HB4404 Increases Fire Department Allowance to $5,000
Summary
West Virginia Governor signed HB4404 into law, raising the maximum annual expenditure allowance for volunteer and part-volunteer fire departments from $500 to $5,000. The bill specifically covers educational and training supplies as well as fire prevention promotional materials. The legislation passed unanimously in both chambers during the 2026 Regular Session.
What changed
HB4404 amends West Virginia's existing fire department allowance statute by increasing the maximum annual expenditure threshold from $500 to $5,000 for volunteer and part-volunteer fire companies and departments. The bill specifies that funds may be used for educational and training supplies and fire prevention promotional materials.
The change primarily benefits volunteer fire departments by providing significantly greater flexibility in purchasing training resources and conducting fire prevention outreach. While the operational impact is narrow—affecting only procurement and budget allocation for these entities—it has broader implications for municipal budgeting and public safety resource prioritization across West Virginia communities with volunteer fire services.
What to do next
- Review updated spending authority thresholds for volunteer fire department budgets
- Update procurement policies to reflect new $5,000 annual allowance cap
- Ensure expenditures align with allowable categories (training supplies, fire prevention materials)
Source document (simplified)
ChangeBridge / West Virginia / HB4404 Signed by Governor HB4404 House Bill Signed by Governor 2026-03-14
Increase the allowance for volunteer and part-volunteer fire companies and allowing fire departments to make an expenditure for educational and training supplies and fire prevention promotional materials
The purpose of this bill is to increase the allowance for volunteer and part-volunteer fire companies and departments to make an expenditure for educational and training supplies and fire prevention promotional materials from $500 to $5,000 per year.
Bill Details
State West Virginia
Session 2026 Regular Session
Chamber House
Official Source www.wvlegislature.gov/BillStatus/Billshi...
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Sponsors
Scot Heckert (Rep - R) Rick Hillenbrand (Rep - R) Michael Amos (Rep - R) Dave Foggin (Rep - R) Bob Fehrenbacher (Rep - R) Charles Sheedy (Rep - R) Gary Howell (Rep - R) John Paul Hott (Rep - R)
Action History
2026-04-01 H Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 2026-03-14 H Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 - House Journal 2026-03-14 S Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 - Senate Journal 2026-03-18 H To Governor 3/18/2026 2026-03-14 S To Governor 3/18/2026 - Senate Journal 2026-03-13 H House received Senate message 2026-03-12 S Completed legislative action 2026-03-12 S Communicated to House 2026-03-12 S Effective from passage (Roll No. 479) 2026-03-12 S Passed Senate (Roll No. 478) 2026-03-12 S Read 3rd time 2026-03-12 S On 3rd reading 2026-03-11 S Read 2nd time 2026-03-11 S On 2nd reading 2026-03-10 S Read 1st time 2026-03-10 S Immediate consideration 2026-03-10 S Reported do pass 2026-03-04 S To Finance 2026-03-04 S Reported do pass, but first to Finance 2026-02-24 S To Government Organization 2026-02-24 S To Government Organization then Finance 2026-02-24 S Introduced in Senate 2026-02-23 H Communicated to Senate 2026-02-23 H Effective from passage (Roll No. 161) 2026-02-23 H Passed House (Roll No. 160) 2026-02-23 H Read 3rd time 2026-02-23 H On 3rd reading, Special Calendar 2026-02-20 H Read 2nd time 2026-02-20 H On 2nd reading, Special Calendar 2026-02-19 H Read 1st time 2026-02-19 H On 1st reading, Special Calendar 2026-02-18 H Do pass 2026-01-16 H To House Finance 2026-01-16 H Introduced in House 2026-01-16 H To Finance 2026-01-16 H Filed for introduction
Votes
2026-02-23 Passed House (Roll No. 160) Yea: 94 Nay: 0 2026-02-23 Effective from passage (Roll No. 161) Yea: 94 Nay: 0 2026-03-12 Passed Senate (Roll No. 478) Yea: 34 Nay: 0 2026-03-12 Effective from passage (Roll No. 479) Yea: 34 Nay: 0
Committee Referrals
2026-01-16 H Finance 2026-02-24 S Government Organization 2026-03-04 S Finance
Bill Text Versions
0000-00-00 Introduced 0000-00-00 Engrossed 0000-00-00 Enrolled
Subjects
Municipalities Public Safety Legislative data powered by LegiScan (CC BY 4.0)
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