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Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia Bill Authorizes Municipalities to Move Police and Firefighters from PERS to Municipal Retirement System
Last action · March 2, 2026: To FinanceSponsor: Eric Tarr
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What This Bill Proposed
West Virginia Senate Bill 978 allows eligible municipalities to transition their police officers and firefighters hired on or after July 1, 2015, from the Public Employees Retirement System to the Municipal Police Officers and Firefighters Retirement System. Municipalities must make this election by July 1, 2027, and participating employees who choose to switch must make a of four percent plus interest by June 30, 2029.
Eligible local police officers and firefighters gain the option to switch their retirement plans, which requires the to transfer associated assets and service credits while terminating all future liability for the prior retirement system.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Municipalities
Municipalities gain the option to elect participation in the Municipal Police Officers and Firefighters Retirement System for post-2015 police and firefighters and must handle notification and reporting requirements.
Police officers and firefighters
Hired on or after July 1, 2015, police officers and firefighters are given the choice to switch their retirement system membership and must fulfill makeup contributions if they elect to transfer.
Consolidated Public Retirement Board
The board is required to perform actuarial computations, transfer assets and service credits, and process notifications for transferring employees.
Public Employees Retirement System
The system must transfer trust fund assets for transferring members and is released from all future benefit liabilities for those individuals.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible to switch retirement systems under this bill?
When is the deadline for a municipality to make its election?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · passed the Senate · in House committee.
Procedural history
19 actions- Mar 2, 2026HouseCommitteeTo Finance
- Feb 27, 2026HouseCommitteeTo House Finance
- Feb 27, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced in House
- Feb 27, 2026HouseHouse received Senate message
- Feb 26, 2026SenateOrdered to House
- Feb 26, 2026SenateFloorPassed Senate (Roll No. 244)
Show 13 earlier actions
- Feb 26, 2026SenateRead 3rd time
- Feb 26, 2026SenateOn 3rd reading
- Feb 25, 2026SenateRead 2nd time
- Feb 25, 2026SenateOn 2nd reading
- Feb 24, 2026SenateRead 1st time
- Feb 24, 2026SenateImmediate consideration
- Feb 24, 2026SenateCommitteeReported do pass
- Feb 23, 2026SenateCommitteeTo Finance
- Feb 23, 2026SenateCommittee substitute reported, but first to Finance
- Feb 17, 2026SenateCommitteeTo Pensions
- Feb 17, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced in Senate
- Feb 17, 2026SenateCommitteeTo Pensions then Finance
- Feb 17, 2026SenateIntroducedFiled for introduction
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Municipal Pension Flexibility
The bill creates a formal mechanism for municipalities to shift police and firefighters hired after July 1, 2015, out of the general public employees retirement system and into a dedicated municipal safety system.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 50)
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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