Source: http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb248%20intr.htm&yr=2017&sesstype=RS&i=248
Timestamp: 2018-01-19 09:56:21
Document Index: 257981968

Matched Legal Cases: ['§4', '§4', '§4', '§4', '§4', '§4', '§4']

A BILL to amend and reenact §4-5-1, §4-5-2, §4-5-3, §4-5-4 and §4-5-5 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; and to amend said code by adding thereto two new sections, designated §4-5-7 and §4-5-8, all relating to Commission on Special Investigations; clarifying composition and chairmanship of commission; redefining what constitutes a quorum for voting procedures of commission; clarifying contents of commission’s annual report; listing existing and necessary commission staff positions; granting power to conduct interviews and request production of books, records, documents, papers, or any other tangible thing, computers, laptops, computer hard drives, electronic records (including emails, files, documents and metadata), or any other thing, in any form in which they may exist; authorizing the commission and director to order or direct that all or a portion of the information communicated to the commission at the commission’s request, including the existence of the investigation, be confidential and not made public; establishing requirements for commission to enter into executive session; establishing procedures for conducting executive session; removing requirement that Joint Committee on Government and Finance approve expenses of commission; establishing procedure for commission retention and disposal of records; defining new offense of impersonating a commission member or staff member and of obstructing a commission member or staff; setting penalties; allowing the commission to award duty weapons to certain members on retirement; exempting the commission from the jurisdiction of the agency for surplus property within the Purchasing Division of the Department of Administration with respect to the disposal of the commission’s primary and secondary duty weapons; and authorizing sale of surplus weapons to active and retired members of the commission’s investigative staff.
The purchasing practices and procedures commission, heretofore created, shall continue in existence but on and after the effective date of this section shall be named and designated the Commission on Special Investigations is continued. The commission shall continue to be composed of five the President of the Senate and four members of the Senate, to be appointed by the president thereof President of the Senate, no more than three two of whom shall be from the same political party; and five the Speaker of the House of Delegates and four members of the House of Delegates, to be appointed by the speaker Speaker of the House of Delegates thereof, no more than three two of whom shall be appointed from the same political party: Provided, That in the event the membership of a political party is less than fifteen percent in the House of Delegates or Senate, then the membership of that political party from the legislative house with less than fifteen percent membership may be one from that house. The commission shall be headed chaired by two cochairmen, one to be selected by and from the members appointed from the Senate, and one to be selected by and from the members appointed from the House of Delegates the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Delegates. All members of the commission shall appointed to the commission by the commission chairs serve until their successors shall have been are appointed as heretofore provided in this section.
(3) Employ such necessary legal, technical, investigative, clerical, stenographic, advisory and other personnel as it deems needed and, within the appropriation herein specified in section four of this article, fix reasonable compensation of such any persons and firms as may be that are employed. The commission’s investigative staff may consist of a director, deputy director, senior investigators and investigators, as approved by the cochairs: Provided, That such personnel as the commission may determine shall have the authority authorize certain personnel to administer oaths and take affidavits and depositions anywhere in the state;
(4) Consult and confer with all public and private persons and agencies, public (whether federal, state or local) and private, including federal and state agencies and state political subdivisions that have information and data pertinent to an investigation; and all state and local governmental personnel and agencies and state political subdivisions shall cooperate to the fullest extent with the commission;
(7) Interview witnesses and request production of books, records, documents, papers, computers, laptops, computer hard drives, electronic records (including emails, files, documents, and metadata), or any other thing, in any form in which they may exist, as it believes should be examined to make a complete investigation: Provided, That such request for production may be in the form of a written letter from the director of the commission in lieu of subpoena; and
(8) Find that there is a reasonable likelihood that the dissemination of information in connection with a pending investigation will interfere with the investigation, or otherwise prejudice the due administration of justice, and may order or direct that all or a portion of the information communicated to the commission at the commission’s request, including the existence of the investigation, be confidential and not made public, and the person or agency providing the information shall be bound to such confidentiality until further order or direction of the commission: Provided, That the director may make such order or direction of confidentiality on behalf of the commission: Provided, however, a person or agency under such confidentiality order or direction of the director or commission, may request a hearing before the commission to void or limit such confidentiality.
(c) Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, specific personnel may be designated by the commission to carry a firearm in the course of performing his or her official duties: Provided, That as a precondition of being authorized to carry a concealed weapon in the course of their official duties, any such designated personnel must have shall first successfully completed complete a firearms training and certification program which is equivalent to that which is required of members of the State Police State Police. The designated persons must shall also possess a license to carry a concealed deadly weapon in the manner prescribed in article seven, chapter sixty-one of this code.
(b) The commission is hereby empowered and authorized to may examine witnesses and to subpoena such any persons and books, records, documents, papers or any other tangible things as it believes should be examined to make a complete investigation. All witnesses appearing before the commission shall testify under oath or affirmation, and any member of the commission or member of the commission staff may administer oaths or affirmations to such the witnesses. To compel the attendance of witnesses at such hearings to attend a hearing or the production of produce any books, records, documents, papers, or any other tangible thing computers, laptops, computer hard drives, electronic records (including emails, files, documents, and metadata), or any other thing, in any form in which they may exist, the commission is hereby empowered and authorized to may issue subpoenas, signed by one of the cochairmen cochairs in accordance with section five, article one, chapter four of this code: Provided, That the commission may specifically authorize, or delegate such power to, its director to issue subpoenas on its behalf. Such The subpoenas shall be served by any person authorized by law to serve and execute legal process and service shall be made without charge. Witnesses subpoenaed to attend hearings shall be allowed the same mileage and per diem as is allowed witnesses before any petit jury in this state.
(c) If any person subpoenaed to appear at any hearing shall refuse refuses to appear or to answer inquiries there propounded, or shall fail or refuse fails or refuses to produce books, records, documents, papers or any other tangible thing within his or her control when the same they are demanded, the commission shall report the facts to the circuit court circuit court of Kanawha county County or any other court of competent jurisdiction and such the court may compel obedience to the subpoena as though such the subpoena had been issued by such the court in the first instance: Provided, That prior to seeking circuit court relief, the commission may, in its discretion, first demand the head of the public agency, in which an employee has failed to appear or which has failed to produce requested or subpoenaed material to appear before the commission, and address the basis for the failure to comply and whether compliance will be forthcoming.
The members of the commission shall receive travel, interim and out-of-state expenses, as authorized in sections six, eight and nine, article two-a of this chapter. Such expenses and all other expenses including those incurred in the employment of legal, technical, investigative, clerical, stenographic, advisory and other personnel shall be paid from the appropriation under Account No. 103 for Joint Expenses. but no expense of any kind whatever shall be incurred unless the approval of the Joint Committee on Government and Finance therefor is first had and obtained by the commission
(3) Falsely presents a badge, credentials, other insignia, or likeness thereof, used by the commission for identification as a commission member or staff.
(c) Any person who violates the provisions of subsection (a) or subsection (b) of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be confined in jail for not more than one year, or fined not less than $500 nor more than $2500, or both fined and confined.
(a) Upon the retirement of a member of the commission’s investigative staff, the cochairs shall award to the retiring member his or her primary duty weapon, without charge, upon determining that the retiring member is retiring honorably with:
(1) At least twenty years of previously recognized law-enforcement service and an additional ten years of actual service as a member of the commission’s investigative staff:
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the cochairs shall not award his or her primary duty weapon to any retiring member whom the cochairs find to be mentally incapacitated or who constitutes a danger to any person or the community.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to clarify the composition and chairmanship of the Commission on Special Investigations; redefine what constitutes a quorum for the voting procedures of the commission; clarify the contents of the commission’s annual report; list the existing and necessary commission staff positions; authorizing witness interviews and subpoenas for information; establish the requirements for the commission to enter into executive session; establish procedures for conducting executive session; remove the requirement that the Joint Committee on Government and Finance approve expenses of the commission; establish a procedure for commission retention and disposal of records; set penalties for making a false statement to the commission; define a new criminal offense of impersonating a commission member or staff member; set penalties for impersonating a commission member or staff member; and authorizing the award of a duty weapon upon retirement.