Senate Bill No. 462
(By Senators D. Facemire and Foster)
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[Introduced February 3, 2010; referred to the Committee on
Government Organization.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact §15-2-7 of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to limiting the age of applicants
for appointment to membership in the West Virginia State
Police.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §15-2-7 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. WEST VIRGINIA STATE POLICE.
§15-2-7. Cadet selection board; qualifications for and appointment
to membership in State Police; civilian employees.
(a) The superintendent shall establish within the West
Virginia State Police a cadet selection board which shall be
representative of commissioned and noncommissioned officers within
the
division State Police.
(b) The superintendent shall appoint a member to the position of trooper from among the top three names on the current list of
eligible applicants established by the cadet selection board.
(c) Preference in making appointments shall be given whenever
possible to honorably discharged members of the Armed Forces of the
United States and to residents of West Virginia. Each applicant
for appointment shall be a person not less than twenty-one years of
age
nor more than thirty-seven years of age, of sound constitution
and good moral character;
shall be is required to pass any mental
and physical examination; and meet other requirements as
may be
provided
for in rules promulgated by the cadet selection board:
Provided, That a former member may, at the discretion of the
superintendent, be reenlisted.
(d) No person may be barred from becoming a member of the
division State Police because of his or her religious or political
convictions.
(e) The superintendent shall adhere to the principles of equal
employment opportunity set forth in article eleven, chapter five of
this code and shall take positive steps to encourage applications
for
division State Police membership from females and minority
groups within the state. An annual report shall be filed with the
Legislature on or before January 1 of each year by the
superintendent which includes a summary of the efforts and the
effectiveness of those efforts intended to recruit females,
African-Americans and other minorities into the ranks of the State
Police.
(f) Except for the superintendent, no person may be appointed
or enlisted to membership in the
division State Police at a grade
or rank above the grade of trooper.
(g) The superintendent shall appoint
such civilian employees
as
may be are necessary and all employees may be included in the
classified service of the civil service system except those in
positions exempt under the provisions of article six, chapter
twenty-nine of this code.
(h) Effective July 1, 2001, civilian employees with a minimum
of five years' service shall receive a salary increase equal to
$100 a year for each year of service as a civilian employee. Every
three years thereafter, civilian employees who have five or more
years of service shall receive an annual salary increase of $300.
The increases in salary provided by this subsection are in addition
to any other increases to which the civilian employees might
otherwise be entitled.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to ensure that applicants
for appointment to membership in the West Virginia State Police are
not older than thirty-seven years of age.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.