Republican lawmaker Chris Pritt has unveiled a bill that would end qualified immunity (QI) in West Virginia.
West Virginia joins a growing list of states—including New Mexico, Maryland, and Connecticut—introducing measures that target qualified immunity.
The Tenth Amendment Center reports that on March 9, WV Delegate Chris Pritt introduced HB 3027. Titled the Protecting Everyone’s Constitutional Rights Act, the bill would prohibit qualified immunity as a defense for police officers accused of misconduct. In other words, this bill would end QI in West Virginia. In addition, HB 3027 protects the right of West Virginians to sue law enforcement officers who violate their Constitutional rights.
“Passage of HB 3027 would create an alternative path in state court with no qualified immunity hurdle to clear,” notes the Tenth Amendment Center.
The bill, sponsored by a conservative, was embraced by the ACLU on its 2021 Bill Tracker. This highlights an example of the bipartisanship involvement in the fight against QI.
Read the entire Tenth Amendment Center article here.
Browse the WV ACLU’s 2021 Bill Tracker here.