WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE
2025 REGULAR SESSION
Introduced
Senate Bill 630
By Senator Deeds
[Introduced February 28, 2025; referredto the Committee on Government Organization; and then to the Committee on Finance]
A BILL to amend and reenact ยง7-15-4 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to ambulance service; requiring the county commissions to provide ambulance service to all residents; and requiring the county commission submit a yearly report to the Office of Emergency Medical Services on the funds expended the year prior on emergency ambulance services.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
## ARTICLE 15. EMERGENCY AMBULANCE SERVICE ACT OF 1975.
Except as hereinafter provided and in addition to all other duties imposed upon it by law, the county commission shall cause emergency ambulance service to be made available to all the residents of the county where such service is not otherwise available: Provided, however, That the duty imposed upon county commissions by this article shall not be construed in such manner as to impose a duty to cause such emergency ambulance service to be provided unless the commission shall make an affirmative determination that there are funds available therefor by the inclusion of a projected expenditure for such purpose in the current levy estimate, and in the event that such county commission shall make such determination the commission shall not be under a duty to cause such service to be provided beyond a level commensurate with the amount of funds actually available for such purpose.
The county commission may provide the service directly through its agents, servants and employees; or through private enterprise; or by its designees; or by contracting with individuals, groups, associations, corporations or otherwise; or it may cause such services to be provided by an authority, as provided for in this article; and any municipality or county, or both, or any two or more municipalities within any county or contiguous counties, or any two or more contiguous counties, or any combination thereof, may create an authority. Such authority shall be created upon the adoption, by the governing body of each participating government, acting individually, of an appropriate ordinance or order. Each authority shall constitute a public corporation, and as such, shall have perpetual existence. The authority shall be known by such name as may be established by the board.
The county commission shall submit to the Office of Emergency Medical Services by September 1st of each year a report on the manner in which emergency ambulance service is made available in the county and the amount of county funds expended the prior fiscal year to fund emergency ambulance services.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require the county commissions to provide ambulance service to all residents and to submit a yearly report to the Office of Emergency Medical Services on the funds expended the year prior on emergency ambulance services.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.