Increasing penalty for transporting telecommunicating devices into jails.
HB 4857 increases penalties for transporting telecommunication devices (like cell phones) into West Virginia correctional facilities. It directly affects visitors, staff, or others attempting to bring such devices into jails or state correctional facilities without authorization. The bill makes it a felony to transport devices onto facility grounds (fines of $1,000-$5,000 or 2-10 years imprisonment) and a misdemeanor to knowingly bring them into restricted areas without approval (fines of $100-$500 or up to 1 year in jail). These provisions aim to prevent unauthorized communication devices from entering secure facilities.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 28, 2026
Last action Jan 28, 2026
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
4
Key actions
0
Committee
2
Jan 28, 2026
Committee
To House Judiciary
lower
Jan 28, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Jan 28, 2026
Committee
To Judiciary
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Joe Funkhouser
RRepublican
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