HB 5021 West Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Relating to the limited circumstances in which a registered nurse may administer anesthetics.

This bill clarifies that registered nurses in West Virginia may administer anesthetics only when ordered by a physician in an acute care setting, such as a hospital. It does not expand nurses' scope of practice but specifies the limited context where this current authority applies. The change affects registered nurses working in acute care facilities, ensuring they operate within defined parameters. The amendment updates existing law to explicitly restrict this practice to acute care environments.

Issues: ✗ Healthcare

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 2, 2026 Last action Feb 13, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Version → Committee Substitute · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was significantly restructured from a House Bill to a Committee Substitute, shifting the focus from allowing Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) to administer anesthetics to explicitly permitting Registered Nurses (RNs) to do so under a physician's order in specific emergency or acute care situations. The text was completely replaced with a new version that includes updated definitions for nursing roles and establishes a reporting requirement for the Board of Nursing to assess the impact of allowing RNs to administer anesthetics.

Scope change

The scope of the bill changed from regulating Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) to regulating Registered Nurses (RNs). The new version adds a specific provision allowing RNs to administer anesthetics and neuromuscular blocking agents only when ordered by a physician in acute care settings or for emergency airway management.

SCOPE

The primary subject of the bill changed from Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) to Registered Nurses (RNs).

Provisions regarding the liability of physicians for CRNA acts and the specific educational requirements for CRNAs were removed.

ELIGIBILITY

New eligibility criteria were added allowing RNs to administer anesthetics under a physician's order in acute care settings or for emergency airway management.

DEFINITION

A new section defining key terms like 'Advanced practice registered nurse' and 'Direct patient care' was added to clarify roles.

REQUIREMENT

A requirement was added for the Board of Nursing to report to the Legislature on the implementation and impact of allowing RNs to administer anesthetics.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 11, 2026

Lower · Passed

By substitute, do pass

lower

Feb 2, 2026

Committee

To House Health and Human Resources

lower

Feb 2, 2026

Introduced

Introduced in House

lower

Feb 2, 2026

Committee

To Health and Human Resources

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors