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Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia Bill HB 5520 creates registration requirements for foreign adversary agents and bans contracts with scrutinized companies
Last action · February 13, 2026: To House JudiciarySponsors: Bill Ridenour and 9 others
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What This Bill Proposed
House Bill 5520 establishes the Foreign Adversary Contracting Prohibition Act, the Foreign Adversary and Terrorist Agent Registration Act, and the Act. The legislation requires agents of foreign principals from adversary nations or terrorist organizations to register with the Attorney General, prohibits public entities from contracting with scrutinized companies for technology-related products or services, and enhances penalties for offenses involving transnational repression.
The measure alters contracting rules for state and local public entities procuring technology-related goods and services, imposes criminal penalties and fines up to $50,000 for unregistered foreign agents, and enhances existing criminal penalties to felony status for individuals committing covered offenses under foreign direction.
- State-level foreign agent registration acts and contracting prohibitions have been introduced across multiple states to address perceived national security risks related to foreign adversaries. context
- The West Virginia Legislature convenes annually, and the 2026 regular session introduced various measures addressing public safety and ethics. 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.
Agents of foreign principals
Must file detailed registration statements with the Attorney General, update information, and face criminal penalties and fines for non-compliance.
Businesses and nonprofit organizations
Must include an attestation of compliance with the Foreign Adversary and Terrorist Agent Registration Act in their biennial or annual reports filed with the state.
State and local public entities
Prohibited from procuring technology-related products or services from scrutinized companies or transferring state funds to them.
Postsecondary educational institutions
Required to adopt policies regarding the expulsion, dismissal, and campus prohibition of students, faculty, or researchers found in violation of the registration act.
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 required to register under the Foreign Adversary and Terrorist Agent Registration Act?
What restrictions are placed on public contracts under the bill?
What penalties apply to individuals who violate the registration act?
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 13, 2026HouseCommitteeTo House Judiciary
- Feb 13, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced in House
- Feb 13, 2026HouseCommitteeTo Judiciary
- Feb 13, 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.
Comprehensive State-Level Foreign Agent Registry and Contracting Ban
The bill mirrors federal Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) principles at the state level while coupling registration mandates with state procurement prohibitions and enhanced criminal penalties.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 85)
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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