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Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia Bill HB 5541 prohibits public disclosure of personal information for elected officials
Last action · February 16, 2026: To House JudiciarySponsors: Josh Holstein and 2 others
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What This Bill Proposed
House Bill 5541 extends protections to elected officials, prohibiting state agencies, businesses, and individuals from knowingly publishing or disclosing their home addresses and unpublished telephone numbers without written permission.
Elected officials, public defenders, and their families gain the legal right to sue individuals or businesses for at least $1,000 in statutory damages if their protected personal contact information is unlawfully disclosed.
- Daniel's Law is named after Daniel Anderl, the son of a federal judge who was murdered at his home in New Jersey by an angry litigant who obtained the family's home address online. context
- Similar legislation protecting the personal information of judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement has been adopted in multiple states to prevent targeted harassment and violence. context
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.
Elected officials
Elected officials and their resident family members gain legal protections against the public disclosure of their home addresses and unpublished phone numbers, along with the right to sue for damages.
State and local government agencies
Agencies are prohibited from knowingly disclosing, redisclosing, or making available the home addresses and unpublished telephone numbers of covered public officials without written permission.
Businesses and associations
Entities are barred from publishing protected contact information under circumstances that could expose officials to harassment or risk of harm, and must remove such data within 24 hours upon receiving a written request.
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
Who is considered an 'elected official' under this bill?
What penalties can a business or person face for failing to remove an official's personal information?
Does this bill prevent disclosures required by other laws?
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 16, 2026HouseCommitteeTo House Judiciary
- Feb 16, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced in House
- Feb 16, 2026HouseCommitteeTo Judiciary
- Feb 16, 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.
Expansion of Daniel's Law Scope
The bill broadens an existing judicial and law-enforcement privacy statute to cover all elected officials at both state and local levels within West Virginia.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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