This bill amends the Code of West Virginia to establish the Emergency Medical Services Equipment and Training Fund, which will provide grants to local emergency medical services (EMS) providers for equipment and training. The bill specifies that these grants will operate on a 70%-30% matching basis, meaning that local EMS providers must contribute 30% of the total funding to receive the grant. Additionally, the bill emphasizes that any remaining balance in the fund at the end of the fiscal year will not revert to the General Revenue Fund but will remain in the special revenue fund for future use.

To support this fund, the bill introduces a new $10 court cost fee that will be applied to all criminal court proceedings, excluding municipal parking violations. This fee will be collected by the relevant agency and forwarded to the State Treasurer, who will deposit the funds into the Emergency Medical Services Equipment and Training Fund. The bill aims to enhance the resources available for EMS providers, particularly prioritizing rural and volunteer services, and to ensure a sustainable funding mechanism through the newly established court fee.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 16-4C-24