If you have been following along with our bill tracker and the more than 500 bills we've been following in the legislature, it won't suprise you that this was a busy session for the ACLU-WV.
This legislative session was a difficult one on many ACLU issues, but one area where we've seen real progress and success is in Criminal Legal Reform.
This session, 12 significant pieces of CLR legislation passed and are headed to the governor's desk:
HB 2419 - Bail reform
HB 4958 - Ending suspension of drivers licenses for inability to pay court fines and fees
HB 4717 - Civil asset forfeiture reporting
HB 4004 - Sentencing commission
HB 4352 - Ending denial of occupational licences for criminal history absent a rational nexus
SB 692 - Allowing separate trials for criminal defendants on demand
SB 838 - State police drug treatment referral (Angel's Law)
SB 472 - Alternative sentencing for work release
SB 562 - Expungement expansion
SB 620 - Creating home plans for inmates
SB 678 - Waiving court fees for completion of GOALS program
SB 311 - Magistrates can offer community service instead of jail
We are proud to share these important strides taken in West Virginia in the 2020 legislative session, and we will be sharing more information about this legislative session and these reforms in the days to come.
We are grateful for our partners in this fight, including American Friends Service Committee, Americans for Prosperity, WV Center on Budget and Policy, WV Council of Churches and the Cardinal Institute.
The ACLU-WV will continue our work on our long-term campaign to fundamentally change the criminal legal system and end the scourge of mass incarceration.
