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Senate passes Judicial Deference Reform Act after rejecting strike-all amendment
Summary
The West Virginia Senate rejected a strike-everything amendment to Senate Bill 888 and then passed the Judicial Deference Reform Act on third reading, voting 21–10 with 3 absent. Debate centered on whether the law would inappropriately constrain judicial decisionmaking and how it interacts with federal law.
The West Virginia Senate on third reading passed Senate Bill 888, the Judicial Deference Reform Act, after rejecting a strike‑everything amendment offered by members of the Senate.
Senator from Ohio, speaking in favor of the bill, said the measure would create a new section of West Virginia Code under chapter 55 that requires courts to interpret ambiguous state statutes, regulations and subregulatory documents without granting automatic deference to state agency interpretations. "When there is a tie, the court is to resolve the issue in favor of individual liberty," the senator said, urging passage.
The strike‑everything amendment was moved, according to the record, by Senator Weld and explained on the floor by Senator Frumberg (Senator from Brooke). Frumberg argued the unamended bill…
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