SB 860 West Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Relating to payment of funeral expenses for first responders

SB 860 creates a state fund to cover funeral expenses for certain first responders who die while performing official duties. It authorizes up to $8,000 in payments for reasonable funeral and burial costs for law enforcement officers (including public facility security staff), firefighters (paid and volunteer), emergency medical personnel, correctional employees, and probation officers. The fund complements existing benefits but ensures at least $8,000 is available if other sources provide less. Payments require written certification that the death occurred "as a proximate result of official duties" and do not duplicate benefits under other state laws.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Feb 9, 2026 Last action Feb 20, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Version Committee Substitute · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was revised from an Introduced Version to a Committee Substitute, expanding its scope to amend two separate code sections instead of one. The primary substantive change is the addition of a new section creating a dedicated special fund within the State Treasury to finance funeral expenses. The text also includes several formatting corrections and clarifications regarding the fund's administration and the specific conditions under which payments are made.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded from amending a single code section (§15-11-2) to amending two sections (§15-11-1 and §15-11-2), adding a new provision for the creation and administration of a specific funeral expense fund.
FISCAL

Added a new section (§15-11-1) creating a special 'law-enforcement, safety, and emergency worker funeral expense payment fund' in the State Treasury to be administered by the Secretary of Military Affairs and Public Safety.

Updated the payment provision to specify that funds must be drawn from the newly created fund established in §15-11-1.

TECHNICAL

Corrected a date typo in the eligibility criteria, changing the effective date from 'January 1, 2026' back to 'January 1, 1999'.

Clarified the phrasing regarding the cause of death to ensure consistency in stating that death must occur as a proximate result of performing official duties.

Floor votes

How they voted

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
6
Key actions
0
Committee
2
Feb 20, 2026
Committee
To Finance
upper
Feb 20, 2026
Committee
Committee substitute reported, but first to Finance
upper
Feb 9, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors