARY SCHEDULE (BASE PAY)
SUPERVISORY AND NONSUPERVISORY RANKS
Conservation Officer(In training 1-6 months)..............$31,122
Conservation Officer (After Training Through First Year)...37,958
Conservation Officer Second Year...........................38,922
Conservation Officer Third Year............................39,294
Senior Conservation Officer (4th - 6th Year).................39,682
Conservation Officer First Class (7th - 9th Year)............40,270
Corporal ..................................................40,858
Sergeant ..................................................45,034
First Sergeant ............................................47,122
Lieutenant ................................................51,298
Captain ...................................................53,386
Major .....................................................55,474
Lieutenant Colonel ........................................57,562
Colonel ...................................................
Each conservation officer whose salary is fixed and specified
in this annual salary schedule is entitled to the length of service
increases set forth in subsection one-a of this article.
Conservation officers in service at the time the amendment to
this section becomes effective In applying the salary schedules set forth in this section where salary increases are provided for
length of service, conservation officers in service at the time the
schedules become effective shall be given credit for prior service
and shall be paid salaries
as the same length of service
will
entitle entitles them to receive under the provisions of this
section.
(c) This section does not apply to special or emergency
conservation officers appointed under the authority of section one
of this article.
(d) Nothing in this section prohibits other pay increases as
provided for under section two, article five, chapter five of this
code: Provided, That any across-the-board pay increase granted by
the Legislature or the Governor will be added to, and reflected in,
the minimum salaries set forth in this section; and that any merit
increases granted to an officer over and above the annual salary
schedule listed in subsection (b) of this section are retained by
an officer when he or she advances from one rank to another.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide an increase in
compensation for conservation officers.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.