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HB 4771WEST VIRGINIASession 2026State Billdead

Did Not Advance

West Virginia Bill 4771 Grants Controlled Substances Database Access to Certified Medical Examiners

Original title: Relating to access of records in controlled substance monitoring

Last action · January 23, 2026: To House Health and Human ResourcesSponsor: Robbie Martin

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

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What This Bill Proposed

House Bill 4771 authorizes licensed healthcare professionals who are certified as medical examiners with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to access the state's maintained by the Board of Pharmacy.

Why it matters

Expands database lookup privileges to federally certified medical examiners evaluating commercial drivers, altering who can inspect confidential prescription records.

Background

House Bill 4771 was introduced during the 2026 regular session of the West Virginia Legislature by Delegate Martin. context
The West Virginia Board of Pharmacy maintains the Controlled Substances Monitoring Program to track prescription data and help curb the misuse of controlled substances. 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.

Directly affected

certified medical examiners with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Certified medical examiners gain explicit statutory authorization to access the West Virginia Controlled Substances Monitoring Database.

Directly affected

Board of Pharmacy

The Board of Pharmacy maintains database confidentiality rules, provides administrative support for review committees, and promulgates rules governing database access.

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 newly granted access to the Controlled Substances Monitoring Database under this bill?

Licensed healthcare professionals who are certified as medical examiners with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are added to the list of authorized individuals.

Is information in the Controlled Substances Monitoring Database public?

No, the information required to be kept by the Board of Pharmacy is confidential, not subject to public records laws, and not obtainable as discovery in civil matters absent a court order.

Are practitioners protected if they rely on database information when deciding to prescribe medications?

Yes, good faith reliance by a practitioner on database information when prescribing, dispensing, or declining to prescribe a controlled substance provides an absolute defense in civil or criminal actions.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.

Procedural history

4 actions

Jan 23, 2026HouseCommittee
To House Health and Human Resources
Jan 23, 2026HouseIntroduced
Introduced in House
Jan 23, 2026HouseCommittee
To Health and Human Resources
Jan 23, 2026HouseIntroduced
Filed 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.

Connected Entities

West Virginia State Police, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Board of Pharmacy and 7 more

OrganizationWest Virginia State Police“Authorized entity with database access”Map →

OrganizationOffice of the Chief Medical Examiner“Agency with authorized agents having database access”Map →

OrganizationBoard of Pharmacy“Maintains the Controlled Substances Monitoring Database”Map →

OrganizationFederal Motor Carrier Safety Administration“Federal agency certifying medical examiners granted database access”Map →

OrganizationBureau for Medical Services“Agency with authorized agents having database access”Map →

OrganizationWest Virginia Department of Health“May receive scrubbed data for educational, scholarly, or statistical purposes”Map →

OrganizationOffice of Health Facility Licensure and Certification“Agency with authorized agents having database access”Map →

OrganizationDrug Enforcement Administration“Federal agency with authorized agents having database access”Map →

OrganizationLegislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability“Receives annual reports from the Board of Pharmacy”Map →

PersonRobbie Martin“Delegate who introduced House Bill 4771”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.wvlegislature.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance20
Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 40)
Controversy10
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz15
Current news / social attention level

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