House 4870

WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE

2026 REGULAR SESSION

Introduced

House Bill 4870

By Delegates G. Howell, Hornbuckle, Hanshaw (Mr. Speaker), Akers, Willis, Dittman, Ellington, McCormick, Rohrbach, Browning, and J. Cannon

[Introduced January 28, 2026; referred to the Committee on the Judiciary]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding a new section, designated §3-8-5h, relating to elections; providing legislative findings; and extending the deadlines for filing campaign finance reports.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 8. REGULATION AND CONTROL OF ELECTIONS.

§3-8-5h. Campaign finance report deadlines during legislative sessions.

(a) Legislative findings. – The Legislature finds that:

(1) Members of the Legislature are required to be physically present at the seat of government during regular sessions, extraordinary sessions, and special sessions to fulfill their constitutional and statutory duties;

(2) During such sessions, many members reside a significant distance from the Capitol and are temporarily away from their homes, businesses, and personal records necessary to accurately prepare campaign finance reports;

(3) It is often impractical, unreasonable, and burdensome for members to travel back to their home districts during session solely to prepare and file campaign finance reports;

(4) Campaign finance reporting deadlines that fall during legislative sessions may create unnecessary conflicts between compliance obligations and official legislative responsibilities; and

(5) Providing a reasonable extension of time for filing campaign finance reports when the Legislature is in session promotes accuracy, fairness, and compliance without diminishing transparency or accountability.

(b) Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, if a campaign finance reporting deadline applicable to a member of the legislature falls during a regular session, extraordinary session, or special session of the Legislature, the due date for that report is extended.

(c) Under the circumstances described in subsection (b) of this section, the campaign finance report shall be due seven days after the final adjournment of the applicable legislative session.

(d) A campaign finance report filed in accordance with subsection (c) of this section shall not be considered late, and no civil penalty, late fee, or enforcement action may be imposed based solely on the original statutory due date.

(e) This section applies only to members of the Legislature and only to reporting deadlines that occur while the Legislature is in session.

(f) The Secretary of State may issue guidance or notices regarding adjusted filing deadlines under this section; however, no guidance may reduce, limit, or negate the filing extension provided herein.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to extend the deadlines for filing campaign finance reports.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.