Public Comments

Hello, I hope this comment reaches the house’s floor. I’m not sure if these get read aloud or not, but I would like to comment on this bill. Anyone who dies from such a tragic and sudden incident deserves reparations and change especially in a country that believes we all must answer for the crimes we commit. I can’t say if this will give closure to the family who is pursuing this law to be changed due to the unfortunate death of their daughter, but if the house could take my comment, hopefully the other folks who plan to submit a comment as well to heart and remember a life was lost too soon due to the poorest decision one can make- driving under the influence. Drinking and driving should never be considered an accidental mistake, we need to cement that and also cement that to the future generations who will also begin to drive with your own family members, my family members, and ourselves who may travel within any roadway in WV.  

This bill should have been made so long ago, the minimum of taking a life away was only 3 years while the family feels it forever. I hope the new 6-30 year law gets passed so that it will make people think twice about getting behind the wheel.

I am in full support of this bill.

Human lives are precious and priceless!!  There SHOULD be strict and harsh penalties for the ones who are selfish enough to operate a vehicle while intoxicated in ANY form!!! ESPECIALLY when they take the lives of the innocent !

This bill needs to pass so we can have stricter laws for impaired and drunk drivers causing death. This bill may save another life!

A parent should never have to bury a child! Especially due to someone fatal mistake of driving under the influence. Everyone has a family member they love and cherish now imagine their life was stolen from them due to that fatal mistake! You would want justice and 3-15yrs is nothing when u have stolen 70yrs from someone u dearly love! Please pass this bill

A life lost is not an accident. It is the result of a decision. By signing this bill, we are making sure that those choices carry real consequences. This law is about justice for victims, support for families, and protecting our communities. This legislation is about justice for victims and their families. It is about public safety. And it is about sending a clear message to everyone on our roads: reckless behavior behind the wheel will not be tolerated. We also recognize that prevention matters. Stronger sentencing is only one part of the solution. We must continue to promote responsible choices, encourage safe transportation options, and educate our communities — especially young people — about the real, lasting consequences of impaired driving. Today’s action is taken in memory of those we have lost and in commitment to those we aim to protect. Let this law serve as both accountability and warning. Our goal is simple: safer roads, stronger communities, and fewer families forced to grieve. By signing this bill, we reaffirm a basic truth: every life matters, and we will do everything in our power to keep our communities safe.

Baylea was one of the sweetest person I knew.Aling with her family. They would help anybody. She was just starting her life out with her husband,and it was all taken away,by a drunk and impacted driver.And she was never arrested,never spent a day in jail.She should have to pay for what she done.,to both Baylea and her Family.

If one would take another’s life while driving under the influence they should be sentenced to death. There is no reason what so ever that said person should walk freely while the victims family is going threw such thing.

I would like to see this passed.I know this will not bring Baylea back. But It might help with our family having a little closer. The big wow is Destiny Lester has never been arrested for her part in Bays death

This law needs to be in place because nobody should be dead because someone’s doings. She’s dead, her family and friends can’t see her anymore..and that woman can be free in the matter of 3 years..ridiculous.

In no way, shape, or form should we be in February 2026 STILL trying to put a murderer in jail when it should have happened Easter Sunday 2025. if you are willing to drink and drive, you are willing to do jail time.

I believe it true that if a first responder gives a verbal warning to stand back the bystanders should listen to act accordingly. Emotional distress for the first responder from bystanders in the way may be the difference is someones safety. The bystander themselves could be put in harms way. For the safety of everyone involved i believe it is vital we ll act accordingly and safely. WE should look out for our common people and do all we can too not jeopardize the situation especially if instructed so.

This is a beautiful life gone too soon

Driving a vehicle can be so dangerous as it is, let alone when driving under the influence of any kind of substance. Growing up we are taught right from wrong and expected to uphold all laws in place. There is nothing wrong with having a drink if that’s what someone chooses to do, but what isn’t right is if that individual chooses to do that and get behind the wheel and take someone else’s life who had no say in the matter. This should be highly considered when discussing this bill. No individual or their family should have to suffer the consequences of losing a loved one and then possibly seeing their killer walking around Kroger’s simply 3 years later. It poses the threat for another individual’s life to be taken too soon, if this matter is not handled. Thinking about this issue from both sides the impaired driver and the victim. We should all consider how it would feel to lose a loved one due to someone else being careless and selfish.

I voted.

I oppose this bill and urge representatives to vote in opposition. The language of this bill is intentionally vague and centered on the assumption that a first responder is engaged in a lawful performance of a legal duty. The term harass is not adequately defined and is subjective as to what would constitute substantial emotional distress in the first responder. This also does not address the various scenarios where protestors have been observed to be well beyond the 30ft distance but agents engage the protestor and even pursue protestors when they attempt to disengage. This is a poorly worded bill. A more appropriate use of the Senates time would be creating a bill that reestablished the public trust in law enforcement so that when a first responder is observed engaging in a duty it would not be necessary for the public to make a judgement on whether that activity is legal, justified or legitimate.

Please pass this law so people think twice about drinking and driving!

Baylea’s Law should be passed because it holds drivers fully accountable for the life-altering consequences for driving while impaired. Stronger sentences reflect the seriousness of these preventable deaths and can deter others from making the same serious decision. This law provides public safety, justice for victims, and prevention of future tragedies. Baylea was a beautiful, kind, and loving woman, who should still be here with us today. Her life mattered, and the consequences for these decisions should reflect the value of her life.

Please pass bill

I agree with  what you want no parent should have to bury there child

This law should be passed and enforced to the fullest extent.

There needs to be accountability for people that make bad choices that affect others. Especially choices that take lives. Our children aren’t taught accountability and this will be the down fall of our world.

I think this is a great bill and should be passed. Reckless people get behind the wheel impaired and take the lives of innocent people and get hardly any punishment. no lesson learned. my husband works with a man who was driving drunk, he wrecked and killed an entire family. He shows no remorse and still talks about going drinking after work and having to drive home. THESE PEOPLE NEED HELD ACCOUNTABLE!

I support this bill!!

Why is this even debatable ???????? Pass this bill!!!

Please pass this. People need to thank before they drive impaired.

Please pass this. People need to thank before they drive impaired.

There should not be any thought behind passing this bill. Those who take someone’s mother, father, sister, or brother from their family should face the maximum amount of time in prison to think on their decision to get behind the wheel intoxicated and rip away that families everything. This bill should and will encourage anyone out drinking to think about what their future may be before getting behind the wheel themselves.

When a person decides to drive while drinking they know what can and most of the time taking a chance on murdering someone should pay for their actions.This changes their loved ones lives forever.

Yes

I support this bill! Too many times have we all seen someone just get a slap on the wrist and then repeat the same behavior! Baylea’s life mattered and loosing her shattered many! Making this a law could saves lives of the many! One drunk driver can kill more than one person!

Baylea and her family deserve so much more than this law but this would be a start and a stone. She didn't deserve what happened to her as her family don't deserve to live the life that wasn't their choose. From a broken family with a broken community behind them, pass this law. It's the right thing to do.

Pass the bill! What happened to that girl was not fair and consequences should be paid to her.

I believe the DUI law does need changed.

This should not be a discussion. Three years will never be enough time to repent on taking someone’s life. Please take this bill into consideration; it may be the difference in someone’s decision.

DUI resulting in death should be the same result as homicide. They’re doing too little time for having taken a life from innocent bystanders.

I agree that this should be passed not only because of baylea but also Isaiah brown

HB 5104 establishes a required instructional approach rather than allowing districts, educators, parents, and students to determine whether the method is appropriate for individual learners. This is inconsistent with established educational practice, which recognizes that students learn in different ways and require different instructional supports. Federal and state education frameworks already emphasize individualized instruction, including accommodations under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and general education differentiation standards. Mandating a single instructional model risks conflict with these requirements by reducing flexibility for students with learning disabilities, neurodivergent students, English language learners, and students with varying academic and social needs. Research and classroom practice show that no single instructional method is universally effective across all students, grade levels, subjects, or communities. Effective education policy prioritizes adaptability, professional judgment, and student-centered decision-making rather than uniform mandates. If the instructional approach outlined in HB 5104 is beneficial, it should be implemented as an optional model with voluntary adoption and appropriate resources, rather than as a requirement applied to all students and schools. For these reasons, HB 5104 should be amended to preserve instructional flexibility or not advanced as written.

I oppose HB 5101 as written because it expands criminal enforcement without addressing the systemic conditions necessary for effective prevention, due process protections, and long-term public safety. While domestic violence is a serious issue that warrants strong response, prevention requires more than heightened penalties and expanded criminal classifications. HB 5101 focuses almost exclusively on punitive mechanisms—expanded definitions, felony classifications, enhanced penalties, stricter bail conditions, and financial surcharges—without corresponding investment in education, prevention, or procedural safeguards. This imbalance is particularly concerning given concurrent policy discussions about reducing or restructuring the Department of Education. If education infrastructure is weakened or absorbed into general government administration, residents lose access to evidence-based instruction on consent, conflict resolution, coercive control, self-defense standards, and legal thresholds for criminal conduct. Enforcement without education increases the risk of misapplication, over-criminalization, and escalation of interpersonal conflict into the criminal justice system rather than prevention or resolution. HB 5101 also raises due-process concerns. Broadened statutory definitions combined with heightened penalties and restrictive pretrial release conditions can result in severe consequences based on accusation alone—including loss of employment, housing instability, reputational harm, and collateral family-court impacts—before adjudication occurs. These effects disproportionately harm economically vulnerable individuals and communities with limited access to legal resources. The bill further relies on post-conviction surcharges to fund victim services rather than ensuring stable, preventative funding streams. This approach ties support services to criminal outcomes instead of investing upfront in education, intervention, and community-based prevention strategies that reduce harm before violence occurs. Effective domestic violence policy must balance accountability with prevention, education, and due process. HB 5101 does not do so. Without parallel investment in independent education, public awareness, training, and procedural safeguards, expanding enforcement alone risks unintended systemic harm while failing to address root causes. For these reasons, I respectfully oppose HB 5101 and urge lawmakers to pursue a comprehensive, prevention-focused approach that protects victims, preserves due process, and strengthens education rather than relying primarily on punitive expansion.

This bill should be passed.

If you look at a dui with a death the punishment should be more stiff. There is no reason a family should lose a child, parent, grandparents or other family members by someone drinking and driving. And the person drinking and driving get a slap on the wrist to go about your day.

I support this bill because I agree with what it stands for.

I am in agreement with the passage of this law.  I’m a mother of 3 and one of my children, after being provided alternative options  chose to get behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol.  He was very fortunate as not to have claimed the life of someone else, a family, or his own but he was arrested as he well should have been.  I was so angry over the choice he made and it was his  - his alone.  I left him in jail for the 48 hours that I was allowed to do.  I sat down with him, handed him a pencil and paper and asked that he write down each of the numbers I was going to give him.  When we reached the end, I asked for the total and told him that was the amount of just one funeral.  If he had taken the life of a family he could multiply that number.  Then I told him the amount of pain he imposed had a limit that would never be met.

Please pass this. Someone who chooses to make this selfish decision of driving under the influence, should be held accountable. A family will never get to see their loved one again.

This should be passed.

I think it is about time they start holding people accountable for there actions.

I think this is a great law, and could potentially save lives being taken from impaired drivers.

Last year, our community lost Baylea—a life full of promise, cut short by the preventable and reckless choice of an individual to drive under the influence. Baylea isn’t just a name on a legal document; she represents a daughter, a friend, and a future that was stolen. Her death was not an "accident"; it was the direct result of a conscious decision to disregard the safety of others. Why We Need Baylea’s Law Current penalties for DUI offenses often fail to reflect the gravity of the devastation caused. To honor Baylea and protect other families from this unspeakable grief, we are calling for the passage of Baylea’s Law, which mandates: • Doubling Jail Time: To ensure the punishment acts as a true deterrent and reflects the value of the lives put at risk. • Doubling Fines: To hold offenders financially accountable and fund much-needed education and victim support services.

3 years isn’t enough time for someone to make poor decisions and take an innocent life.

Have a nephew that suffered a TBI & other physical injuries due to a drunk driver broadsiding the car he was in.  That was 40+ years ago.  Never has led a normal life since!!! 😡

I support this legislation 110%. Please pass Baylea’s law to prevent, protect and hold impaired drivers accountable for their actions if they cause death behind the wheel.

For a community, a family, and a beautiful life that was taken too soon.

#justicefoebaylea

I wanted to my opinion on supporting the Bailey’s law that was introduced this week on doubling the fines of DUI that caused death. making this change will not only make someone think twice about driving out under the influence, but also if they’re close friends, or loved ones of letting them do so. laws are meant to prevent any harm and sometimes things need to be adjusted accordingly, if there is no change, and this is one of those things in my opinion. Thank you for your time.

I oppose HB 5094 as introduced because, while it appears to restrict private prisons, it fails to meaningfully address profit-driven incarceration and detention practices in West Virginia and leaves significant loopholes that undermine public accountability, civil rights, and fiscal responsibility. 1. The bill does not end profit from incarceration HB 5094 prohibits private ownership or operation of prisons, but it does not prohibit public facilities from contracting with private vendors or federal agencies for detention services. This allows profit incentives to persist through: •Service contracts, •Bed-per-head payment structures, •Federal detention agreements, including immigration detention. As written, the bill restricts form—not function—and does not eliminate financial incentives that encourage expanded detention or prolonged confinement. 2. No limits on ICE or federal detention contracts HB 5094 does not prohibit state or regional jails from housing federal detainees, including individuals held under civil immigration authority. This means: •Local jails may continue to profit from federal detention contracts, •Civil detainees may be housed in criminal facilities, •Oversight gaps remain regarding due process, conditions, and length of detention. If the intent is to prevent profit-based incarceration, failing to address federal detention contracts is a major omission. 3. Expands administrative control without public oversight The bill places approval authority with the Regional Jail Authority but does not add transparency requirements, such as: •Public reporting of contracts, •Disclosure of per-diem rates, •Conditions standards, •Civil-rights compliance audits. Without these safeguards, decisions affecting incarceration and detention remain insulated from public review. 4. No protections for detainees’ rights or conditions HB 5094 does not establish: •Minimum conditions standards, •Independent inspections, •Medical or mental-health protections, •Civil-rights enforcement mechanisms. This omission is especially concerning given the history of litigation and federal scrutiny surrounding detention conditions nationwide. 5. Fiscal impacts are ignored The bill does not address: •How existing contracts would be unwound, •Liability risks from continued detention contracts, •Costs to counties and taxpayers if federal revenue streams fluctuate or collapse. This creates long-term financial risk while offering no comprehensive funding or transition plan. Conclusion HB 5094 presents itself as a reform measure but does not meaningfully dismantle profit-driven incarceration. By allowing continued detention contracts, including federal and immigration detention, and by failing to impose transparency, rights protections, or fiscal safeguards, the bill risks being symbolic rather than substantive. True reform would require: •Explicit limits on detention-for-profit practices, •Clear restrictions on federal detention contracts, •Mandatory transparency and oversight, •Enforceable protections for detained individuals. For these reasons, I oppose HB 5094 as currently written.

Driving under the influence is not something that should be taken lightly. Watching the life of a girl being taken in our small town due to a woman driving into the influence is heartbreaking. A parent should never have to bury their child due to something that is preventable.

This law needs to be accepted.

I support Baylea’s law…I also think that that the person shouldn’t be allowed to buy alcohol of any type. A State or National registry so when their drivers license is scanned it shows their banned…..there should also be longer jail time three yrs is nothing for someone’s life. How would you feel if it was your child or family member. Put yourself in that Mothers, Fathers or family members shoes. Also there should be triple fines for drinking and driving stiffer penalties, automatic longer AA classes. Thank You

On behalf of the firemen and medics who have to respond to such tragedies,  impaired drivers should be punished for their crimes

This law should be passed so that families affected may get justice!

I agree with bill to double penalty. Where a death is caused it should be maximum sentence

Please consider a harsher punishment for DUI. This is a selfish and foolish act that causes innocent people to lose their life.

I believe there should be longer prison times for cause the death of someone from driving under the influence.

Nicotine affects your brain development, which can make it harder to learn and concentrate. Some of the brain changes can be permanent and can affect your mood and ability to control yourself as an adult.

this law needs to be in place due to the lives that have been taken.

I honestly feel if this bill doesn’t get passed it’s a slap to the face of ALL West Virginian people. Do the right thing.

Laws should be more strict when driving intoxicated. Especially when causing death. So many families are losing loved ones due to someone’s irresponsibility. Baylea was an inspiration to anyone she came across. Whether she knew you or not. I personally didn’t know Baylea but I knew her family. Anytime I went into Bayleas shop she was there and very sweet and helpful.

I’m all for this law! There’s too many people losing their lives to impaired drivers whether it be drunk driving or drugs. This law needs put into place and people need to take accountability for their actions and face the consequences.

5 years is better, but still not enough, in my opinion.

If you can get behind the wheel impaired, and knowing you shouldn’t be.. you are a murderer and should be charged the same as murder. consequences for one’s actions to let them reflect on what they do to families and communities.

I think we need this law where another life doesn’t get taken

I believe this bill is very important and should be implemented. DUI's are becoming more common and injuries/death are the outcome for many innocent people, people who are undeserving of that fate due to another's poor choice.

Justice for Baylee

This is badly needed. Keep all of us sa

Justice for her. So young taken by someone else’s stupidity.

I come from a family that has lost two toddlers due to DUI. The person responsible for their death is already out of prison. These babies would not even be teenagers or out of middle school. I feel that the sentencing should be more. Changing this can affect peoples decisions to get behind the wheel impaired. This could make a difference.

I feel that it is very important to have stiffer penalties for DUI causing death. Why are we being so lenient on someone who disregarded the law and chose to be careless with their own life as well as anyone they encounter? Make them pay for taking a life! We need to pass Baylea's Law! I think anyone supplying the alcohol and/or drugs should be charged as well.

HB4712

Increasing the criminal penalties for DUI causing death and DUI offenses for minors, to be known as “Baylea’s Law.”

PEND COMM

01-21-2026

This bill should have already been in effect.   I lost a son to a drunk driver he got 3 years home confinement, and ask for a reduction at 18 months.   My son who is laying in a grave don’t get a reduction, I will never see his perfect face again.   The laws are not strict enough on drunk drivers!   The boy who killed my son was a repeat offender.  Baylea’s Law would help put these offenders behind bars longer and give the surviving families some peace of mind knowing that they are not still on the roads.   I 100% agree with this law and will support it anyway that I can!

Please pass this bill, we need more accountability on actions that take the lives of others.

I think this bill should be passed not only to honor sweet Baylea but to bring on a more harsh sentence to those who choose to drink and drive and of course more of a sense of justice for the families. Victims of drunk driving accidents never choose to be hurt, hit or killed. They are traveling in their day to day lives just like me and you. Drunk drivers have a choice to not drive, Baylea didn’t have the option to make it home safely. Every single victim of a drunk driving accident didn’t get the option to make it to their families. I think this bill would be great, so people know they at least arent gonna get a slap on the wrist and do (minimum) 3 years anymore. Thank you for your time and I really hope Weat Virginia does what’s right and passes this bill to hopefully discourage people from drinking and driving.

I drive by this beautiful girls former coffee shop regularly on my way to work and my heart still breaks for her family and friends. This law definitely needs to be passed!!!

Please vote yes to pass this law!! thank you Debbie Gillispie

This punishment is unacceptable for the crime committed.

Baylea was my niece and lost her life to the negligence of a drunk driver. The lady that took her life knowing ingested alcohol and illegal drugs and got behind the wheel ultimately causing the death of Baylea but it could have been many more. DUI causing death has a lesser sentence than murder, when it should be considered the same. The person knew exactly what they were doing when they consumed alcohol and or drugs and got behind the wheel. Regardless of age, the punishment needs to be harsher and more deserving for the crime. our family is left to grieve the loss from someone carelessness act.

We need stiffer laws & penalties for anyone that drives while impaired, whether it be from alcohol or drugs.

Please consider passing this bill. Thank you

Baylea was a precious soul taken way too soon. By someone who disregarded the law and still continued to do so even after she committed the crime. It’s wrong. What is life worth to you? Is your life worth 15 years? What about your children? Are their lives worth only 15 years? A life is precious. Baylea was precious and irreplaceable. Taking a life should never be regarded so lightly as 3-15 years.

The act of taking a life while intoxicated should be far more time.. It’s the same outcome as purposely taking one. For the families and the loved ones it’s not fair it definitely should’ve already been in place for all the families that it has already effected.

This bill MUST pass so others don't have to see their loved ones pass and then suffer having to watch a light sentence given for their grief....do the right thing.

I believe the current sentencing guidelines for a DUI causing death are not high enough. Please consider passing Baylea’s Law to make the guidelines higher and stricter for anyone that makes the wreckless and permanent choice to get behind the wheel under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

we need this bill. There’s too many young people getting away with drunk driving after multiple offenses. I know One personally and who is still driving. Save a life and let this bill pass.

I strongly urge that Baylee’s Law (HB 4712) be passed. Baylee was a wife, a daughter, & a friend whose life was taken by an underage drunk driver who was far over the legal limit and under the influence of other substances. Despite the severity of these actions, justice was not fully served. Baylee’s Law is not about revenge; it is about accountability, deterrence, and protecting innocent lives. Doubling sentencing time for drunk driving crashes that result in death sends a clear message that reckless, impaired driving will not be tolerated in West Virginia. The current penalty does not reflect the irreversible loss families endure or the seriousness of these crimes.   We cannot bring Baylee back, but we can honor her life by demanding stronger laws that prevent future tragedies. Passing this law is a necessary step toward justice, safer roads, and real consequences for those who choose to drive impaired. West Virginia owes it to Baylee and to every family who deserves better protection under the law.