HB 4079 West Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Eliminate woke, anti-women words from state government

HB 4079 requires all West Virginia state offices, departments, and commissions to replace specific terms in government communications with traditional alternatives. It mandates replacing phrases like "pregnant people" with "pregnant women," "chestfeeding" with "breastfeeding," "menstruating person" with "woman," and "womxn" with "woman." The bill applies to official documents, websites, literature, and in-person communications, effective June 1, 2026. It directly affects how state agencies describe health, reproductive, and gender-related topics in public materials. The law does not alter policies but changes the language used in government communications.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 14, 2026 Last action Jan 14, 2026
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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
4
Key actions
0
Committee
2
Jan 14, 2026
Committee
To House Health and Human Resources
lower
Jan 14, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Jan 14, 2026
Committee
To Health and Human Resources then Finance
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Kathie Hess Crouse
Kathie Hess Crouse
RRepublican
WV
19