H. B. 2574
(By Delegates Yost, Ennis, Tucker, DeLong,
Pethtel and Swartzmiller)
[Introduced February 21, 2005; referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §17C-5-4 and §17C-5-7 of the Code of
West Virginia, 1931, as amended, all relating to authorizing
issuance of warrants to extract blood analysis of persons
charged with driving under the influence.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §17C-5-4 and §17C-5-7 of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 5. SERIOUS TRAFFIC OFFENSES.
§17C-5-4. Implied consent to test; administration at direction of
law-enforcement officer; designation of type of test;
definition of law-enforcement officer.
(a) Any person who drives a motor vehicle in this State is
deemed to have given his or her consent by the operation of the
motor vehicle to a preliminary breath analysis and a secondary
chemical test of either his or her blood, breath or urine for the
purposes of determining the alcoholic content of his or her blood.
(b) A preliminary breath analysis may be administered in
accordance with the provisions of section five of this article
whenever a law-enforcement officer has reasonable cause to believe
a person has committed an offense prohibited by section two of this
article or by an ordinance of a municipality of this State which
has the same elements as an offense described in section two of
this article.
(c) A secondary test of blood, breath or urine is incidental
to a lawful arrest and is to be administered at the direction of
the arresting law-enforcement officer having reasonable grounds to
believe the person has committed an offense prohibited by section
two of this article or by an ordinance of a municipality of this
State which has the same elements as an offense described in
section two of this article.
(d) The law-enforcement agency that employs the
law-enforcement officer shall designate which type of secondary
test is to be administered: Provided, That if the test designated
is a blood test and the person arrested refuses to submit to the
blood test, then the law-enforcement officer making the arrest
shall designate either a breath or urine test to be administered.
Notwithstanding the provisions of section seven of this article,
the refusal to submit to a blood test only may not result in the
revocation of the arrested person's license to operate a motor
vehicle in this State: Provided, however, That the law-enforcement officer making the arrest may seek the issuance of a warrant to
extract blood for analysis and a court of competent jurisdiction is
authorized to issue a warrant for extraction of blood if the person
arrested refuses to submit to the designated secondary test.
(e) Any person to whom a preliminary breath test is
administered who is then arrested shall be given a written
statement advising him or her that his or her refusal to submit to
the secondary chemical test pursuant to subsection (d) of this
section, will result in the revocation of his or her license to
operate a motor vehicle in this State for a period of at least one
year and up to life.
(f) Any law-enforcement officer who has been properly trained
in the administration of any secondary chemical test authorized by
this article, including, but not limited to, certification by the
Division of Health in the operation of any equipment required for
the collection and analysis of a breath sample, may conduct the
test at any location in the county wherein the arrest is made:
Provided, That the law-enforcement officer may conduct the test at
the nearest available properly functioning secondary chemical
testing device located outside the county in which the arrest was
made, if: (i) There is no properly functioning secondary chemical
testing device located within the county the arrest was made; or
(ii) there is no magistrate available within the county the arrest
was made for the arraignment of the person arrested. A law-enforcement officer who is directing that a secondary chemical
test be conducted has the authority to transport the person
arrested to where the secondary chemical testing device is located.
(g) If the arresting officer lacks proper training in the
administration of a secondary chemical test, then any other
law-enforcement officer who has received training in the
administration of the secondary chemical test to be administered
may, upon the request of the arresting law-enforcement officer and
in his or her presence, conduct the secondary test. The results of
a test conducted pursuant to this subsection may be used in
evidence to the same extent and in the same manner as if the test
had been conducted by the arresting law-enforcement officer.
(h) Only the person actually administering or conducting a
test conducted pursuant to this article is competent to testify as
to the results and the veracity of the test.
(i) For the purpose of this article, the term "law-enforcement
officer" or "police officer" means: (1) Any member of the West
Virginia State Police; (2) any sheriff and any deputy sheriff of
any county; (3) any member of a police department in any
municipality as defined in section two, article one, chapter eight
of this code; (4) any conservation officer of the Division of
Natural Resources; and (5) any special police officer appointed by
the Governor pursuant to the provisions of section forty-one,
article three, chapter sixty-one of this code who has completed the course of instruction at a law-enforcement training academy as
provided for under the provisions of section nine, article
twenty-nine, chapter thirty of this code.
(j) A law-enforcement officer who has reasonable cause to
believe that person has committed an offense prohibited by section
eighteen, article seven, chapter twenty of this code, relating to
the operation of a motorboat, jet ski or other motorized vessel,
shall follow the provisions of this section in administering, or
causing to be administered, a preliminary breath analysis and the
secondary chemical test of the accused person's blood, breath or
urine for the purpose of determining alcohol content of his or her
blood.
§17C-5-7. Refusal to submit to tests; revocation of license or
privilege; consent not withdrawn if person arrested
is incapable of refusal; hearing.
(a) If any person under arrest as specified in section four of
this article refuses to submit to any secondary chemical test, the
tests shall not be given: Provided, That prior to such refusal,
the person is given a written statement advising him or her that
his or her refusal to submit to the secondary test finally
designated will result in the revocation of his or her license to
operate a motor vehicle in this State for a period of at least one
year and up to life. If a person initially refuses to submit to
the designated secondary chemical test after being informed in writing of the consequences of such refusal, he or she shall be
informed orally and in writing that after fifteen minutes said
refusal shall be deemed to be final and the arresting officer shall
after said period of time expires have no further duty to provide
the person with an opportunity to take the secondary test. The
officer shall within forty-eight hours of such refusal, sign and
submit to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles a written statement of
the officer that: (1) He or she had reasonable grounds to believe
such person had been driving a motor vehicle in this State while
under the influence of alcohol, controlled substances or drugs; (2)
such person was lawfully placed under arrest for an offense
relating to driving a motor vehicle in this State while under the
influence of alcohol, controlled substances or drugs; (3) such
person refused to submit to the secondary chemical test finally
designated in the manner provided in section four of this article;
and (4) such person was given a written statement advising him or
her that his or her license to operate a motor vehicle in this
State would be revoked for a period of at least one year and up to
life if he or she refused to submit to the secondary test finally
designated in the manner provided in section four of this article.
The signing of the statement required to be signed by this section
shall constitute an oath or affirmation by the person signing such
statement that the statements contained therein are true and that
any copy filed is a true copy. Such statement shall contain upon its face a warning to the officer signing that to willfully sign a
statement containing false information concerning any matter or
thing, material, or not material, is false swearing and is a
misdemeanor. Upon receiving the statement the Commissioner shall
make and enter an order revoking such person's license to operate
a motor vehicle in this State for the period prescribed by this
section: Provided, however, That the law-enforcement officer
making the arrest may seek the issuance of a warrant to extract
blood for analysis and a court of competent jurisdiction is
authorized to issue a warrant for extraction of blood if the person
arrested refuses to submit to the designated secondary test.
For the first refusal to submit to the designated secondary
chemical test, the Commissioner shall make and enter an order
revoking such person's license to operate a motor vehicle in this
State for a period of one year. If the Commissioner has previously
revoked the person's license under the provisions of this section,
the Commissioner shall, for the refusal to submit to the designated
secondary chemical test, make and enter an order revoking such
person's license to operate a motor vehicle in this State for a
period of ten years: Provided, That the license may be reissued in
five years in accordance with the provisions of section three,
article five-a of this chapter. If the Commissioner has previously
revoked the person's license more than once under the provisions of
this section, the Commissioner shall, for the refusal to submit to the designated secondary chemical test, make and enter an order
revoking such person's license to operate a motor vehicle in this
State for a period of life: Provided, however, That the license
may be reissued in ten years in accordance with the provisions of
section three, article five-a of this chapter. A copy of each such
order shall be forwarded to such person by registered or certified
mail, return receipt requested, and shall contain the reasons for
the revocation and shall specify the revocation period imposed
pursuant to this section. No such revocation shall become
effective until ten days after receipt of the copy of such order.
Any person who is unconscious or who is otherwise in a condition
rendering him or her incapable of refusal, shall be deemed not to
have withdrawn his or her consent for a test of his or her blood,
breath or urine as provided in section four of this article and the
test may be administered although such person is not informed that
his or her failure to submit to the test will result in the
revocation of his or her license to operate a motor vehicle in this
State for the period provided for in this section.
A revocation hereunder shall run concurrently with the period
of any suspension or revocation imposed in accordance with other
provisions of this code and growing out of the same incident which
gave rise to the arrest for driving a motor vehicle while under the
influence of alcohol, controlled substances or drugs and the
subsequent refusal to undergo the test finally designated in accordance with the provisions of section four of this article.
(b) For the purposes of this section, where reference is made
to previous suspensions or revocations under this section, the
following types of suspensions or revocations shall also be
regarded as suspensions or revocations under this section:
(1) Any suspension or revocation on the basis of a conviction
under a municipal ordinance of another State or a statute of the
United States or of any other State of an offense which has the
same elements as an offense described in section two of this
article, for conduct which occurred on or after the tenth day of
June, tenth one thousand nine hundred eighty-three; and
(2) Any revocation under the provisions of section one or two,
article five-a of this chapter, for conduct which occurred on or
after June tenth, one thousand nine hundred eighty-three.
(c) A person whose license to operate a motor vehicle in this
State has been revoked shall be afforded an opportunity to be
heard, in accordance with the provisions of section two, article
five-a of this chapter.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to authorize issuance of a
warrant to extract blood analysis of persons charged with driving
under the influence.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.