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Introduced Version Senate Bill 468 History

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Key: Green = existing Code. Red = new code to be enacted


Senate Bill No. 468

(By Senator Snyder)

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[Introduced March 13, 2001; referred to the Committee on the Judiciary; and then to the Committee on Finance.]

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A BILL to amend chapter sixty-one of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by adding thereto a new article, designated article thirteen, relating to enacting the hate crime registration act; requiring registration of persons convicted of criminal offenses which were motivated by hate or intolerance; requiring information on change of address; duration of registration requirement; providing for the distribution of registration information; imposing duties regarding registration on institutional officials; providing for information disclosure when registrant moves out of state; providing penalty for failure to register or provide change of address; providing for registration of out-of-state offenders; and providing for annual address verification.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That chapter sixty-one of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new article, designated article thirteen, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 13. HATE CRIME REGISTRATION ACT.

§61-13-1. Short title.
This article may be cited as the "Hate Crime Registration Act."
§61-13-2. Registration.
(a) Any person who has been convicted of a violation of the provisions of this chapter or of a similar provision in another jurisdiction where the offense is motivated by hate or intolerance toward a particular person or group of persons due to that person's or group of persons' ethnicity, nationality, gender, race, sexual orientation or religion shall be required to be registered as set forth in this article.
(b) On the date that any person convicted of the crimes listed herein is released, is granted probation, is granted a suspended sentence, is released on parole or probation, or is ordered to be placed on home detention, the commissioner of corrections, regional jail supervisor or city or sheriff operating a jail which releases the person and any parole or probation officer who releases the person or supervises the person following the release shall obtain all information required by this subsection prior to the release of the person and shall send written notice of the release of the person to the state police within three days of receiving the information. The notice shall include:
(1) The full name of the person;
(2) The address where the person shall reside;
(3) The person's social security number;
(4) A recent photograph of the person;
(5) A brief description of the crime for which the person was convicted; and
(6) Fingerprints.
(c) At the time the person is convicted of a crime set forth in subsection (a) of this section, the person shall sign in open court, a statement acknowledging that he or she understands the requirements imposed by this article. The court shall inform the person so convicted of the requirements to register imposed by this article and shall further satisfy itself by interrogation of the defendant or his or her counsel that the defendant has received notice of the provisions of this article and that the defendant understands the provisions. The statement, when signed and witnessed shall constitute prima facie evidence that the person had knowledge of the requirements of this article.
(d) When a person required to register under this article is released following incarceration, the commissioner of corrections, the regional jail supervisor or the city or sheriff or any other person supervising the operation of the place of confinement shall, within three days, inform the state police of the release and provide further information as is required by this article.
(e) The state police shall maintain a central registry of all persons who register under this article and shall release information only as provided in this article.
§61-13-3. Change of address.

When any person required to register under this article changes his or her residence or address, he or she shall inform the West Virginia state police of his or her new address, in writing, within ten days.
§61-13-4. Duration of registration requirement.
Any person required to register under this article shall be required to do so for a period of ten years after conviction for the offense defined herein if not imprisoned, and if imprisoned, for a period of ten years after release from prison by discharge or parole. A person is no longer required to register at the expiration of ten years from the date of initial registration, when that convicted person is not otherwise required, during such period, to register. A person whose conviction is overturned for the offense which required them to register under this article shall be permitted to petition the court for removal of their name from the registry.
§61-13-5. Distribution of information.
(a) Within five working days after receiving any notification as described in this article, the state police shall distribute a copy of the notification statement to:
(1) The supervisor of each county and municipal law-enforcement office in the city and county where the person will reside; and
(2) All community organizations or religious organizations comprised of persons sharing common traits with the particular person or group of persons against whom the offender committed a crime in the county where the person will reside.
(b) The information and documentation required in connection with the registration may be provided to any other person upon application to the circuit court in the county where an applicant seeking the information resides, when that court finds that the information is sufficiently relevant to public safety to outweigh the importance of maintaining confidentiality of this article. When the court orders the release of that information, the court shall further order to what extent the applicant may provide for the release of the information to third parties.
(c) The state police may furnish information and documentation required in connection with the registration to authorized law-enforcement and governmental agencies of the United States and its territories, of foreign countries duly authorized to receive the same, of other states within the United States and of the state of West Virginia upon proper request stating that the records will be used solely for law-enforcement related purposes.
(d) An elected public official, public employee or public agency is immune from civil liability for damages arising out of any action relating to the provisions of this section except when the official, employee or agency acted with gross negligence or in bad faith.
§61-13-6. Duties of institution officials.
In addition to the duties imposed by sections two and four of this article, any person required to register under this article, before parole or release, shall be informed of his or her duty to register by the official in charge of the place of confinement. Further, the official shall obtain a statement signed by the person acknowledging that the person has been informed of his or her duty to register.
§61-13-7. Information shall be released when person moves out of state.
When a person who is required to register pursuant to the provisions of this article notifies any law-enforcement official or corrections official, that he or she is moving to another state, the official shall notify law-enforcement officials where the person indicates he or she shall reside of the information provided by the person under the provisions of this article.
§61-13-8. Failure to register; penalty.
Any person required to register under this article who knowingly fails to register or knowingly fails to provide a change of address as required by this article is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than two hundred fifty dollars nor more than ten thousand dollars, or imprisoned in the county or regional jail not more than one year, or both fined and imprisoned: Provided, That each time the person changes residence and fails to register, such failure constitutes a separate offense.
§61-13-9. Registration of out-of-state offenders.
When any probation or parole officer accepts supervision of and has legal authority over any person required to register under this article from another state under the terms and conditions of the uniform act for out-of-state parolee supervision established under article six, chapter twenty-eight of this code, the officer shall give the person written notice of the registration requirements of this article and obtain a signed statement from the person required to register acknowledging the receipt of the notice.
§61-13-10. Address verification.
The state police shall verify addresses of those persons registered under the provisions of this article once a year.




NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require registration of any person convicted of a criminal offense involving hate or intolerance of a particular person or group of persons due to the person's or group of persons' race, religion, gender, nationality, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

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