Bill > HB5101

This bill, the Joanna Phillips Domestic Violence Prevention Act, aims to strengthen protections against domestic violence by clarifying definitions, increasing penalties for certain offenses, and altering bail requirements. Specifically, it expands the definition of strangulation, suffocation, and asphyxiation to include acts against family or household members, or during the commission of other serious crimes, and increases the penalties for these offenses, especially for repeat offenders. The bill also revises penalties for domestic battery and domestic assault, increasing fines and jail time, and broadens the scope of prior offenses that can lead to enhanced penalties for repeat domestic violence convictions. Furthermore, it modifies bail provisions, allowing courts to set higher bail in domestic violence cases when protective orders or bond conditions are violated, or when there's a significant risk of harm, while also clarifying that cash bail for misdemeanors generally cannot exceed three times the maximum fine, with exceptions for domestic violence.

Justice

http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=5101&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill