WEST virginia legislature

2025 regular session

Committee Substitute

for

Senate Bill 531

By Senators Woelfel, Oliverio, and Hamilton

[Reported March 19, 2025, from the Committee on Education]

A BILL to amend and reenact §61-2-15a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to the offenses of assault and battery on athletic officials; modifying criminal penalties for assault and battery on athletic officials; and redefining “athletic official”.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

Article 2. Crimes Against the Person.

§61-2-15a. Assault, battery on athletic officials; penalties.

(a) If any person commits an assault, as defined in §61-2-9(b) of this code, to the person of an athletic official during the time the official is acting as an athletic official, the offender is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more less than $500 nor more than $1,000, or confined in jail not less than one nor more than six months, or both fined and confined.

(b) If any person commits a battery, as defined in §61-2-9(c) of this code, against to the person of an athletic official during the time the official is acting as an athletic official, the offender is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more less than $1,000 nor more than $2,000, or confined in jail not less than six nor more than twelve months, or both fined and confined.

(c) For the purpose of this section, "athletic official" means a person at a sports an organized sporting event who enforces the rules of that event, such as an umpire or referee, or a person who supervises the participants, such as a coach or other athletic staff.