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Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia Bill Removes Physician Supervision Requirements for Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants
Last action · January 27, 2026: Markup DiscussionSponsors: Lisa White and 9 others
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What This Bill Proposed
House Bill 4715 empowers qualified physician assistants and certified nurse practitioners to practice without physician supervision, renames the Board of Examiners for Registered Professional Nurses to the Board of Registered Nurses, and establishes new membership and regulatory structures.
Modifies the scope of practice and autonomous working rights for thousands of s and physician assistants in West Virginia, altering healthcare delivery models and provider reimbursement parity.
- West Virginia regulates healthcare professions through specific articles in Chapter 30 of the West Virginia Code, establishing distinct licensing boards for medicine, osteopathic medicine, and registered professional nursing. 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.
Certified Nurse Practitioners
Certified nurse practitioners are authorized to practice and prescribe drugs without requiring a collaborative relationship or physician supervision.
Physician Assistants
Physician assistants gain the authority to practice without physician supervision, subject to board rules and prescribing limitations.
West Virginia Board of Registered Nurses
The board is officially renamed from the Board of Examiners for Registered Professional Nurses, receives new appointment structures, and assumes updated regulatory duties.
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
Do certified nurse practitioners need a collaborative agreement with a physician to practice or prescribe drugs under this bill?
What are the prescribing limitations for physician assistants under the bill?
How is the nursing board affected by this legislation?
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
5 actions- Jan 27, 2026HouseMarkup Discussion
- Jan 21, 2026HouseCommitteeTo House Health and Human Resources
- Jan 21, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced in House
- Jan 21, 2026HouseCommitteeTo Health and Human Resources
- Jan 21, 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
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Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Removal of Physician Supervision
The legislation marks a significant statutory transition by eliminating mandatory physician collaboration and supervision requirements for qualified nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 85)
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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