FISCAL NOTE



FUND(S):

County Funds

Sources of Revenue:

Other Fund County Funds

Legislation creates:

Neither Program nor Fund



Fiscal Note Summary


Effect this measure will have on costs and revenues of state government.


As HB2717 only deals with deputy sheriffs, the costs will be borne by the counties, and not the state. However, there are various states that have established grant programs of their own to assist local law enforcement in providing the vests, such as Kentucky, Maryland and North Carolina.



Fiscal Note Detail


Effect of Proposal Fiscal Year
2013
Increase/Decrease
(use"-")
2014
Increase/Decrease
(use"-")
Fiscal Year
(Upon Full
Implementation)
1. Estmated Total Cost 0 0 0
Personal Services 0 0 0
Current Expenses 0 0 0
Repairs and Alterations 0 0 0
Assets 0 0 0
Other 0 0 0
2. Estimated Total Revenues 0 0 0


Explanation of above estimates (including long-range effect):


The purpose of House Bill 2717 is to ensure deputy sheriffs are issued ballistic vests upon certification as law-enforcement officers. Specifically, the bill requires a ballistic vest that meets NIJ standard 0101.03. According to the research I have completed, vests meeting NIJ standard 0101.03 are no longer available. The current minimum standard is 0101.06. The West Virginia State Police has a Purchasing Division issued purchase order that provides for a vest meeting NIJ standard 0101.06 with one carrier for $522. However, that pricing is three years old and is expected to rise when the State Police contract is rebid this year. Also, it is normally recommended that two carriers be included, as done in Kanawha County, which would increase the cost to around $550 under the current contract. The GSA contract held by Galls has pricing around $575, which includes two carriers. However, that pricing is also expected to rise this year. While the amount of the increase is unknown, assuming that only one carrier is purchased, the estimated cost under the new contract should be around $575. There are slightly more than 1000 deputy sheriffs in West Virginia. I could find no data as to the number of deputy sheriffs that currently have vests. Based upon discussions, there are more vests being purchased daily, but probably only about 50% of the deputy sheriffs have vests. If this is accurate, then 500 deputy sheriffs need vests, which will probably cost around $575 each, for a total cost of $287,500. If the legislation is amended to increase the standard, there may need to be a lot more vests purchased because many of the current vests will probably not meet the increased standard. A detailed survey would be needed to ascertain this. The United States Department of Justice has been operating a Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP), offering 50% toward the cost of such vests. According to the lady I spoke with, West Virginia has already participated in the BVP grant program, and in May 2013, the BVP will begin making awards for FY2013. If one or more BVP grant applications were approved, it would save up to $143,750 of the cost. However, with sequestration, there is no way of knowing if the BVP grant program will continue. If the bill goes into effect from passage, the $143,750 is the cost estimate for FY2013. In future years, as the deputy sheriffs retire and leave their positions, their vests may be used by others. However, since the vests must be fitted, I anticipate that expected annual costs in future fiscal years of approximately 100 new vests each year at a cost of $57,500. As HB2717 only deals with deputy sheriffs, the costs will be borne by the counties, and not the state. However, there are various states that have established grant programs of their own to assist local law enforcement in providing the vests, such as Kentucky, Maryland and North Carolina.



Memorandum


Please see discussion in Section 3.



    Person submitting Fiscal Note: Diana Stout
    Email Address: diana.stout@wvsto.com