H. B. 2498

          (By Delegates Marcum, Miley, Craig, Moore, White, Perry, Skaff, Nelson, E., Ferro, Ferns and Eldridge)
          [Introduced February 15, 2013; referred to the
          Committee on the Judiciary then Finance.]



A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §52-2-15, relating to making it a crime for a person sitting on a grand jury to disclose the identity of an individual who will be indicted; and setting forth the penalties.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
     That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §52-2-15, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. GRAND JURIES.
§52-2-15. Penalties for disclosure of an indictment.
_____In addition to any other penalty provided by law, any juror on a grand jury who directly or indirectly informs a person that he or she will be named in an indictment is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than $1,000 or confined in jail not more than thirty days, or both fined and confined.


     NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to make it a crime for a person sitting on a grand jury to disclose the identity of an individual who will be indicted. The bill also sets forth the penalties.


     This section is new; therefore, it has been completely underscored.