COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
H. B. 3068
(By Mr. Speaker, Mr. Kiss, and Delegates Amores,
DeLong, Varner, Pethtel, Cann and Pino)
[Originating in the Committee on Government Organization]
[March 24, 2005]
A BILL to amend and reenact §21-3C-5 and §21-3C-11 of the Code of
West Virginia, 1931, as amended, all relating to elevator
inspections; authorizing private inspectors to conduct annual
inspections of elevators; authorizing the Division of Labor to
perform compliance inspections; and increasing fees for
elevator permits.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §21-3C-5 and §21-3C-11 of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, all be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 3C. ELEVATOR SAFETY.
§21-3C-5. Powers and duties of counties and municipalities; annual
inspections required; acceptance inspection.
(a) A county or municipality may hire a private inspector or
contract with any person who possesses a West Virginia elevator
inspector's certificate of competency issued by the Division.
(b) The county or municipality shall ensure that every
elevator which has been in use for five years or more is inspected
annually. A private inspector
shall may inspect
all elevators
except elevators in state owned buildings any elevator in the
state. A division inspector
shall may inspect
elevators in state
owned buildings any elevator in the state for the purpose of
ascertaining compliance with the provisions of this article.
(c)(1) The county or municipality shall ensure that each newly
installed elevator within its jurisdiction is inspected and issued
a certificate of acceptance by the Division prior to being placed
in service.
(2) A certificate of acceptance shall only be issued if the
elevator was installed in compliance with the safety standards set
forth in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Safety Code
for Elevators and Escalators (ASME) A17.1-3, "Safety Code for
Elevators" and ASME A18.1, "Safety Code for Platform Lifts and
Stairway Chairlifts".
(3) The acceptance inspection shall be subject to the same
procedures and requirements as any other elevator inspection.
§21-3C-11. Disposition of fees; legislative rules.
(a) The Division shall propose for promulgation legislative
rules pursuant to article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code
in order to implement the provisions of this article.
(b) The rules proposed for promulgation pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall establish the amount of any fee
authorized pursuant to the provisions of this article: Provided,
That in no event may the fees established for inspection exceed one
hundred dollars for any one inspection: Provided, however,
That in
buildings with more than one elevator, the fee shall not exceed one
hundred dollars for the first elevator inspected and twenty-five
dollars for each additional elevator: Provided further,
That in no
event may the fees established for the issuance of permits exceed
twenty-five fifty dollars.
(c) All fees collected pursuant to the provisions of this
article shall be deposited in an appropriated special revenue
account hereby created in the State Treasury known as the "Elevator
Safety Fund" and expended for the the implementation and
enforcement of this article: Provided,
That amounts collected
which are found from time to time to exceed funds needed for the
purposes set forth in this article may be transferred to other
accounts or funds and redesignated for other purposes by
appropriation of the Legislature.
(d) The Division may enter into agreements with counties and
municipalities whereby such counties and municipalities be
permitted to retain the inspection fees collected to support the
enforcement activities at the local level.