Relating to civil remedies for the unauthorized disclosure of intimate images.
HB 4842 clarifies and strengthens civil remedies for individuals whose intimate images are disclosed without consent in West Virginia. The bill amends §55-20-3 to explicitly apply to cases involving sexual extortion (as defined in §61-8B-6), establish joint and several liability for all liable parties, and create civil penalties. It directly affects people who suffer harm from intentional or reckless disclosure of private intimate images they did not consent to share. The law ensures victims can pursue legal action against perpetrators who knew the image was private, the victim didn’t consent, and the victim was identifiable.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Jun 2026
Introduced Jan 27, 2026
Signed Jun 29, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons
What changed between versions
hb4842 s jud am _1 3-9 adopted.htm
→
Enrolled Version
·
3 edits
·
Apr 1, 2026
MINOR
The bill was finalized into its Enrolled Version, removing committee amendment notes and adding standard legislative certification signatures. The core policy text regarding civil remedies for unauthorized intimate images remains unchanged, retaining provisions for joint and several liability and privacy expectations in public spaces.
Scope change
The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; the text of the law itself was not modified during the final enrollment process.
TECHNICAL
Removed committee amendment instructions and placeholder text indicating the bill was previously under consideration for changes.
Added standard certification signatures for the Clerks of the House and Senate, the Speaker, the President of the Senate, and the Governor to formalize the bill as an Enrolled Version.
Included website navigation links and footer information typical of the final published legislative document.
Floor votes · Senate Mar 12, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 24, 2026
How they voted
33–0
Passed
Total votes 33
Mar 12, 2026
D
Democratic2
100% Yea
R
Republican31
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
40
Key actions
9
Committee
8
Apr 1, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 4/1/2026
lower
Mar 14, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 - House Journal
lower
Mar 14, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 - Senate Journal
upper
Mar 14, 2026
Lower · Passed
House concurred in Senate amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 674)
lower
Mar 12, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (Roll No. 494)
upper
Mar 11, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)
upper
Mar 10, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported do pass, with amendment
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Committee
To Judiciary
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
Feb 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House (Roll No. 174)
lower
Feb 19, 2026
Lower · Passed
Do pass
lower
Feb 16, 2026
Committee
To House Judiciary
lower
Feb 13, 2026
Committee
To House Legal Services
lower
Jan 27, 2026
Committee
To House Judiciary
lower
Jan 27, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Jan 27, 2026
Committee
To Judiciary
lower
1 primary · 5 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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