SB 980 West Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Clarifying office of Prosecuting Attorney exemption from Freedom of Information Act

SB 980 clarifies that the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney in West Virginia is exempt from the state's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The bill amends the law to explicitly state that this office is not a "custodian of records," meaning records related to crime investigations held by prosecuting attorneys are not subject to public disclosure. This change directly affects prosecuting attorneys' offices by confirming that their internal case materials remain confidential under current law. The bill does not create new exemptions but provides clear language to prevent misinterpretation of existing rules.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Feb 18, 2026 Last action Feb 18, 2026
Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
3
Key actions
0
Committee
1
Feb 18, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
Feb 18, 2026
Committee
To Judiciary
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors