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WV SB812

Bill

Status

Introduced

3/19/2025

Primary Sponsor

Tom Willis

Click for details

Origin

Senate

2025 Regular Session

AI Summary

  • Expands the definition of "terrorism" to include unlawful force or violence intended to coerce, intimidate, or attack groups, governments, or societies for political, religious, or ideological goals, and adds new categories including "terrorist violent mass action," "terroristic vandalism," "terrorist swatting," and "material support to terrorism"

  • Designates fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction and classifies attacks on critical infrastructure, deliberate spreading of disease among crops/livestock, and politically-motivated blockades or trespassing on critical infrastructure property as acts of terrorism

  • Significantly increases penalties for terrorism-related offenses: threatening a terrorist act now carries fines of $100,000-$2,500,000 and 3-10 years imprisonment (up from $5,000-$25,000 and 1-3 years); committing a terrorist act carries 3 years per instance plus 10 additional years if injury/property damage occurs and 20 additional years if a law enforcement officer is injured

  • Requires all terrorism sentences to be mandatory without suspension, alternative sentencing, or probation, and mandates sentences run consecutively (not concurrently) with other charges; requires restitution up to three times the economic harm suffered

  • Directs the Attorney General to identify and designate terrorist groups (both international and domestic), with membership or association in designated groups constituting grounds for terrorism charges; prohibits convicted terrorists from entering West Virginia regardless of where the original offense occurred

Legislative Description

Establishing, defining, and creating criminal penalties for terrorist acts and groups

Public Safety

Last Action

To Judiciary

3/19/2025

Committee Referrals

Judiciary3/19/2025

Full Bill Text

No bill text available