Bill
HB 5468
Allocates 5,000 per deputy position to counties, restricted solely for deputy pay raises.
HB 5468 (Session 2026, West Virginia)
Allotting counties $5,000 per deputy position to only be used for deputy pay raises
Overview
- Purpose: The bill proposes a targeted appropriation of funds to county governments, allocating a fixed amount of $5,000 per deputy position. The funds would be restricted for use solely to deputy pay raises.
- Sponsorship: Chiefly sponsored by multiple House members, with co-sponsors including Mark Dean, Patrick Lucas, Jordan Bridges, Adam Vance, and Jeff Eldridge.
- Legislative path to date: Filed for introduction on February 12, 2026; referred to the House Finance Committee on the same day; introduced in the House and then sent to House Finance.
Key Provisions (substantive points)
- Funding allocation: Creates a new allotment to counties calculated as $5,000 for every deputy position within a county. The provision is explicit about the per-position basis, tying the funding amount directly to the number of deputy positions.
- Use restrictions: The funds are restricted to be used exclusively for deputy pay raises. There are no stated allowances for other uses (e.g., equipment, facilities, or other county employee pay categories). If enacted, counties must allocate the money only toward increasing deputy salaries or related pay raises.
- County impact: All counties with deputy positions would be eligible to receive funds proportional to their count of deputy roles. The policy effect is to bias funding toward law enforcement compensation, independent of general county budgets or revenue streams.
- Administrative framework (as inferred): Because the bill is routed through the Finance committee, it would likely require fiscal analyses, potential sunset or expiration terms, reporting requirements, or compliance provisions typical of finance-related measures. The exact administrative mechanisms (grant distribution method, reporting, and oversight) are not specified in the provided text but would be typical content in Finance-directed bills.
Who is affected
- Primary beneficiaries: County sheriff offices and other agencies employing deputy positions, whose salaries could be raised using the allocated funds.
- Local governments: Counties would receive incremental funds tied to their number of deputy positions and would be responsible for implementing pay raises in compliance with the bill’s restriction.
- Taxpayers and residents: Indirectly affected through potential changes to county budgets, property tax considerations, and public safety staffing levels.
Procedural and timeline notes
- Introduction: Filed February 12, 2026.
- Referral: Referred to the House Finance Committee (also on February 12, 2026).
- Potential next steps: If advancing, the bill would typically require committee hearings, potential amendments, floor votes in the House, and then movement to the Senate (and possible further committee actions) before any enactment.
- Fiscal implications: The bill suggests a new, recurring expense for counties, scaled by deputy counts. A detailed fiscal note would be expected in committee to assess total cost statewide and annual impact.
Notes and caveats
- The text provided includes file content artifacts and non-readable segments, which appear to be formatting or encoding remnants rather than substantive text. The summary above focuses on the stated title and purpose: earmarking $5,000 per deputy position for deputy pay raises, restricted use.
- As introduced, the bill would not create general revenue increases for counties beyond the specific allotment; it would impose a targeted mandate to allocate funds only for salary increases for deputies.
If you’d like, I can adapt this summary to reflect any official fiscal notes, amendments, or sponsor statements that become available, or expand sections with context from West Virginia statute and common county budgeting practices.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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