H. B. 2595
(By Delegate Wright)
[Introduced February 2, 1999; referred to the
Committee on Industry and Labor then the Judiciary.]
A BILL to amend article six, chapter sixty-one of the code of
West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as
amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated section
twenty-four, relating to restricting the decibel levels for
advertisements, commercials or station identification
messages broadcast by television stations.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article six, chapter sixty-one of the code of West
Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be
amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section
twenty-four, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 6. CRIMES AGAINST THE PEACE.
§61-6-24. Television stations; restricted decibel level for advertisements, commercial or station
identification message.
(a) The decibel level used for an advertisement, commercial
or station identification message broadcast by any television
station operating in this state may not exceed the level used for
the programming preceding the advertisement, commercial or
station identification message.
(b) A television station violating the subsection (a) of
this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction
thereof, shall be fined not less than fifty dollars nor more than
five hundred dollars. Each broadcast violating subsection (a) of
this section is a separate violation.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to restrict the decibel
levels for advertisements, commercials or station identification
messages broadcast by television stations.
This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and
underscoring have been omitted.