Relating to confidentiality of court files and law-enforcement records
HB 4468 seeks to repeal Section 61-8B-19 of the West Virginia Code, which currently sets rules for keeping court files and law-enforcement records confidential. This bill would remove the existing legal requirements governing how these records must be handled and protected. It directly affects West Virginia courts and law enforcement agencies, which currently follow these confidentiality rules. The bill does not propose new rules for confidentiality but would eliminate the current statutory framework.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 16, 2026
Last action Feb 11, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Committee Substitute
→
Engrossed Committee Substitute
·
3 edits
·
Feb 10, 2026
MINOR
The bill was updated to its final 'Engrossed' version, incorporating a specific date change from July 1, 2022 to July 1, 2026. This adjustment likely aligns the confidentiality protections for victims with a future legislative session or specific court rule implementation deadline.
Scope change
The scope of the bill remains focused on protecting victim names and addresses in criminal complaints, but the effective dates for these protections have been extended.
TIMELINE
The date for victim name/address redactions in court decisions was changed from July 1, 2022 to July 1, 2026.
The deadline for the Supreme Court to promulgate necessary rules was changed from July 1, 2022 to July 1, 2026.
TECHNICAL
The bill title was updated to reflect its status as the 'Engrossed Committee Substitute' rather than the previous 'Committee Substitute' version.
Floor votes · House of Delegates Feb 10, 2026
How they voted
95–0
Passed · 4 other
Total votes 99
Feb 10, 2026
D
Democratic9
100% Yea
R
Republican90
95% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
19
Key actions
2
Committee
6
Feb 11, 2026
Committee
To Judiciary
upper
Feb 11, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
Feb 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House (Roll No. 65)
lower
Feb 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
By substitute, do pass
lower
Feb 2, 2026
Committee
To House Judiciary
lower
Jan 22, 2026
Committee
To House Courts
lower
Jan 16, 2026
Committee
To House Judiciary
lower
Jan 16, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Jan 16, 2026
Committee
To Judiciary
lower
1 primary · 3 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
EC
Elías Coop-González
RRepublican
Co
J.B. Akers
RRepublican
Co
Joe Parsons
RRepublican
Co
Pat McGeehan
RRepublican
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about HB 4468
Scope: WV
Hi! I can help you understand HB 4468. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline