The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia Bill Prohibits Mandatory Real ID Enforcement for State Drivers
Last action · February 13, 2026: To House Energy and Public WorksSponsors: Chris Anders and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
West Virginia House Bill 5514 prohibits the state from participating in the mandatory implementation of the federal , making state-issued Real ID driver's licenses and strictly optional for residents.
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.
West Virginia citizens
Division of Motor Vehicles
The division must stop mandatory implementation of Real ID standards and restrict issuance to voluntary requests.
Department of Transportation
The department is directed to cease mandatory implementation and report federal agency attempts to enforce Real ID rules to the Governor.
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
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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 Energy and Public Works
- Feb 13, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced in House
- Feb 13, 2026HouseCommitteeTo Energy and Public Works then 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.
State-Level Rejection of Federal Identification Mandates
The bill explicitly invokes the Tenth Amendment to challenge federal security standards and shifts state policy from compliance to voluntary participation.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz45Current news / social attention level
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