CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The Kanawha County Commission is crossing party lines today to salute the West Virginia Senate for its bipartisan approval of an amendment to bill SB574. The original bill would have drastically increased health care costs for thousands of local public employees according to the commission which is made up of two Democrats and one Republican.
“Today’s vote was a victory for thousands of deputy sheriffs, police officers, firefighters, paramedics and other local public employees across West Virginia,” said Democrat Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper. “We commend every member of the Senate for standing up for our first responders and local employees.”
Fellow Democrat Commissioner Ben Salango added, “The Kanawha County Commission sincerely thanks each and every senator for listening to the concerns of first responders and for finding a solution that does not arbitrarily increase health care costs for local public employees.”
Republican Commissioner Lance Wheeler added, “Today, the Senate made the right call to amend SB 574. This legislation would have harmed local public employees and first responders. We thank the Senate for amending this bill.”
SB574, in its original form, would have resulted in different reimbursement rates for different hospitals across the state, increasing healthcare costs and premiums of law enforcement officers, firefighters, board of health employees, and other first responders, according to the Kanawha Commission.