H. B. 2692


(By Delegates Proudfoot, Stemple, Damron,
Davis, Evans and Leggett)

[Introduced March 24, 1997; referred to the

Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources then Finance.]




A BILL to amend and reenact section one-c, article seven, chapter twenty of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to adding ranks, and reflecting an already-granted salary increase in the minimum base pay scale for conservation officers.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section one-c, article seven, chapter twenty of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 7. LAW ENFORCEMENT, MOTORBOATING, LITTER.

§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 shall be colonel, lieutenant colonel, major, captain, lieutenant, sergeant, corporal, conservation officer first class, senior conservation officer, conservation officer and conservation officer-in-training. Each such officer while in uniform shall wear the insignia of rank as provided by the chief conservation officer.
(b) 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). $ 21,725 $22,025
Conservation Officer (second year). . . . . . .$ 23,914 $24,214
Conservation Officer (third year). . . . . . . $ 24,186 $24,486
Senior Conservation Officer (fourth year). . . .$ 24,398 $24,698
Conservation Officer First Class(after fifth year)$ 25,976 $26,276
Conservation Officer (after tenth year). . . . .$ 27,554 $27,854
Conservation Officer (after fifteenth year). . .$ 28,954 $29,254
Corporal$31,065
Sergeant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 32,577 $32,877
Lieutenant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 35,397 $35,697
Captain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 37,683 $37,983
Major . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 39,966 $40,266
Lieutenant Colonel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 42,008 $42,308
Colonel
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Conservation officers in service at the time the amendment to this section becomes effective shall be 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.
(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 shall prohibit other pay increases as provided for under section two, article five, chapter five of this code: Provided, That an across-the-board pay increase granted by the Legislature or the governor is added to, and reflected in, the minimum salaries set forth in this section; and that merit increases are retained by an officer when he or she advances from one rank to another.



NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to reflect in the minimum base salaries of conservation officers the $300 across-the-board pay increase granted by the Legislature in 1996. The bill also creates the rank of "corporal" and renames other current classifications.

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