The House Judiciary Committee met this morning.
Markup & Passage
House Bill 2710, the Truth in Giving Act, provides donors or buyers at thrift operations with information on whether the operations were a non-profit organization or a for-profit business. Non-profits would provide charity benefiting from purchases. For-profits would provide business information and must have a sign stating the donations are sold for a for-profit entity. The bill advances to the House floor.
House Bill 2871 amends negligence vehicular homicide and creates a crime aggravated vehicle homicide, which is deliberate disregard of injury or safety of others. The bill adds crimes for the acts in a school or construction zone. Embryos are added as a protected person within this code. The bill also makes changes to watercraft operations causing homicide. The Committee Substitute for the Committee Substitute advances to the House floor.
Senate Bill 138 enhances penalties for fleeing an officer for a second, third, or subsequent time. The bill also adds a fifteen look back. Due to amendments needing to be worked out, the bill has been laid over.
Senate Bill 240 creates the crime of sexual extortion and sets felony penalties for committing a crime. Minors do have more lenient penalties for offenses. If the offense results in death or severe injury of the person, then the charge raises to aggravated sexual extortion. The bill advances to the House floor.
Committee Hearing
House Bill 2634 doubles the penalty for all sexual offenses involving a minor. If a parent, guardian, or person in trust knows and doesn’t report it, they can face the same penalties.
House Bill 2382 prohibits camping or storage of personal property of governmental or public property. The bill provides definitions and penalties.
House Bill 2870 adds fleeing SUI as a DUI offense and allows for the DMV to create rules relating to the provisions.
The Subcommittee on Courts met following the Judiciary.
Markup & Passage
House Bill 2711 repeals the common law rule against perpetuities by prospectively extending its application to all trusts to 1,000 years and modernizing West Virginia trust law.
House Bill 2761 increases the jurisdiction limits of magistrate courts for claims less than or equal to $20,000.
House Bill 2774 increases the criminal and administrative penalties for assault or battery on athletic officials.
Committee Hearing
House Bill 2369 limits the number of improvement periods a parent may have per child or actions in abuse and neglect proceedings to three.
House Bill 2351 increases compensation for panel attorneys of the Public Defender Services. The bill also requires Public Defender Services to annually provide a report to certain state agencies summarizing legal services that are being provided by the submission of a voucher by panel attorneys serving as guardians ad litem in state courts.
The Subcommittee on Legal Services met this morning and afternoon.
Markup & Passage
House Bill 2707 creates the Mountain Bike Responsibility Act. In WV, there are several tourist responsibility acts. The bill sets definitions, duties of trail system operators regarding the trail system, duties passengers, duties of mountain bicyclists, and liability of trail system operators, passengers, and mountain bicyclists.
House Bill 2719 allows for membership organizations and domestic corporations to make political contributions and expenditures in certain circumstances. The bill establishes disclosure requirements and limitations on any such political contributions to a candidate, candidate’s committee, or political action committee.
House Bill 2867 precludes an estate with real property from being processed as a small estate.
Committee Hearing
House Bill 3016 would require all driver’s licenses, permits, and ID cards issued to lawful noncitizen residents to be noted as “non-resident.” The bill allows for voter registration to have photos on them. The bill advances to the markup stage.
The Subcommittee on Homeland Security met this afternoon.
Markup & Passage
House Bill 2781 requires that judicial officers consider the residency status of a person charged with a criminal violation in determining bail and conditions of pretrial release.
