These Legislative Updates are compiled by Mike Wilson, Legislative Liaison, West Virginia Christian Education Association.

A couple of points to notice: This list will grow for a few weeks as new bills are introduced. I track bills that might involve our schools as well as some bills that deal with Christian and family issues. The list will be updated weekly to include new bills and to list changes to the current ones. Bills originating in the House of Delegates are designated by the prefix HB, Senate bills by SB. (*) Indicates additional comments of the WVCEA Legislative Liaison. As of today, the House has introduced 1,013 bills and 695 have been introduced in the Senate.

Christian Education Bills:

HB 4065 (Crouse) - The purpose of this bill relates generally to the composition of the Hope Scholarship Board. Referred to House Education Committee, 1/14/26.

HB 4073 (Crouse) - The purpose of this bill is to permit a religious exemption to compulsory school immunizations. Referred to House Health and Human Resources then House Judiciary Committee, 1/14/26. * Similar to HB 4947.

HB 4077 (Crouse) - The purpose of this bill is to eliminate standardized testing requirements in West Virginia public and private schools. Referred to House Education Committee, 1/14/26.

HB 4189 (Hornbuckle) - The purpose of this bill is to help preserve Hope Scholarship funding resources by placing family income eligibility limitations for Hope scholarships, and providing the county schools be reimbursed for services provided to Hope scholarship recipients. Referred to House Education then House Finance Committee, 1/14/26. *. ***At present, WVCEA's position is educating all stakeholders on the dangers of this Bill will be a priority of the WVCEA during the 2026 legislative session. Similar to HB 4961.

HB 4372 (Smith) - The purpose of this bill is to authorize teachers in elementary or secondary schools to carry concealed firearms and be designated as a school protection officer (SPO). Referred to House Education then Judiciary Committee, 1/15/26.

HB 4402 (Foggin) - The purpose of this bill is to authorize the appointment, qualifications, certification, authority, compensation, and training of school protection officers by a sheriff, and to provide for limitations on the civil liability of school protection officers in certain circumstances. Referred to House Education then House Judiciary Committee, 1/16/26

HB 4425 (Gearheart) - The purpose of this bill is to authorize the appointment, qualifications, certification, authority, compensation, and training of school protectionofficers by a sheriff, and to provide for limitations on the civil liability of school protectionofficers in certain circumstances. Referred to House Education Committee, 1/16/26.

HB 4593 (Hornby) - Allow for PE classes to be optional for students who can demonstrate 5or more weekly hours of outside physical activity. Referred to House Education Committee, 1/20/26.

HB 4611 (Dillon) - The purpose of this bill is to provide for the creation of the Hope to Help Community Schools Act of 2026. Referred to House Education then House Finance Committee,1/20/26. *Essentially, small public schools could use Hope Scholarship funding to hire teachers to form a microschool. The WVCEA will oppose this bill as this was not the intended use of Hope funding.

HB 4645 (Brooks) - All property, real and personal, owned and used by a day care facility, shall be assessed at full value, and the tax imposed on the property shall be reduced by 50 percent. Referred to House Finance Committee, 1/21/26.

HB 4697 (Holstein) - The purpose of this bill is to is to require that any student in the 11th or 12th grade, who has been placed in a "free"  or "teacher-assistant"; period or class, be informed of online college course opportunities available for them. Referred to House
Education Committee, 1/21/26.

HB 4794 (Pinson) - The purpose of this bill is to require each high school student to pass a test on the United States Constitution as a requirement to graduation from high school. Referred to House Education Committee, 1/23/26.

HB 4798 (Pinson) - The purpose of this bill is to implement a wearable panic alert system, to be known as Alyssa's law, in all schools in the state. Referred to House Education then House Finance Committee, 1/23/26.

HB 4905 (Pritt) - Removing fees teachers have to pay in order to obtain any teaching license, certification, or additional continuing education credit hours (reporting fee) to the state Board of Education. Referred to House Education Committee, 1/29/27.

HB 4914 (Anders) - The purpose of this article is to ensure that if the federal government, under the leadership of the President, returns education funding to the State of West Virginia in the form of block grants, those funds shall be deposited into education savings
accounts (ESAs) that follow each child. These accounts shall empower parents with full and complete school choice, regardless of income, zip code, or educational background, andshall remove all central control over education from unaccountable bureaucracies. Referred to House Education Committee then House Finance Committee, 1/29/26.

HB 4945 (Pritt) - There shall be no use of individual electronic devices such as laptops, computers, tablets, etc. for learning and testing in classrooms for students in grade three and below excluding calculators. Referred to House Education Committee, 1/29/26.

HB 4956 (Vance) - The purpose of this bill is to establish that the educational instructional term for students shall begin no earlier than the Tuesday after Labor Day and conclude no later than the Friday before Memorial Day. Referred to House Education Committee, 1/29/26.

HB 4957 (Vance) - The purpose of this bill is to set the school calendar to 160 days of instruction. Referred to House Education Committee, 1/29/26.

HB 4961 (Young) - To be eligible for the Hope Scholarship, a parent or parents combined federal adjusted gross income shall be less than $150,000 for the taxable year in which the parent or parents apply to participate in the Hope Scholarship program. Referred to House Finance Committee, 1/29/26. ***At present, WVCEA's position is educating all stakeholders on the dangers of this Bill will be a priority of the WVCEA during the 2026 legislative session. Similar to HB 4961.

SB 46 (Rucker) - The purpose of this bill is to provide for a moment of silence at the beginning of each school day. The bill prevents teachers from being able to discuss the substance of what children engage in during the moment of silence. Finally, the bill provides that the Attorney General shall enforce the provisions of this section. Referred to Senate Education Committee then Senate Judiciary Committee, 1/14/26.

SB 69 (Rucker) - The purpose of this bill is to require higher education institutions to accept the Classic Learning Test. Referred to Senate Education Committee, 1/14/26.

SB 133 (Rucker) - The purpose of this bill is to allow any teaching experience requirement imposed by code or state board rule to be met through teaching at a public school or any nonpublic school. Referred to Senate Education Committee, 1/14/26.

SB 176 (Fuller) - The purpose of this bill is to clarify the amount of non-traditional instruction days for teachers. Referred to Senate Education Committee, 1/14/26. *Increases non-traditional instructional days.

SB 216 (Hart) – *Basically, eliminates all government oversight over private schools (reporting requirements, testing, etc.). Passed out of Senate School Choice Committee to full Senate with a do pass recommendation, 1/28/26.

SB 388 (Grady) - The purpose of this bill is to require that a public elementary or secondary school make the Aitken Bible available to all fourth grade, eighth grade, and 10th grade social studies classrooms; specifying funds that can and cannot be used for this purpose; and clarify that the requirement applies to charter schools. Passed the Senate, 30-4, 1/29/26.

SB 489 (Rucker) - The purpose of this bill is to create a course-specific teaching permit system allowing certified educators to teach high-quality academic or career-technical courses outside their formal endorsement areas once they complete approved professional
learning tied to that course. Referred to Senate Education then Senate Finance Committee, 1/19/26.

SB 644 (Rucker) - The purpose of this bill is to require the State Treasurer to participate in the federal tax credit scholarship program; and to identify qualified scholarship organizations and schools. Referred to Senate School Choice Committee, 1/28/26.

Other Conservative Christian Issues:

HB 4017 (Hanshaw) - The purpose of this bill is to provide the Secretary of the Department of Human Services with the authority to enter into contracts and partnerships with child welfare providers, including faith-based organizations, to carry out the statutory responsibilities imposed upon the Department of Human Services under Chapter 49. Referred to House Committee on Health and Himan Resources, 1/14/26.

HB 4034 (Mallow) - The purpose of this bill is to require public elementary schools and secondary schools to display in a conspicuous place in each classroom of the school a durable poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments that meets certain requirements. Referred to House Education then House Judiciary Committee, 1/14/26. *Same as HB 4103.

HB 4356 (Burkhammer) - The purpose of this bill is to prohibit the requiring of the performance or assistance of an irreversible gender reassignment surgery. Referred to House Committee on Health and Human Resources, 1/15/26.

HB 4412 (Chirarelli) - The purpose of this bill is to create liability for publishers and distributors of sexual material harmful to minors, to provide definitions, to create a cause of action, and to provide for the administration, applicability, exceptions, and penalties for violation of the article. Referred to House Judiciary Committee, 1/16/26. Mark-up discussion 1/27/26.

HB 4680 (Anders) - The purpose of this bill is to ensure that protections are in place to protect religious services during a declared state of emergency by the Governor or other declarations by the executive branch that would impose restrictions upon such houses of
worship. Referred to House Judiciary Committee, 1/21/26. SB 43 (Rucker) - The purpose of this bill is to remove exceptions for rape and incest for the current abortion law in West Virginia. Referred to Senate Health and Human Resources Committee, 1/14/26.

SB 498 (Rucker) - The purpose of this bill is to prohibit the distribution and display of pornographic material to minors through online platforms, to establish strict age verification protocols, and to impose severe penalties on entities that fail to comply. Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee, 1/19/26.

SB 507 (Helton) - The purpose of this bill is to extend the statute of limitations for bringing actions for gender reassignment surgeries, provide for additional damages in actions filed against surgeons for medical injuries from gender reassignment surgeries and the
prescribing of medications related to gender reassignment procedures and therapies. Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee, 1/19/26.

SB 533 (Morris) - The purpose of this bill is to relates to disaffiliation from religious denominations and generally relates to property of religious organizations; requires a two- thirds vote of the membership for disaffiliation; establishes classes of property for purposes
of disaffiliation; treats each separately deeded parcel of real property as a distinct unit for Class A purposes; provides that a local religious organization that disaffiliates from a parent religious denomination or conference may retain ownership of each parcel of real
property (Class A) if more than 50 percent of the costs for acquiring and improving that specific parcel were raised locally by or from the organization, subject to reimbursement of investments made by the parent religious denomination or conference; provides for ownership of chattel and personal property (Class B) based on the purchaser; provides for pro rata ownership of intangible property (Class C) based on sources of funds over a two- year lookback period; provides a catch-all provision for classification of property by a court, mediator, or arbitrator; establishes a burden of proof on the parent religious denomination or conference; requires the parent religious denomination or conference to provide accounting within a specified timeline; and provides for severability and application to affiliations entered into or reaffirmed on or after the effective date. Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee, 1/20/26. *Similar to SB 561 (Azinger).

SB 567 (Rucker) - The purpose of this bill is to prohibit a county board or charter school governing board from charging any fees to a Hope Scholarship student for any extracurricular program related services; and modify the academic achievement requirement for Hope Scholarship students choosing an individualized instructional program and choosing to be assessed through a review of the student’s academic work. Referred to Senate Select Committee on School Choice, 1/21/26.

SB 591 (Azinger) - Prohibiting teaching of divisive acts and critical race theory in public schools. Referred to Senate Education Committee, 1/23/26.

SB 599 (Rucker) - The purpose of this bill is to prohibit the abortifacients and to enact criminal penalties and permit private causes of action for supplying abortifacients and also requiring informed consent. Referred to Senate Committee on Health and Human Resources the Senate Judiciary Committee, 1/23/26.

SB 605 (Rucker) - For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, a parent or legal guardian who is a resident of West Virginia is entitled to receive a tax credit against his or her personal income tax liability, otherwise due under this article, in an amount equivalent
to what a student who is eligible for the HOPE Scholarship would receive, for providing one year of home schooling or private schooling for one or more children pursuant to the educational requirements set by the State Board of Education for primary and secondary
programs and standards. The tax credit is limited to the equivalent amount of a student who is eligible for the HOPE Scholarship in grade kindergarten through grade twelve. Referred to Senate School Choice Committee then Senate Finance Committee, 1/27/26.

SB 608 (Rucker) - The purpose of this bill is to establish religious exemption from compulsory immunization for children. Referred to Senate Committee on Health and Human Resources, 1/27/26. *Similar to House bill mentioned above.

SB 628 (Azinger) - The purpose of this bill is to prohibit the distribution of pornographic materials to persons under 18. Referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, 1/27/26.

SB 629 (Azinger) - The purpose of this bill is to prohibit gender transition surgeries, treatments, and therapies to minors. The bill establishes penalties for practitioners in violation of regulations. The bill safeguards the mental and physical health of minors. The
bill prohibits political subdivisions from enacting conflicting policies. The bill creates whistleblower protection. Finally, the bill prohibits taxpayer subsidization of gender transition treatments. Referred to Senate Health and Human Resources Committee then Senate
Judiciary, 1/27/26.

SB 630 (Azinger) - The purpose of this bill is to protect minors from indecent displays of a sexually explicit nature, including but not limited to, transvestite and/or transgender performances or displays to minors. Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee, 1/27/26.

SB 634 (Garcia) – Legalizing the consumption of cannabis for adults. Referred to Senate
Judiciary then Senate Finance Committee, 1/27/2