Licensing sale of charitable raffles and boards to benefit volunteer fire departments

SB 259 requires licenses for selling charitable raffle boards and games in West Virginia, exclusively directing 10% of gross sales to fund volunteer fire departments. It mandates sellers obtain a $250 annual license from the Tax Commissioner, with distributors required to be licensed and bonded. The bill ensures net proceeds from raffle sales flow to volunteer fire departments via state allocation, eliminating unlicensed sales that previously kept all revenue. This directly affects volunteer fire departments by creating a dedicated funding stream for their operations, while prohibiting local county-level exemptions. The legislation aims to replicate models like Ohio's, where licensed sales generate significant revenue for public safety organizations.