Introduced Version
House Bill 2037 History
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Key: Green = existing Code. Red = new code to be enacted
H. B. 2037
(By Delegate Paxton)
[Introduced February 13, 2013; referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary then Finance.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §61-2-10b of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to increasing the minimum sentence
to fifteen years for a person who maliciously assaults a
government representative, health care worker or emergency
service personnel acting in his or her official capacity
; and
increasing the minimum sentence
to ten years for a person who
unlawfully, but not maliciously, assaults a government
representative, health care worker or emergency service
personnel acting in his or her official capacity.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §61-2-10b of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. CRIMES AGAINST THE PERSON.
§61-2-10b. Malicious assault; unlawful assault; battery; and assault on governmental representatives, health
care providers, and emergency medical service
personnel; definitions; penalties.
(a) For purposes of this section:
(1) "Government representative" means any officer or employee
of the state or a political subdivision thereof, or a person under
contract with a state agency or political subdivision thereof.
(2) "Health care worker" means any nurse, nurse practitioner,
physician, physician assistant or technician practicing at, and all
persons employed by or under contract to a hospital, county or
district health department, long-term care facility, physician's
office, clinic or outpatient treatment facility.
(3) "Emergency service personnel" means any paid or volunteer
firefighter, emergency medical technician, paramedic, or other
emergency services personnel employed by or under contract with an
emergency medical service provider or a state agency or political
subdivision thereof.
(b) Malicious assault. -- Any person who maliciously shoots,
stabs, cuts or wounds or by any means causes bodily injury with
intent to maim, disfigure, disable or kill a government
representative, health care worker or emergency service personnel
acting in his or her official capacity, and the person committing
the malicious assault knows or has reason to know that the victim is acting in his or her official capacity is guilty of a felony
and, upon conviction thereof, shall be confined in a correctional
facility for not less than three nor more than fifteen years.
(c) Unlawful assault. -- Any person who unlawfully but not
maliciously shoots, stabs, cuts or wounds or by any means causes a
government representative, health care worker or emergency service
personnel acting in his or her official capacity bodily injury with
intent to maim, disfigure, disable or kill him or her and the
person committing the unlawful assault knows or has reason to know
that the victim is acting in his or her official capacity is guilty
of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be confined in a
correctional facility for not less than two nor more than five
years ten years.
(d) Battery. -- Any person who unlawfully, knowingly and
intentionally makes physical contact of an insulting or provoking
nature with a government representative, health care worker or
emergency service personnel acting in his or her official capacity,
or unlawfully and intentionally causes physical harm to that person
acting in such capacity, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon
conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $500 or confined
in jail not less than one month nor more than twelve months or both
fined and confined. If any person commits a second such offense,
he or she is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall
be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned in a state correctional facility not less than one year nor more than three years, or both
fined and imprisoned. Any person who commits a third violation of
this subsection is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof,
shall be fined not more than $2,000 or imprisoned in a state
correctional facility not less than two years nor more than five
years, or both fined and imprisoned.
(e) Assault. -- Any person who unlawfully attempts to commit
a violent injury to the person of a government representative,
health care worker or emergency service personnel acting in his or
her official capacity, or unlawfully commits an act which places
that person acting in his or her official capacity in reasonable
apprehension of immediately receiving a violent injury, is guilty
of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be confined in
jail for not less than twenty-four hours nor more than six months,
fined not more than $200, or both fined and confined.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to increase the minimum
sentence to fifteen years for a person who maliciously assaults a
government representative, health care worker or emergency service
personnel acting in his or her official capacity
. The bill also
increases the minimum sentence
to ten years for a person who
unlawfully, but not maliciously, assaults a government
representative, health care worker or emergency service personnel
acting in his or her official capacity
.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.