WEST virginia legislature

2024 regular session

Introduced

House Bill 5306

By Delegate Winzenreid and Young

[Introduced January 29, 2024; Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

 A BILL to amend and reenact §61-5-4 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to including jurors and witnesses to the list of people it is illegal to bribe.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 5. CRIMES AGAINST PUBLIC JUSTICE.

§61-5-4. Bribery or attempted bribery; penalty.

If any person shall bribe, by directly or indirectly giving to or bestowing upon, or shall attempt to bribe by directly or indirectly giving to or bestowing upon, any executive, legislative, judicial, or ministerial officer of this state, or any member of the Legislature, after his or her election or appointment and either before or after he or she shall have been qualified or shall have taken his or her seat, or any impaneled juror, or any witness testifying in court proceedings any gift, gratuity, money, testimonial or other valuable thing, or shall make promise thereof, in order to influence him or her in the performance of any of his or her official, public duties, or with intent to influence his or her act, vote, opinion, testimony as a witness, findings as a juror, decision or judgment on any matter, question, cause or proceeding, or to induce or procure him or her to vote or withhold his or her vote on any question or proceeding which is then or may thereafter be pending, or may by law come or be brought before him or her in his or her official capacity, he or she shall be guilty of a felony, and, upon conviction, shall be imprisoned in the penitentiary not less than one nor more than ten years, and shall, moreover, be forever disqualified from holding any office or position of honor, trust or profit in this state.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to include jurors and witnesses to the list of people it is illegal to bribe.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.