SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 18

(Originating in the Committee on Finance)




Requesting the joint committee on government and finance to make a study of the West Virginia public service commission and its proposal to authorize public wireless telecommunications utilities to provide local enhanced emergency telephone systems, charge a fee for the telephone service and distribute funds collected from the wireless enhanced emergency telephone system fees to counties that have a system.

Whereas, The West Virginia public service commission has been given broad authority to promulgate rules for the efficient use of emergency telephone systems for residents of the state; and
Whereas, The wireless enhanced emergency telephone system fee may result in approximately one hundred seventy-nine thousand nine hundred seventy-three dollars in monthly revenue from public wireless telecommunications utilities in the fifty-five counties; and
Whereas, The money received from the wireless enhanced emergency telephone system fees will be allocated pro rata to counties with an enhanced emergency telephone system and placed into an escrow account for counties without an enhanced emergency telephone system, until these counties implement an enhanced emergency telephone system; and
Whereas, The wireless enhanced emergency telephone system fee may lessen the cost of implementing and maintaining enhanced emergency telephone systems and serve as additional funding for enhanced emergency telephone systems; and
Whereas, Rural counties without an enhanced emergency telephone system will receive the funds in an escrow account upon development of an enhanced emergency telephone system and thereby may avoid charging county residents a high emergency telephone system fee; and
Whereas, Twenty counties do not have enhanced emergency telephone systems to serve the needs of their residents; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the joint committee on government and finance is hereby requested to appoint an interim committee to study the West Virginia public service commission and its proposal to authorize public wireless telecommunications utilities to provide local enhanced emergency telephone services, charge a fee for that service and distribute funds collected by the fees to counties having that service to aid with the cost of an enhanced emergency telephone system; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the interim committee appointed by the joint committee on government and finance shall consist of twelve members, six of whom shall be members of the Senate and six of whom shall be members of the House of Delegates; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the joint committee on government and finance report to the regular session of the Legislature, 1997, on its findings, conclusions and recommendations, together with any drafts of any legislation necessary to effectuate its recommendation; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the expenses necessary to conduct this study, to prepare a report and to draft necessary legislation be paid from legislative appropriations to the joint committee on government and finance.