COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
Senate Bill No. 282
(By Senators Anderson, Bowman, Sharpe, Miller, Ross,
Love, Buckalew, Yoder, Helmick, Blatnik, Bailey,
Manchin, Kimble, Schoonover, Dugan, Craigo,
Plymale, Scott, Oliverio, Walker, Dittmar, Deem,
Wiedebusch, Wagner, Whitlow, White and Chafin)
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[Originating in the Committee on the Judiciary;
reported February 16, 1995.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact section six, article seven,
chapter twenty-four-a of the code of West Virginia, one
thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to
duties of prosecuting attorneys, law-enforcement officers
and certain commission employees to enforce chapter
provisions; qualification of certain employees of the
public service commission to enforce provisions of law
involving the public service commission; and carrying of
firearms in the course of their duties.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section six, article seven, chapter twenty-four-a of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-
one, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 7. COMPLAINTS, DAMAGES AND VIOLATIONS.
§24A-7-6. Duty of prosecuting attorneys and law-enforcement
officers to enforce chapter; regulatory authority of
commission; qualifications of commission employees
designated as law-enforcement officers.
(a) It shall be the duty of the division of public safety
and the sheriffs of the counties in West Virginia to make
arrests and the duty of the prosecuting attorneys of the
several counties to prosecute all violations of this chapter
and other chapters pertaining to the regulatory authority of
the commission and the commission employees designated by it
as motor carrier inspectors shall have all the lawful powers
of law-enforcement officers to enforce the provisions of this
chapter and the provisions of other chapters of this code
pertaining to the regulatory authority of the commission as
such provisions apply to entities and persons regulated by the
commission in any county or city of this state.
Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary,
such motor carrier inspectors may carry firearms in the course
of their official duties after meeting specialized
qualifications established by the governor's committee on
crime, delinquency and correction.
(b) Nothing in this section shall be construed as making motor carrier inspectors law-enforcement officers as such term
is defined in section one, article twenty-nine, chapter thirty
of this code.