H. B. 4106


(By Delegates Perry, C. White, Martin,

Hrutkay, Angotti and Poling)


[Introduced January 21, 2002; referred to the

Committee on Pensions and Retirement then Finance.]




A BILL to amend and reenact section twenty-five, article twenty-two, chapter eight of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to increasing retirement pensions for police and firefighters.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section twenty-five, article twenty-two, chapter eight of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 22. RETIREMENT BENEFITS GENERALLY; POLICEMEN'S PENSION AND RELIEF FUND; FIREMEN'S PENSION AND RELIEF FUND; PENSION PLANS FOR EMPLOYEES OF WATERWORKS SYSTEM, SEWERAGE SYSTEM OR COMBINED WATERWORKS AND SEWERAGE SYSTEM.

§8-22-25. Retirement pensions.
(a) Any member of a paid police or fire department who is entitled to a retirement pension hereunder, and who has been in the honorable service of such the department for twenty years, may, upon written application to the board of trustees, be retired from all service in such the department without medical examination or disability. On such retirement the board of trustees shall authorize the payment of annual retirement pension benefits commencing upon his or her retirement or upon his or her attaining the age of fifty years, whichever is later, payable in twelve monthly installments for each year of the remainder of his or her life, in an amount equal to sixty sixty-five percent of such the member's average annual salary or compensation received during the three twelve-consecutive-month periods of employment with such the department in which such the member received his or her highest salary or compensation while a member of the department, or an amount of five hundred dollars per month, whichever is greater.
(b) Any member of any such department who is entitled to a retirement pension under the provisions of subsection (a) of this section and who has been in the honorable service of such the department for more than twenty years at the time of his or her retirement shall receive, in addition to the sixty sixty-five percent authorized in said subsection (a) of this section:
(1) Two additional percent, to be added to the sixty sixty-five percent for each of the first five additional years of service completed at the time of retirement in excess of twenty years of service up to a maximum of seventy seventy-five percent; and
(2) One additional percent, to be added to such the maximum of seventy seventy-five percent, for each of the first five additional years of service completed at the time of retirement in excess of twenty-five years of service up to a maximum of seventy-five eighty percent.
The total additional credit provided for in this subsection may not exceed fifteen additional percent.
(c) Any member of any such department whose service has been interrupted by duty with the armed forces of the United States as provided in section twenty-seven of this article prior to the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred eighty-one, shall be is eligible for retirement pension benefits immediately upon retirement, regardless of his or her age, if he or she shall otherwise be is otherwise eligible for such retirement pension benefits.
Any member or previously retired member of any such department who has served in active duty with the armed forces of the United States as described in section twenty-seven of this article, whether prior to or subsequent to becoming a member of a paid police or fire department covered by the provisions of this article, shall receive, in addition to the sixty sixty-five percent authorized in subsection (a) of this section and the additional percent credit authorized in subsection (b) of this section, one additional percent for each year so served in active military duty, up to a maximum of four additional percent. In no event, however, may the total benefit granted to any member exceed seventy-five eighty percent of the member's annual average salary calculated in accordance with subsection (a) of this section.
(d) Any member of a paid police for fire department shall be retired at the age of sixty-five years in the manner provided in this subsection. When a member of the paid police or fire department reaches the age of sixty-five years, the said board of trustees shall notify the mayor of this fact, within thirty days of such the member's sixty-fifth birthday. The mayor shall cause such the sixty-five-year-old member of the paid police or fire department to retire within a period of not more than thirty additional days. Upon retirement under the provisions of this subsection, such the member shall receive retirement pension benefits payable in twelve monthly installments for each year of the remainder of his or her life in an amount equal to sixty sixty-five percent of such the member's average annual salary or compensation received during the three twelve-consecutive-month periods of employment with such department in which such the member received his or her highest salary or compensation while a member of the department, or an amount of five hundred dollars per month, whichever is greater. If such the member has been employed in said the department for more than twenty years, the provisions of subsection (b) of this section shall apply.
(e) It shall be is the duty of each member of a paid police or fire department at the time a fund is hereafter established to furnish the necessary proof of his or her date of birth to the said board of trustees, as specified in section twenty-three of this article, within a reasonable length of time, said length of time to be determined by the said board of trustees. Then the board of trustees and the mayor shall proceed to act in the manner provided in subsection (d) of this section and shall cause all members of the paid police or fire department who are over the age of sixty-five years to retire in not less than sixty days from the date the fund is established. Upon retirement under the provisions of this subsection (e), such the member, whether he or she has been employed in said the department for twenty years or not, shall receive retirement pension benefits payable in twelve monthly installments for each year of the remainder of his or her life in an amount equal to sixty sixty-five percent of such the member's average annual salary or compensation received during the three twelve-consecutive-month periods of employment with such the department in which such the member received his or her highest salary or compensation while a member of the department, or an amount of five hundred dollars per month, whichever is greater. If such the member has been employed in said the department for more than twenty years, the provisions of subsection (b) of this section shall apply.


NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to increase retirement pensions for police and firefighters.

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