Senate Bill No. 750

(By Senators Prezioso, Bailey, Dittmar and Buckalew)

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[Originating in the Committee on Military;
reported February 27, 1998.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact section eighty-seven, article one-e, chapter fifteen of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to creating a state offense of absence without leave; and penalty.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section eighty-seven, article one-e, chapter fifteen of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 1E. CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE.

PART X. PUNITIVE SECTIONS.

§15-1E-87. Absence without leave.

(a) Any person subject to this article who, without authority:
(1) Fails to go to his or her appointed place of duty at the time prescribed;
(2) Goes from that place; or
(3) Absents himself or herself or remains absent from his or her
unit, organization or place of duty at which he or she is required to be at the time prescribed; shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
(b) In addition, the offense committed under subsection (a) of this section, constitutes a misdemeanor triable in the criminal courts of this state. Any person convicted hereunder shall be sentenced to confinement in the county or regional jail as follows: (1) One day for each unit training assembly from which the person
was absent without leave; or (2) one day for each day of annual training or other duty from which the person was absent without leave.
These sentences are mandatory and shall not be subject to suspension, probation, reduction or home confinement.
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(NOTE:
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.)