The 2026 Legislative Session – Major Events #3: Crime
Protecting our citizens from crime and holding criminals accountable remain core priorities for Republicans in the West Virginia Legislature. During the 2026 session, we passed several important measures to strengthen public safety, protect victims, and ensure that serious offenders face real consequences.
HB 4138 amended West Virginia's Sex Offender Registration Act by expanding and clarifying the offenses that require registration as a sex offender. The bill added sexual extortion, aggravated sexual extortion, and nonconsensual disclosure of private intimate images ("revenge porn") to the list of qualifying offenses. It also expanded registration requirements for certain crimes involving the solicitation of minors and clarified that individuals convicted of sexually assaulting a spouse remain subject to sex offender registration requirements.
HB 4412 protected children from harmful online content by requiring commercial websites that primarily distribute pornography or other sexual material harmful to minors to verify that users are at least 18 years old before granting access. Websites that fail to perform reasonable age verification and allow minors to access such material may be held civilly liable. The law also creates a private cause of action, allowing parents or guardians to seek damages when websites fail to protect minors from harmful sexual content.
HB 5101, the Joanna Phillips Domestic Violence Prevention Act, significantly strengthened protections for victims of domestic violence. The law expands the definition of domestic violence, creates a felony for domestic violence strangulation, imposes stricter bail requirements for domestic violence offenders, and increases penalties for repeat offenders. Domestic violence strangulation is now punishable by substantially enhanced penalties, including imprisonment up to 10 years. Repeat offenders also face more severe criminal sanctions, reflecting the serious threat that domestic violence poses to families and communities.
These measures demonstrate our commitment to protecting children, supporting victims, and ensuring that violent and sexual offenders are held accountable for their actions.
All the bills mentioned can be accessed here - https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bill_Status.cfm
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