[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6342639,"mediaKeyId","2253728-53d12c0a33afaabf3751525502ff0a5c","parentId",2253728,"title","Joint Judiciary Committee adopts organizational rules, approves minutes and adjourns","audioSeconds",81,"startMs",4047000,"endMs",4128000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2253728-53d12c0a33afaabf3751525502ff0a5c&start=4047&end=4128","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2253728-53d12c0a33afaabf3751525502ff0a5c/thumbnail_4047000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6342639/West-Virginia/Joint-Judiciary-Committee-adopts-organizational-rules-approves-minutes-and-adjourns","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6342639-de49d7c61e9138f796f1db38bbe8f819/orig.mp4?Expires=1771057371&Signature=SYEktYKNxPPCF4ROlUIOro5Yj40n4AtOIBJjos9sqHn-fhPuVGTRkNRZDjFH3890ZV-ZvqNIu-itu-qaKwx2Dsh1iI8JpZNVk87hpsggdNuvPTQ5F00DKZAO8etB0YR9u~bwibnTarFuJ~dQ9HPY-fB6OS64yQRM3yjqX~XPpoV8V6Bb27jvuf9kjn82Qlp-H~zWPrf7CGsNxY0dygTk3AC~W985hJ8e-Bcgw6KysdtuB6aDvfaGjc3ahYKAEyXqpcSphDS9Ztis9e~NvCwhNdrH3ABL2OymELM6ivOKhar143BA6YqmYCeb4yDZ1~s1dnaG4OPbtL6Bha6XbgTp5A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","West Virginia Legislature","date","2025-02-10T00:00:00Z","article","Senator Mike Stewart opened the committee's organizational meeting; staff read proposed committee rules including quorum, voting and minutes procedures. The rules text requires a quorum consisting of at least 51% of members from each chamber, states action requires a majority of the quorum present, and directs staff to prepare minutes with limited electronic recording for clerical use.

A motion to approve the minutes from the prior meeting was made and the committee adopted the minutes by voice vote. A separate motion to adopt the committee's organizational rules also carried by voice vote. The chair called for any miscellaneous business; members exchanged brief remarks about collegiality and communication across chambers.

With no further business, a motion to adjourn was offered and approved by voice vote.

All recorded votes in the transcript were voice votes; no roll-call tallies for individual members were provided in the minutes read during the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Joint Standing Committee on the Judiciary Feb 10, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Joint Judiciary Committee read and approved organizational rules (including a 51% quorum requirement for each chamber), approved prior meeting minutes and adjourned by voice votes recorded as \"ayes have it.\"","taxTitle","2025 Legislature WV, West Virginia","taxId",77714,"location","West Virginia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6342644,"WVU proposes statewide Cyber Resilience Resource Center; presenters urge \"safe-harbor\" incentive law",1391,2134000,3525000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2253728-53d12c0a33afaabf3751525502ff0a5c&start=2134&end=3525","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2253728-53d12c0a33afaabf3751525502ff0a5c/thumbnail_2134000.jpg","/articles/6342644/West-Virginia/WVU-proposes-statewide-Cyber-Resilience-Resource-Center-presenters-urge-safe-harbor-incentive-law","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6342644-513f45fb184729779b699f32170a2ed5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771057371&Signature=Anu2ZKRxvZVHpi-oYZtNvxqgJIPR6PMruf0N7bIrDXWpujG-5lgMtlBAHcNaUq4MbgSyQAyvj5pJrPKZ7ZinUkADc3gl9lMmXLzM6anUn0OccfDBR4bQrK518ZiXbSPPurBKCLC9Cpg2WPcBPNXr6dZjkPKRiKRISWPLISz9Oequ3RF1zhP8OHxvWtYm3lbUuPUfCR6pSQKCF8gywJKRit0pmJbrT8mrVsSIdtmK~NYEmcYchM-l3gPtS4RSTp6iiKJXJQGlEQXhHPMYJXXGkb8u4A6c30nzuLKK-zQzZ5s4Oam3MtjPLfFvEn78zp4PWy5N1dGBQRW50SJLi~BG5Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Azeem Khan, a presidential fellow at West Virginia University, told the Joint Judiciary Committee that a new Cyber Resilience Resource Center (CRRC) backed by a $1,500,000 Appalachian Regional Commission grant will give free, hands-on cybersecurity assistance to West Virginia businesses and provide paid fellowships for students across the state's 55 counties.

\"The Cyber Resilience Resource Center was created as a result of a $1,500,000 grant award from the Appalachian Regional Commission. It will provide free and direct assistance to West Virginia businesses attempting to improve their organization's best practices,\" Khan said. He said the center will use faculty and student talent at WVU plus outside experts to offer consulting, strategic guidance and technical services with special emphasis on small- and medium-sized businesses and critical infrastructure.

Khan urged the committee to consider adopting a cybersecurity \"safe harbor\" law to incentivize businesses to implement and comply with recognized cybersecurity frameworks. \"If West Virginia were to have a cybersecurity safe harbor law, we would be the sixth state with one of those,\" Khan said, citing Ohio, Utah, Iowa, Tennessee and Connecticut as states that have enacted versions of such laws.

Khan described why the center emphasizes both legal incentives and practical assistance: large firms typically can afford consultants and internal cybersecurity staff, but smaller businesses often cannot. The CRRC aims to bridge that gap by providing free, direct help and paid student fellowships so businesses can adopt standards tied to a potential safe-harbor defense. Khan said more than 200 students will participate and that fellowships will be paid and open to students at any West Virginia institution of higher education.

He told lawmakers the center is intended to reduce the frequency and cost of breaches, which he described with industry estimates: \"In 2020, the estimated annual cost of cybercrime was nearly $105,000,000,000; that estimated cost was $452,300,000,000. And by 2028, it's estimated to go all the way up to $1,800,000,000,000.\" Khan also cited an IBM report showing an average total cost of a data breach in 2024 of nearly $4,900,000.

Committee members asked practical and legal questions. Delegate Hillenbrand asked which state model was best; Khan suggested recent enactments merit study. Senator Willis asked whether the market already incentivizes businesses to protect data; Khan replied the program is not regulatory and would be optional, arguing the center strengthens the market by increasing the trained cybersecurity workforce and making assistance accessible to small businesses. Lawmakers also asked about interstate or international data flows and whether safe-harbor language could inadvertently shield foreign actors; Khan said bill language would need to address interstate/international actors and noted the governor's prior veto message raised similar concerns.

On funding, Khan said the ARC grant had been awarded recently, would fund paid fellowships and other start-up costs, and that the pilot would cover about two years; he said he was not aware of an immediate additional funding need but that the team was focusing on launching a successful pilot first. Khan confirmed the ARC grant is federal funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission when asked.

Khan asked the Legislature to consider a safe-harbor statute to strengthen adoption of high-level federal cybersecurity frameworks and to make the center's assistance more valuable for businesses that want legal incentive to implement best practices. He stayed after the meeting to take questions from members in the chamber.","A West Virginia University presidential fellow summarized a $1.5 million Appalachian Regional Commission grant to create a Cyber Resilience Resource Center that will provide free help to businesses and urged the Legislature to consider a cybersecurity \"safe harbor\" law to incentivize adoption of best practices.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6342649,"Presenter outlines West Virginia's \"recreational responsibility\" laws, limits on landowner liability",799,325000,1124000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2253728-53d12c0a33afaabf3751525502ff0a5c&start=325&end=1124","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2253728-53d12c0a33afaabf3751525502ff0a5c/thumbnail_325000.jpg","/articles/6342649/West-Virginia/Presenter-outlines-West-Virginias-recreational-responsibility-laws-limits-on-landowner-liability","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6342649-ef5bc4e1dc8b164ca0d9a69ef16bbd3a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771057371&Signature=ZEWAIwG8x-tTWjspzmQXJJjyc2ZG94iahRk6U4F4lRbRdPmtm6k6NOEgeAIE6zGCTjUIgaSG2V5by7F9t2aBWvkUic~R34RQaC50pI~ErRTnlM73fUk4NqVcztuxXIHH8ilJEFkEP1fxjwhGJ8Ng8WYaF9D1DgPYWQmsOXFfM8gwC4xQmmoYoHsjMhfAOlZvYEZtAFkf7tC2orUql~6rD4SFK3cYdIiDQbghUqQy7eWc3t8YJdwF4Tdg5cNama399TQlkqhSOlW3-HeeQsKmW7CIe2EO3rymGIs0m8qa2MQpAeZ4Mqz6i5t8NgM1z8Vk5-ayRTZmo~sJvVrhEsqOMA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Mike Stewart convened the Joint Judiciary Committee for its first session and introduced Crofton Higgins, a second-year West Virginia University law student, who delivered an overview of West Virginia's recreational responsibility statutes.

Higgins told lawmakers the state has nine targeted \"responsibility acts\" that aim to reduce insurance and litigation costs for businesses and landowners who host outdoor recreational activities, while keeping operators liable for negligence, recklessness or intentional misconduct. \"The responsibility acts are not designed to blanket, immunize, businesses from liability. It only protects against loss and damage or injury sustained by participants from inherent risk of participation in the sport,\" Higgins said.

The presenter listed statutes for skiing, whitewater rafting, equestrian activities, ATVs and UTVs (including carve-outs for the Hatfield-McCoy trail association), agritourism, youth motorsports, nonprofit adventure activities (for scout groups and similar organizations), and zipline/canopy tours. Higgins said each statute follows a similar structure: a legislative purpose, definitions, operator duties (including refusing visibly intoxicated participants), participant duties (acknowledging inherent risks and recognizing personal skill limits) and liability provisions allocating responsibility for negligent or intentional acts.

Higgins used examples to illustrate how courts apply the statutes. He described a skiing incident where a self-directed skier injured himself after taking an unmaintained run and the court treated the injury as an inherent risk; by contrast, he summarized Thomas v. U.S. Hotel & Resort Management, in which the operator's employee failed to stop dangerous conduct and the operator was held liable after a participant suffered a brain hemorrhage.

Committee members pressed Higgins on common questions. One lawmaker asked whether equipment rented by an operator (for example, a rented mountain bike) could create operator liability if the equipment was not maintained. Higgins said that courts generally treat unmaintained rental equipment as falling outside \"inherent risk\" and more likely to be negligent: \"When you are not maintaining your equipment, that's ... at minimum, a negligent act,\" he said.

Lawmakers also asked about residential landowners and \"limiting liability for landowners\" provisions. Higgins explained those provisions narrow landowner responsibility for clear-and-obvious or hidden natural dangers on private property but do not excuse intentional harms or booby traps. He cautioned that a landowner who has acute awareness that a hazard is likely to injure entrants may still face liability, and said posting \"no trespassing\" signs can affect the entrant's legal classification and thus the landowner's duties.

Higgins repeatedly emphasized the line between inherent risks of a sport (which these statutes address) and operator or landowner negligence (which remains actionable). He closed by noting West Virginia has a larger number of these targeted statutes than many states, and that the statutes aim to encourage outdoor tourism and business participation by clarifying duties and limiting frivolous litigation.

Higgins stayed afterward to take additional questions from lawmakers in the chamber.","A WVU law student told the Joint Judiciary Committee that West Virginia has nine \"recreational responsibility\" statutes that narrow operator and landowner liability for inherent risks in outdoor activities while preserving liability for negligent, reckless or intentional conduct.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Joint Judiciary Committee adopts organizational rules, approves minutes and adjourns

WVU proposes statewide Cyber Resilience Resource Center; presenters urge "safe-harbor" incentive law

Presenter outlines West Virginia's "recreational responsibility" laws, limits on landowner liability