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Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia directs special license plate registration fees to State Road Fund and adds themed donation options
Last action · February 11, 2026: To House Energy and Public WorksSponsors: Chuck Sheedy and 7 others
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What This Bill Proposed
West Virginia House Bill 5455 directs all special license plate registration and renewal fees into the and establishes an optional, themed voluntary donation system for motorists at registration. The measure requires the Division of Motor Vehicles to provide distinct donation options corresponding to the theme of each plate, such as veterans services, conservation programs, or educational scholarships. Additionally, the bill mandates annual reporting on fee collections and donation distributions starting July 1 following enactment.
Motorists purchasing or renewing special license plates face new voluntary contribution prompts linked to plate themes while mandatory registration fees are fully channeled into state transportation infrastructure.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Motorists purchasing or renewing special license plates
Motorists are offered voluntary donation options corresponding to plate themes and have their registration fees directed to the State Road Fund.
State Road Fund
The fund receives 100 percent of registration and renewal fees collected for special license plates.
Designated themed programs and nonprofits
Eligible funds and programs receive voluntary donations designated by applicants based on plate themes.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are donations required when purchasing a special license plate?
Where do the registration fees for special license plates go?
How are the voluntary donations categorized?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
4 actions- Feb 11, 2026HouseCommitteeTo House Energy and Public Works
- Feb 11, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced in House
- Feb 11, 2026HouseCommitteeTo Energy and Public Works
- Feb 11, 2026HouseIntroducedFiled for introduction
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Centralization of Special Plate Fees
The legislation shifts special license plate registration revenues entirely into the State Road Fund while establishing separate, themed voluntary funding tracks for nonprofit and program beneficiaries.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 55)
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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