HB 4799: To establish the cold case task force for the State of West Virginia - West Virginia

hb4799 s jud am _1 adopted.htm → hb4799 s jud amt adopted.htm · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to replace the original text with a new version that formally establishes a statewide cold case task force within the State Police. The changes clarify the task force's purpose, define the composition of its executive board, and create a specific fund to support its operations. Additionally, the amendment mandates cooperation with the Fusion Center and grants the State Police Superintendent authority to select the Task Force Director and other members.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a general amendment motion to a specific legislative proposal detailing the creation of a new task force, its funding mechanism, and its operational duties.

SCOPE

Established a new statewide multi-jurisdictional cold case task force within the State Police to investigate and prosecute cold cases.

FISCAL

Created the 'Cold Case Task Force Fund' within the Treasury to finance operations through appropriations, fees, and grants.

ENFORCEMENT

Authorized the Task Force Director to request assistance from other law enforcement agencies and established duties for coordinating with the Fusion Center.

REQUIREMENT

Defined the executive board's composition and clarified that its meetings are exempt from open meetings laws.

TECHNICAL

Changed the document title from 'S JUD AM #1' to 'S JUD AMT' and replaced the original article text with a detailed summary of the new provisions.

Committee Substitute → hb4799 s jud am _1 adopted.htm · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to shift the cold case task force's authority from the executive board to the Task Force Director, who now has the power to establish policies and procedures. The amendment also clarifies that the task force director is selected by the State Police Superintendent and allows for retired officers to serve as volunteers or part-time staff. Additionally, the requirement for the executive board to establish policies was changed to a recommendation role for the board, with the Director taking over operational management.

Scope change

The scope of authority changed from a collective executive board to a single Task Force Director who now holds primary responsibility for policy creation and daily operations.

ENFORCEMENT

Authority to establish policies and procedures was transferred from the executive board to the Task Force Director.

REQUIREMENT

The executive board's role was reduced from establishing policies to merely providing recommendations on procedures.

The selection process for the Task Force Director was clarified to be directly by the Superintendent of the State Police.

ELIGIBILITY

The task force membership was expanded to explicitly include retired state police officers serving as volunteers or part-time employees.

Enrolled Committee Substitute → Committee Substitute · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill text was converted from a formal enrolled version into a standard committee substitute draft format. The substantive legal content regarding the cold case task force, including its composition, duties, and funding, remains identical, with only minor phrasing adjustments to align with standard legislative drafting conventions.

TECHNICAL

The document structure was changed from an enrolled final version to a committee substitute draft version, removing certification signatures and adding web navigation elements.

Minor phrasing adjustments were made to the text of the bill, such as changing 'State of Police' to 'State Police' and reorganizing the list of director duties, but no substantive policy, funding, or eligibility changes occurred.

Engrossed Committee Substitute → Enrolled Committee Substitute · 5 edits · Apr 1, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was finalized into its enrolled version, moving from a committee draft to a law ready for the Governor's signature. The most significant substantive change is the addition of a requirement for the West Virginia Fusion Center to share cold case database information with the new task force. Additionally, the text was streamlined to remove redundant provisions regarding interagency cooperation and clarified that the executive board must provide recommendations on procedures rather than establishing them directly.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains focused on creating a statewide cold case task force, but the operational requirements were expanded to include mandatory data sharing with the Fusion Center.

REQUIREMENT

Added a specific mandate for the Director of the West Virginia Fusion Center to cooperate with the executive board and make cold case database information available to the task force.

Changed the executive board's role from establishing policies and procedures to providing recommendations on procedures to be implemented.

ENFORCEMENT

Removed detailed, repetitive lists of duties for the task force director and consolidated them into a single, clearer section.

TECHNICAL

Removed redundant clauses regarding interagency cooperation that were repeated in different sections of the draft.

Added standard certification language confirming the bill is correctly enrolled and signatures for the Governor, House Speaker, and Senate President.

Introduced Version → Engrossed Committee Substitute · 4 edits · Mar 13, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was advanced from its original introduction to an engrossed committee substitute version, adding new sponsors and a formal title (the Leah Hickman Memorial Act). The most significant substantive change is the addition of a provision explicitly exempting the executive board's meetings from open meetings laws, ensuring confidentiality for sensitive cold case investigations. The bill also clarified the director's authority to manage daily operations and added a temporary provision allowing the task force fund to be used for collections in 2027 without a specific legislative appropriation.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include a specific exemption from open meetings laws for the executive board, and the list of bill sponsors was updated to include additional legislators.

REQUIREMENT

Added an explicit provision stating that meetings of the executive board are not subject to open meetings laws to protect the confidentiality of cold case investigations.

Clarified that the task force director must be selected from State Police membership and added a new duty to manage and coordinate day-to-day operations.

FISCAL

Added a temporary provision authorizing expenditures from the cold case task force fund via collections rather than legislative appropriation for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027.

TECHNICAL

Updated the list of bill sponsors to include Delegates Marple and Masters and added a formal title for the act.

To establish the cold case task force for the State of West Virginia

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