WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE

2025 REGULAR SESSION

Introduced

Senate Bill 531

By Senator Woelfel

[Introduced February 19, 2025; referred
to the Committee on Education; and then to the Committee on the Judiciary]

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; defining assault and battery against athletic officials as felony offenses; and providing criminal penalties for the offenses.

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 felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more less than $500 nor more than $1,000, or confined in jail not more than six months imprisoned in a state correctional facility not less than one nor more than two years, or both fined and confined imprisoned.

(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 felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more less than $1,000 nor more than $2,000, or confined in jail not more than twelve months imprisoned in a state correctional facility not less than one nor more than three years, or both fined and confined imprisoned.

(c) For the purpose of this section, "athletic official" means a person at a sports 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.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to define assault and battery against athletic officials as felony offenses; and providing criminal penalties for the offenses.

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