SB 77 West Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Relating to fire department recruitment and retention

West Virginia's SB 77 creates a dedicated "Fire Service Recruitment and Retention Fund" funded by a 0.55% surcharge on fire and casualty insurance policies. The fund provides grants to volunteer and part-volunteer fire departments for recruitment, retention, and length-of-service award programs (LOSAP). The State Fire Commission must establish a grant program considering factors like call volume, financial status, and use of statewide contracts, while requiring departments to submit financial reports to remain eligible. Departments failing to comply with audit requirements become ineligible for funding until they rectify issues.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 14, 2026 Last action Jan 14, 2026
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Total actions
4
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0
Committee
2
Jan 14, 2026
Committee
To Government Organization
upper
Jan 14, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
Jan 14, 2026
Committee
To Government Organization then Finance
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

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