West Virginia Legislature

2024 REGULAR SESSION

Introduced

Senate Bill 52

BY Senator Woodrum

[Introduced January 10, 2024; referred

to the Committee on the Judiciary]

A BILL to amend and reenact §64-7-1 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to authorizing the West Virginia Insurance Commissioner to promulgate a legislative rule relating to bail bondsmen in criminal cases.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 7. Authorization for Department of revenue to promulgate legislative rules.

§64-7-1. West Virginia Insurance Commissioner.

The legislative rule filed in the State Register on July 11, 2023, authorized under the authority of §51-10-8 of this code, modified by the West Virginia Insurance Commissioner to meet the objections of the Legislative Rule-Making Review Committee and refiled in the State Register on September 14, 2023, relating to the West Virginia Insurance Commissioner (bail bondsmen in criminal cases, 114 CSR 103), is authorized with the amendments set forth below:

on page 3, paragraph 3.2.1.h., following the words "felony crime", by striking out the remainder of the paragraph and inserting a semi-colon.

And,

On page 6, subsection 3.11., by inserting a new subsection to read as follows:

"3.12.  Any person who has been convicted of a felony is not qualified to be licensed as a bail bondsman and the Commissioner shall not license any such person. The Commissioner shall revoke or non-renew the license of a bail bondsman who is convicted of a felony, after licensure, and shall non-renew the license of a bail bondsman who was previously convicted of a felony, and who was issued a license prior to the enactment of this subsection."

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to authorize the West Virginia Insurance Commissioner to promulgate a legislative rule relating to bail bondsmen in criminal cases.

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