HB 4557 West Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

To create the felony offense for protestors blocking passage on streets and highways.

HB 4557 creates a new criminal offense for intentionally blocking public streets, highways, or sidewalks used by the public, defining "obstruct" as making passage impassable, unreasonably inconvenient, or hazardous. It directly affects individuals who protest by blocking roadways, including those who ignore law enforcement requests to move. The bill establishes misdemeanor penalties ($500+ fine, 1+ month jail) for basic violations, and felony penalties ($1,000+ fine, 3 months-3 years jail) for repeat offenses, blocking emergency vehicles, or obstructing hospital access. The law applies to any person acting without legal authority to block public passageways.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 20, 2026 Last action Jan 20, 2026
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Total actions
4
Key actions
0
Committee
1
Jan 20, 2026
Committee
To House Energy and Public Works
lower
Jan 20, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
1 primary · 2 co-sponsors

Sponsors