H. B. 2471
(By Delegates Seacrist, Beane,
Evans, Clements and Compton)
[Introduced March 10, 1997; referred to the
Committee on Finance.]
A BILL finding and declaring certain claims for compensation of
innocent victims of crimes occurring in West Virginia to be
moral obligations of the state and directing the auditor to
issue warrants for the payment thereof.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
COMPENSATION AWARDS TO VICTIMS OF CRIMES.
§1. Finding and declaring certain crime victims claims for compensation to be moral obligations of the state and directing payment thereof.
The Legislature has duly considered the findings of fact and
recommendations for awards reported to it by the court of claims
in respect to the following named claimants who were innocent
victims of crime within this state and entitled to compensation;
and in respect to each of the named claimants the Legislature adopts those findings of fact as its own, hereby declares it to
be the moral obligation of the state to pay each such claimant in the
amount specified below, and directs the auditor to issue warrants
for the payment thereof out of any fund appropriated and
available for the purpose.
Claims for crime victims compensation awards:
(To be paid from Crime Victims Compensation Fund)
(1) William C. Chapman$1,000.00
(2) Jerry N. Gibson, as guardian of
Cecilia D. Gibson$5,000.00
(3) Jerry N. Gibson, as guardian of
Jessica Y. Gibson$5,000.00
(4) Betty J. Sargent, as the adoptive parent
of Robert William Sargent$23,500.00
(5) Betty J. Sargent, as the adoptive parent
of Dawn Marie Sargent$23,500.00
(6) Alan D. Taylor$ 15,000.00
TOTAL$73,000.00
The Legislature finds that the above moral obligations and
the appropriations made in satisfaction thereof shall be the full
compensation for all claimants herein.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to establish the moral
obligation toward providing payment for noneconomic loss to
victims of crime which have been approved by the court of claims.
Total amount of special revenue - $73,000.00.