WEST virginia legislature
2025 regular session
Committee Substitute
for
Committee Substitute
for
Senate Bill 531
By Senators Woelfel, Oliverio, Hamilton, Fuller, and Willis
[Reported March 27, 2025, from the Committee on the Judiciary]
A BILL to amend and reenact §61-2-15a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to the offenses of assault and battery on athletic officials; increasing the fines for assault or battery on athletic officials; and providing criminal penalties for the offenses.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
## Article 2. Crimes Against the Person.
(a) If any person commits an assault, as defined in §61-2-9(b) of this code, to the person of an athletic official during the time the official is acting as an athletic official, or traveling to and from an organized sporting event as an athletic official, the offender is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more less than $500 nor more than $1,000, or confined in jail not more than six months, or both fined and confined.
(b) If any person commits a battery, as defined in §61-2-9(c) of this code, against to the person of an athletic official during the time the official is acting as an athletic official, or traveling to and from an organized sporting event as an athletic official, the offender is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more less than $1,000 nor more than $2,000, or confined in jail not more than twelve 12 months, or both fined and confined.
(c) For the purpose of this section, "athletic official" means a person at a sports an organized sporting event who enforces the rules of that event, such as an umpire, or referee, or a person who supervises the participants, such as a coach, or other athletic staff.