West Virginia House Bill 5659 (Prior Session Legislation)

---

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: Introduced on February 13 2024 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2024-02-13 - To House Judiciary
Pending: House Judiciary Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [HTML]

The purpose of this bill is to clarify the conditions for pretrial release and the maximum bail amount that may be set for individuals charged with multiple misdemeanor offenses. The bill revises the definition of "bail" and establishes that a defendant has the right to select among several methods of securing bail, subject to a judicial officer's authority to impose terms and conditions of bail reasonably necessary to secure defendant's appearance and protect the public. The bill authorizes a judicial officer to release a defendant on his or her own recognizance but clarifies that a magistrate may not release a defendant charged with a felony offense on his or her own recognizance. It also establishes that a magistrate may not set "cash only" or "property only" bail.

Relating to pretrial release

Del. Brandon Steele [R]

Date	Chamber	Action
2024-02-13	House	To House Judiciary
2024-02-13	House	Introduced in House
2024-02-13	House	To Judiciary
2024-02-13	House	Filed for introduction

Chapter	Article	Section	Citation Type	Statute Text
62	1C	1a	Amended Code	Citation Text
62	1C	2	Amended Code	Citation Text

Type	Source
Summary	http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=5659&year=2024&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill
Text	http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb5659%20intr.htm&yr=2024&sesstype=RS&i=5659