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Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia Bill 5380 lifts lifetime limits on expunging criminal convictions
Last action · February 9, 2026: To House JudiciarySponsors: Mike Pushkin and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
House Bill 5380 removes the lifetime restriction that limits individuals to a single criminal record in West Virginia, while also removing burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary from the list of offenses ineligible for expungement.
Residents with multiple eligible misdemeanor or non-violent felony convictions gain the legal opportunity to clear more than one criminal record, which can affect future employment, housing, and background check results across the state.
- Under prior West Virginia law, individuals were generally restricted to obtaining only a single criminal record expungement during their lifetime. context
- House Bill 5380 was introduced during the 2026 regular legislative session and referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. 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.
Individuals with criminal convictions
Eligible individuals gain the ability to petition for the expungement of more than one set of criminal records over their lifetime.
West Virginia State Police
The agency receives service of expungement petitions, processes orders, and collects $100 processing fees for its criminal history account.
Employers and licensing boards
Expunged records are legally treated as never having occurred, though certain employers required by law to conduct background checks retain access to them.
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
Does this bill allow everyone to expunge all past criminal records?
What fees are required to file for expungement?
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 9, 2026HouseCommitteeTo House Judiciary
- Feb 9, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced in House
- Feb 9, 2026HouseCommitteeTo Judiciary
- Feb 9, 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.
Elimination of Lifetime Expungement Caps
The bill reverses previous West Virginia statutory limitations that restricted individuals to a single expungement order in their lifetime.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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