West Virginia Legislature

2016 Regular Session

Introduced

House Bill 2072

2015 Carryover

(By Delegate Caputo)

[Introduced January 13, 2016; referred to the

Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources then Finance.]

 

 

 

 

A BILL to amend and reenact §20‑7‑1a and §20‑7‑1c of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, all relating to providing an increase in compensation for conservation officers.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

 That §20‑7‑1a and §20‑7‑1c of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:

ARTICLE 7.  LAW ENFORCEMENT, MOTORBOATING, LITTER.

§20‑7‑1a.  Conservation officers salary increase based on length of service.

(a) Effective the first day of July, two thousand two, each conservation officer shall receive and be entitled to an increase in salary based on length of service, including that heretofore and hereafter served as a conservation officer as follows:  For five years of service with the division, a conservation officer shall receive a salary increase of six hundred dollars per year payable during his or her next three years of service and a like increase at three‑year intervals thereafter, with these increases to be cumulative.  Each conservation officer whose salary is fixed and specified pursuant to section one‑c of this article shall receive, and is entitled to, an increase in salary over that set forth in section one‑c of this article, for grade in rank, based on length of service including service before and after the effective date of this section as a conservation officer as follows:  At the end of two years of service as a conservation officer, the officer shall receive a salary increase of $400 to be effective during his or her next year of service and a like increase at yearly intervals thereafter, with the increases to be cumulative.

A salary increase shall be based upon years of service as of July 1 of each year and may not be recalculated until July 1 of the following year.

Conservation officers in service at the time the amendment to this section becomes effective shall be are 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.

(b) This section does not apply to special or emergency conservation officers appointed under the authority of section one of this article.

§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 are colonel, lieutenant colonel, major, captain, lieutenant, sergeant, corporal, conservation officer first class, senior conservation officer, conservation officer and conservation officer‑in‑training.  Each officer while in uniform shall wear the insignia of rank as provided by the chief conservation officer.

(b) Beginning July 1, 2002, and continuing thereafter, 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 until end of probation).............................................................................. $26,337

Conservation Officer (second year)......................................................................... $29,768

Conservation Officer (third year)............................................................................. .$30,140

Senior Conservation Officer(fourth and fifth year)................................................... $30,440

Senior Conservation Officer First Class(after fifth year).......................................... $32,528

Senior Conservation Officer (after tenth year)......................................................... $33,104

Senior Conservation Officer (after fifteenth year).................................................... $33,528

Corporal (after sixteenth year).................................................................................. $36,704

Sergeant................................................................................................................... $40,880

First Sergeant........................................................................................................... $42,968

Lieutenant................................................................................................................. $47,144

Captain...................................................................................................................... $49,232

Major......................................................................................................................... $51,320

Lieutenant Colonel.................................................................................................... $53,408

Colonel...................................................................................................................................

Beginning July 1, 2015, until and including June 30, 2016, conservation officers shall be paid the annual salaries based on the following schedule:

ANNUAL SALARY SCHEDULE (BASE PAY)

SUPERVISORY AND NONSUPERVISORY RANKS

Conservation Officer(In training 1‑6 months)........................................................... $29,622

Conservation Officer (After Training Through First Year)........................................ $36,458

Conservation Officer Second Year........................................................................... $37,922

Conservation Officer Third Year............................................................................... $38,294

Senior Conservation Officer (4^th ‑ 6^th Year).............................................................. $38,682

Conservation Officer First Class (7^th ‑ 9^th Year)....................................................... $39,270

Corporal (10+ years)................................................................................................ $39,858

Sergeant................................................................................................................... $44,034

First Sergeant........................................................................................................... $46,122

Lieutenant................................................................................................................. $50,298

Captain...................................................................................................................... $52,386

Major......................................................................................................................... $54,474

Lieutenant Colonel.................................................................................................... $56,562

Colonel...................................................................................................................................

Beginning July 1, 2016, and continuing thereafter, conservation officers shall receive annual salaries as follows:

ANNUAL SALARY SCHEDULE (BASE PAY)

SUPERVISORY AND NONSUPERVISORY RANKS

Conservation Officer(In training 1‑6 months).......................................................... .$31,122

Conservation Officer (After Training Through First Year).......................................... 37,958

Conservation Officer Second Year............................................................................. 38,922

Conservation Officer Third Year................................................................................. 39,294

Senior Conservation Officer (4^th ‑ 6^th Year)................................................................ 39,682

Conservation Officer First Class (7^th ‑ 9^th Year)......................................................... 40,270

Corporal .................................................................................................................... 40,858

Sergeant.................................................................................................................... .45,034

First Sergeant ............................................................................................................ 47,122

Lieutenant................................................................................................................... 51,298

Captain........................................................................................................................ 53,386

Major ......................................................................................................................... 55,474

Lieutenant Colonel...................................................................................................... 57,562

Colonel...................................................................................................................................

Each conservation officer whose salary is fixed and specified in this annual salary schedule is entitled to the length of service increases set forth in section one‑a of this article.

Conservation officers in service at the time the amendment to this section becomes effective In applying the salary schedules set forth in this section where salary increases are provided for length of service, conservation officers in service at the time the schedules become effective shall be given credit for prior service and shall be paid salaries as the same length of service will entitle paid salaries the same length of service entitles them to receive under the provisions of this section.

(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 prohibits other pay increases as provided for under section two, article five, chapter five of this code:  Provided, That any across‑the‑board pay increase granted by the Legislature or the Governor will be added to, and reflected in, the minimum salaries set forth in this section; and that any merit increases granted to an officer over and above the annual salary schedule listed in subsection (b) of this section are retained by an officer when he or she advances from one rank to another.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide an increase in compensation for conservation officers.

 

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