H. B. 4092
(By Delegate Pino)
[Introduced January 19, 2000; referred to the
Committee on Political Subdivisions then the Judiciary.]
A BILL to amend article six, chapter twenty-four of the code of
West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as
amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated section
twelve, relating to proposing legislative rules for emergency
telephone system mutual response agreements between counties.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article six, chapter twenty-four of the code of West
Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be
amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section twelve,
to read as follows:
ARTICLE 6. LOCAL EMERGENCY TELEPHONE SYSTEM.
§24-6-12. Mutual response between counties; commission to propose
rules.
On or before the first day of January, two thousand two, the commission shall propose rules for legislative approval in
accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter
twenty-nine-a of this code to implement a statewide system of
mutual emergency telephone response among contiguous counties. The
rules shall be based upon a comprehensive plan for counties to
provide emergency responses to areas in contiguous counties in
which a county can respond more expediently than the county wherein
an emergency call is made due to the existence of emergency
services in closer geographical proximity to the location of the
emergency caller or to enhanced capability to deliver emergency
services. The rules shall take into consideration geographical
proximity of bordering county communities to existing emergency
facilities, existing emergency telephone systems, cost
effectiveness, as well as any other factors as the commission
considers appropriate and relevant. The commission shall also
require in the proposed rules that counties whose emergency
services are utilized in responding to emergency calls in
contiguous counties be adequately reimbursed by the contiguous
county for the cost of providing the emergency response. Upon
legislative approval of the rules, the county commissions shall
reach agreement in implementation of the statewide plan no later
than six months after legislative approval of the rules.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide a means in which
contiguous counties agree to mutual response for emergency services
pursuant to 911 calls. The bill requires the public service
commission to propose rules to implement a statewide plan for
mutual response among contiguous counties.
This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and
underscoring have been omitted.