West Virginia Senate raises parole eligibility and penalties in bill altering murder, manslaughter sentences

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Senate on Jan. 22 passed an engrossed committee substitute for Senate Bill 137, a measure that increases penalty ranges for certain homicide offenses and raises minimum parole-eligibility floors for people convicted of second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter.

"The committee substitute for Senate Bill 137 increases the penalty range for second degree murder and voluntary manslaughter and also raises the parole eligibility floor for those offenses," said the senator from fifteenth, who presented the bill and urged its passage. "At its core, this legislation increases the penalty and minimum service time for one of the most serious offenses in our code — the taking of human life."

Supporters said the changes align West Virginia more closely with neighboring states and argued the revisions offer greater certainty and protection for victims' families. "One of the major reasons I stand in support of the bill is that it increases parole eligibility from 10 years to 15 years for second-degree murder," the sponsor said, adding that family members should not face early release of someone who killed a loved one.

Opponents questioned whether longer minimum terms would improve public safety and raised the fiscal implications of keeping people incarcerated longer. "When you raise criminal penalties, we've increased our budget severely," said Senator Merriam, who opposed the bill. He cited figures from the Center on Budget and Policy and said the state could face roughly $125,000,000 in added corrections costs compared with prior baselines, arguing those funds might better serve education, foster care and other priorities.

A senior senator from the fourth pressed whether the Center on Budget and Policy is an official government entity; the senator presenting the bill responded that it is a nonprofit think tank. The exchange highlighted members' concerns about sources for fiscal estimates used during floor debate.

After debate, the Senate voted 30 ayes, 2 nays and 1 absent to pass the bill. The clerk was instructed to communicate the action to the House.

Background: The committee substitute also raises parole eligibility floors for some people sentenced to life under the state's recidivist statute and those convicted of first-degree murder; sponsors said the bill is intended to provide more protection for natural gas and coal resources when relevant (as described separately for other legislation during the same floor session). Next steps: the bill will move to the House for consideration.