Senate Bill No. 337
(By Senator Schoonover)
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[Introduced February 13, 1995; referred to the Committee
on the Judiciary.]
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A BILL to amend article two, chapter seventeen-a 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 reducing the penalty for a misdemeanor to only a fine in certain cases.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article two, chapter seventeen-a 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 2. DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES.
§17A-2-24. Commissioner - Rule promulgation; removal of penalty

of jail or imprisonment for minor traffic violations.

Notwithstanding any code provision to the contrary, certain minor traffic violations as cited in this code shall not upon conviction carry with them imprisonment. The commissioner shall adopt rules consistent with this code section to distinguish between misdemeanors carrying penalties including jail or imprisonment and misdemeanors without penalties including jail or imprisonment. The commissioner shall consult with governmental entities prior to promulgating such rules.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to remove the penalty "jail time" from certain minor traffic violations.

This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.