CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The House of Delegates passed an amended version of a Senate bill Friday evening aimed at allowing people to petition a nonviolent felony to a misdemeanor. Senate Bill 76 — the West Virginia Second Chance for Employment Act — would give a person the opportunity to petition a circuit court to have the offense lowered if they can prove 10 years of good behavior. The court will have deciding power over whether to approve the request. The bill passed 94-5. House Judiciary Chair John Shott, R-Mercer, said while serving on the advisory board for Recovery Point Four Seasons in Bluefield, he had the chance to listen to drug addicts talk about their experience applying for jobs. "That light of hope is diminished when that fear …show more content…
The passed Senate version of the bill has limitations on what crimes would be eligible to be petitioned; felony crimes involving minors, offenses involving a deadly weapon or driving under the influence of alcohol or another controlled substance could not be petitioned. The House of Delegates approved a House Judiciary Committee amendment increasing the number of crimes that would be excluded from petitioning. This includes sexual offenses, crimes involving serious physical injury and domestic assault. Delegate Isaac Sponaugle (D-Pendleton) argued against the amendment, saying people need to have more opportunities for a second chance. "In the Old Testament, it was every seven years, debts will be forgiven regardless of circumstance," Sponaugle said, referencing the civil laws noted in the Book of Deuteronomy. "If it was good enough for the Lord in the Old Testament, it ought to be good enough for the state of West Virginia with the burdens we put on folks." Delegate Kelli Sobonya (R-Cabell) supported the amendment, saying some crimes needed to be punished. "The alternatives would be no bill at all or to have full expulsion," she said. "I think this is a good
Slave-owners forced a perverse form of Christianity, one that condoned slavery, upon slaves. According to this false Christianity the enslavement of “black Africans is justified because they are the descendants of Ham, one of Noah's sons; in one Biblical story, Noah cursed Ham's descendants to be slaves” (Tolson 272). Slavery was further validated by the numerous examples of it within the bible. It was reasoned that these examples were confirmation that God condoned slavery. Douglass’s master...
...ing further sex offenses should be allowed (554). It is too dangerous to risk potential victims so that the offender may complete his rehabilitation program by assaulting a person a few additional times.
Attempt by Congress to strike a balance between society's need for protection from crime and accused right to adequate proce...
Originally passed as the Older Americans Act of 1965, current bill S.1028, also known as, Older Americans Act Amendments of 2013 is a request for the reauthorization of the original act of 1965…with current amendments. Bill S.1028, although not passed, is currently sponsored by Senator Bernard Sanders of the state of Vermont. The bill was introduced on the 23rd of May, 2013, in which there were fourteen cosponsors. Approximately two months later four additional senators signed-on as cosponsors, totaling eighteen. They were all Democrats.
“Let me tell you something about us. We may be poor, but when you come over here, don’t pity us, don’t pardon us and don’t hold us to a lower standard than you hold yourself up to.” (42)
whims of state legislatures. Laws that prohibit felons from voting are a punishment above and
signed into law AB 971 (Ch 12/94, Jones) referred to as the Three Strikes and
Humans are sinful by nature, but at what point does the Lord tolerate inconceivable sin? When does He look down and say, “Enough is enough?” Investigating the act of lynching, makes one truly wonder about the evils of mankind. This monstrosity occurred in America, and in the South alone, ferociously ended the lives of nearly 4,000 individuals (Robertson). Although baffling, this disturbing incident is a major part of our history. Our educated ancestors took part in these crimes that plagued our land for many years for the specific reasons of lack of law enforcement, influence of previous generations, and unimaginable fear.
"34 Bible Verses about Euthanasia." What Does the Bible Say About Euthanasia?. Version 2001. Good News Publishers, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2013. .
The main thing that I do not agree with is letting these criminals vote while they are incarcerat...
Henry, Matthew. "Proverbs 31." Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible. Vol. III. McLean, Virg.: MacDonald, 1991. 971-77. Print.
The law requires random testing of anyone who has had a felony drug conviction in the previous 10 years. For failing a drug test once, a recipient’s benefits are reduced by 30 percent. For failing twice, a recipient is disqualified from permanently receiving his/her benefits. The law applies to those receiving benefits under the state’s general assistance. The law was strengthened in 2012 with a measure of data sharing about convicted drug felons between the State Corrections and Human Services Departments. Which then also brought more debate on the law. The purpose is to prevent welfare fraud. “We don’t want to see well intended and generous welfare dollars that are for kids to be used for drugs instead.” says Rep. Steve Drazkowski.
The Bible contributed a number of sayings and terms to the English language, once it had been translated from Latin, so that more people could understand it. Despite today’s increasingly secular society, many of these contributions have stuck with us and are still used, though some are misquoted or have had their origins obscured.
Religious texts have been one of the main sources for laws and social customs since the conception of organized religion. Each religious text provides its followers with a code of conduct they are expected to apply to themselves, their actions, and their institutions. This code of conduct applies to the individual, as well as to the government and society to within which the people exist, and ultimately defines what a "just society" is in the context of that religion. Using stories and proverbs this code of conduct, and thus "just society", is not only set, but also shown in examples. In The Bible, the essence of a "just society" is laid out within passages that serve as "the laws", including Deuteronomy, and the Psalms, and in the stories, such as the stories of Job, David, Samuel, and the Family of Adam. The actions and nature of God in these stories are meant to be an example of the values and personality favored by God. In these passages, a structure for a just society is presented, and the values and examples, which are to be referred to and followed in the creation of this "just society", are discussed. However, even within these passages, there are discrepancies between the structure of the ideal "just society" and its values, and the following of these examples by the stories presented in The Bible. One of the most noticeable of these is the difference between the presentation of the ideal "just society" and values that are supposed to be implemented by the people, and the actual justice and values presented in the stories. This is particularly pertaining to the stories of the rulers appointed by God, and the vengeful nature of God himself presented in these stories.
Proverbs. The Holy Bible: New International Version. Colorado Springs, CO: International Bible Societyy, 1984. Print.