WEST virginia legislature

2017 regular session

Introduced

Senate Bill 591

By Senators Maynard and Cline

[Introduced March 13, 2017; Referred
to the Committee on Government Organization]

A BILL to amend and reenact §24-6-12 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to requiring emergency service organizations to create districts whereby towing services within a district may be dispatched or implement a policy whereby all available towing services within an area currently served by an organization are dispatched on a rotating basis; continuing the Public Service Commission’s jurisdiction over the towing service providers themselves; and defining a term.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That §24-6-12 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:

ARTICLE 6. LOCAL EMERGENCY TELEPHONE SYSTEM.

§24-6-12. Dispatching of towing services for emergency towing of vehicles; exceptions.

(a) Every three years, the county commission of each county or the municipality operating an emergency telephone system or an enhanced emergency telephone system shall, in consultation with all public safety units, public agencies and all available towing services registered as common carriers pursuant to the provisions of chapter twenty-four-a of this code, establish a policy that provides for the most prompt, fair, equitable and effective response to requests or dispatches for emergency towing services

(a) Emergency service organizations shall:

(1) Establish individual districts or zones that cover and include all emergency telephone systems and enhanced emergency telephone systems within the state whereby all available towing services located within the newly created districts or zones may be dispatched when the need arises; or

(2) Establish a policy requiring eligible towing services within the area currently being served by an emergency service organization be dispatched on a rotating basis.

(b) “Emergency service organization” means the organization established under article five, chapter fifteen of this code.

(b) (c) For each incident where towing services are required, the public agency procuring towing services shall maintain a public record of the name of the towing service utilized

(d) The Public Service Commission continues to otherwise have the power, authority and duty to supervise and regulate all available towing services registered as common carriers pursuant to chapter twenty-four-a of this code.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require emergency service organizations to create districts whereby towing services within a district may be dispatched or implement a policy whereby all available towing services within an area currently served by an organization are dispatched on a rotating basis. The bill continues the Public Service Commission’s jurisdiction over the towing service providers themselves. The bill defines a term.

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