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Did Not Advance

West Virginia Bill Facilitates Municipal Firefighter Transition to MPFRS Retirement System

Original title: To provide special consideration for municipalities to be allowed to join NPFRS for their paid firefighters

Last action · February 9, 2026: To House FinanceSponsors: Sarah Drennan and 10 others

Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Proposed

West Virginia House Bill 5331 provides special consideration and authorizations for municipalities to transition their paid firefighters into the Municipal Police Officers and Firefighters Retirement System (MPFRS). The measure details asset and service credit transfers from the Public Employees Retirement System and establishes member contribution requirements and deadlines.

Why it matters

Municipalities and their paid firefighters gain specific statutory pathways to alter their public pension coverage, impacting how service credits and assets are transferred between state retirement funds.

Background
  • The Municipal Police Officers and Firefighters Retirement System (MPFRS) is a statewide retirement plan administered by the Consolidated Public Retirement Board for participating municipal police and fire personnel. context
  • The Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) covers public employees across West Virginia state and local government agencies. context

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.

Directly affected

Paid firefighters

Paid firefighters may have their retirement system membership, asset transfers, and contribution requirements modified if their municipality elects to join MPFRS.

Directly affected

Municipalities

Municipalities are given special consideration and authorization to elect participation in MPFRS for their paid firefighters.

Directly affected

Consolidated Public Retirement Board

The board is tasked with receiving municipal notices, calculating asset transfers, and moving assets and service credits between retirement funds.

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

Which employees are affected by the special consideration in HB 5331?
Paid firefighters and municipal police officers employed by municipalities in West Virginia, particularly those hired on or after July 1, 2015.
What happens to a firefighter's service credit and assets during a transfer?
The Consolidated Public Retirement Board transfers assets and recognized service credit from the Public Employees Retirement System Trust Fund into the MPFRS fund based on computed actuarial values.
Is there a financial contribution requirement for employees who choose to transfer?
Yes, any firefighter who elects to join MPFRS must pay a four percent contribution plus interest no later than June 30, 2027.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.

Procedural history

4 actions
  1. Feb 9, 2026HouseCommittee
    To House Finance
  2. Feb 9, 2026HouseIntroduced
    Introduced in House
  3. Feb 9, 2026HouseCommittee
    To Finance
  4. Feb 9, 2026HouseIntroduced
    Filed 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

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Expanded Municipal Retirement Flexibility

The bill provides additional statutory authorization and structured asset transfer mechanisms for municipalities seeking to shift paid firefighters from the Public Employees Retirement System to MPFRS.

Connected Entities

Dana Ferrell, David Green, Dave McCormick and 11 more
PersonDana Ferrell“Cosponsor of House Bill 5331”Map →
PersonDavid Green“Cosponsor of House Bill 5331”Map →
PersonDave McCormick“Cosponsor of House Bill 5331”Map →
OrganizationPublic Employees Retirement System“State retirement system from which assets and service credits may be transferred”Map →
OrganizationConsolidated Public Retirement Board“Administers public retirement plans and receives notifications and asset transfe”Map →
PersonKathie Hess Crouse“Cosponsor of House Bill 5331”Map →
PersonScot Heckert“Cosponsor of House Bill 5331”Map →
PersonSarah Drennan“Lead sponsor of House Bill 5331”Map →
PersonJoe Statler“Cosponsor of House Bill 5331”Map →
PersonGeorge Miller“Cosponsor of House Bill 5331”Map →
PersonPhil Mallow“Cosponsor of House Bill 5331”Map →
OrganizationMunicipal Police Officers and Firefighters Retirement System“Retirement plan for municipal police and firefighters”Map →
PersonJeff Campbell“Cosponsor of House Bill 5331”Map →
PersonMike Hite“Cosponsor of House Bill 5331”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.wvlegislature.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance20
    Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 60)
  • Controversy25
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz20
    Current news / social attention level

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