Expand the grade level for Laken’s Law
HB 4655 expands West Virginia's Laken's Law to require annual substance abuse education about fentanyl, heroin, and opioids for students in grades 3-12, instead of the current 6-12 range. The bill mandates that all public schools teach five specific topics annually, including awareness of opioids, use of opioid reversal agents, prevention of addiction, community resources, and health education on youth substance use. This expansion would take effect for grades 3-5 starting in the 2026-2027 school year, while the existing grades 6-12 requirement continues. The law directly affects all public school students in these grade levels through mandated classroom instruction.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 21, 2026
Last action Jan 21, 2026
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
4
Key actions
0
Committee
2
Jan 21, 2026
Committee
To House Education
lower
Jan 21, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Jan 21, 2026
Committee
To Education
lower
1 primary · 4 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Jeff Stephens
RRepublican
Co
Elliott Pritt
RRepublican
Co
Jeff Campbell
RRepublican
Co
Jimmy Willis
RRepublican
Co
Lori Dittman
RRepublican
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