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<br />R-05-59 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />A RESOLUTION REQUESTING THAT THE MEMBERS OF THE <br />PORTSMOUTH GENERAL ASSEMBL Y DELEGATION SUPPORT THE <br />RETURN OF THE "FOUR FOR LIFE" FUNDS FOR USE BY EMERGENCY <br />MEDICAL SERVICES IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA. <br /> <br />WHEREAS, in 1983, the General Assembly adopted legislation that provided for a $1.00 <br />fee, known as "One for Life," on automobile registrations to be earmarked for emergency medical <br />services in the State; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, in 1990, the fee was doubled to $2.00 and became known as "Two for <br />Life," and the funds were still earmarked for emergency medical services in Virginia; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, in 2002, the General Assembly doubled the vehicle registration fee once <br />more to $4.00; and the funds, which became known as "Four for Life" funds, were to be <br />distributed by the Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services to the Regional EMS Councils, <br />the Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads, and to local governments for equipment, <br />supplies, and training, and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, while, $3.45 million has been transferred to the General Fund since 2002, <br />these funds have been redirected for homeland security issues, such as the Commonwealth <br />Preparedness initiative, despite a plentiful supply of federal funds for the same purpose; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, emergency medical services entities are responsible for 7.3 million <br />citizens in Virginia, not including those who are visiting our State, and those services are <br />. being curtailed by the diversion of such funds for other purposes; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the Virginia Fire Chiefs' Association, in concert with other fire service <br />and emergency management services organizations, has asked Virginia local governments to <br />adopt a resolution requesting restoration of funding for the "Four for Life" program to support <br />emergency medical services as originally intended. <br /> <br />NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of <br />Portsmouth Virginia that it supports the restoration of "Four for Life" funds to support <br />emergency medical services as originally intended. <br /> <br />BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council requests that the members of the <br />Portsmouth General Assembly delegation also support the restoration of the emergency medical <br />services funds during the upcoming 2006 session of the Virginia General Assembly. <br /> <br />BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Clerk be directed to forward a copy of <br />this resolution to each member ofthe Portsmouth General Assembly. <br /> <br />ADOPTED by the Council of the City of Portsmouth, Virginia at a meeting held <br />on November 8, 2005. <br /> <br />Teste: <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />City Clerk <br /> <br />