LegalFix

§47-20-31. Additional Remedies for the Commissioner; Administrative Procedures; Deposit of Money Penalties

WV Code § 47-20-31 (2019) (N/A)
Copy with citation
Copy as parenthetical citation

(a) Additional remedies. — Notwithstanding any provision of this article to the contrary, the commissioner may:

(1) Revoke or refuse to renew any license issued under this article for any material violation of the provisions of this article or legislative rules of the commissioner promulgated for this article;

(2) Suspend the license of any licensee for the period of time the commissioner deems appropriate, not to be less than one week nor more than twelve months, for any material violation of the provisions of this article or legislative rule of the commissioner promulgated for this article;

(3) Place a licensee on probation for not less than six months nor more than five years: Provided, That in the event a licensee is placed on probation, as a condition of the probation, the licensee shall pay to the commissioner a probation supervision fee in an amount equal to two percent of the gross proceeds derived by the licensee from the conduct of bingo occasions during the period of the suspension, but, in no event, may the probation supervision fee be less than $2,000. All probation supervision fee revenue shall be placed in a special account and used by the commissioner, after appropriation by the Legislature, to offset the expenses and costs incurred by the Tax Division to supervise the licensee;

(4) Require a licensee to replace any officer who knew or should have known of a material violation of the provisions of this article or legislative rules of the commissioner promulgated for this article;

(5) Require a licensee to prohibit one or more members, supporters, volunteers or employees of the licensee involved in acts of material violation of the provisions of this article or legislative rules of the commissioner promulgated for this article, from all future bingo occasions held under the license, or for the period of time specified by the commissioner;

(6) Impose a civil money penalty in an amount not less than $100 nor more than two times the annual gross proceeds derived by the licensee, for each material violation of the provisions of this article or legislative rules of the commissioner: Provided, That in setting any monetary penalty for a first offense, the commissioner shall take into consideration the ability of the licensee to continue to exist and operate. For each material violation which is a second or subsequent offense, the amount of the civil penalty that may be imposed may not be less than $500 and may not exceed two times the annual gross proceeds of the licensee. Application of this subdivision and the amount of civil money penalty levied shall be determined in accordance with a legislative rule promulgated by the commissioner pursuant to article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code. The commissioner may file this rule as an emergency rule. Any licensee aggrieved by the amount of the civil penalty may surrender its license, or, after exhausting all administrative remedies, have the matter reviewed in the circuit court of the county where the offense giving rise to the civil penalty occurred; or

(7) Order any one or more, or any combination, of the penalties provided for in subdivisions (1) through (6) of this subsection: Provided, That no sanctions or other remedy shall be imposed under this article on a licensee which is exempt or qualified to be exempt from federal income taxation under subsection 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, but does not have bona fide members, due to failure to operate bingo occasions with members if the occasions are or were operated by residents of this state who have been employed by the licensee or been meaningfully associated with the licensee for one or more years before the date of the licensee’s application for a license under this article, or its last application for renewal of a license under this article.

(b) Administrative procedures.

(1) An order issued under this section shall be served by certified mail or in the manner provided in rule 4(d) of the West Virginia rules of civil procedure for trial courts of record, as amended.

(2) A licensee may appeal an order of the commissioner issued under this section by petitioning the Office of Tax Appeals within twenty days after the licensee is served with a copy of the order.

(3) When a petition is filed timely, the provisions of article ten-a, chapter eleven of this code shall apply.

(4) The burden of proof in any administrative or court proceeding is on the licensee to show cause why the order of the commissioner under this section should be modified, in whole or in part, or set aside.

(c) Deposit of money penalties. — All fines, money penalties and fees imposed pursuant to this section, except the probation supervision fee imposed by subdivision (3), subsection (a) of this section, shall be deposited into the General Revenue Fund of this state.

LegalFix

Copyright ©2024 LegalFix. All rights reserved. LegalFix is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law, and does not provide legal advice, services, or representation. The information on this website is an overview of the legal plans you can purchase—or that may be provided by your employer as an employee benefit or by your credit union or other membership group as a membership benefit.

LegalFix provides its members with easy access to affordable legal services through a network of independent law firms. LegalFix, its corporate entity, and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and contractors do not provide legal advice, services, or representation—directly or indirectly.

The articles and information on the site are not legal advice and should not be relied upon—they are for information purposes only. You should become a LegalFix member to get legal services from one of our network law firms.

You should not disclose confidential or potentially incriminating information to LegalFix—you should only communicate such information to your network law firm.

The benefits and legal services described in the LegalFix legal plans are not always available in all states or with all plans. See the legal plan Benefit Overview and the more comprehensive legal plan contract during checkout for coverage details in your state.

Use of this website, the purchase of legal plans, and access to the LegalFix networks of law firms are subject to the LegalFix Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

We have updated our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Disclosures. By continuing to browse this site, you agree to our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Disclosures.
§47-20-31. Additional Remedies for the Commissioner; Administrative Procedures; Deposit of Money Penalties