West Virginia House Bill HB5209

West Virginia 2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/5/26
• Refer: 2/5/26

Caption

Create a registry of persons convicted of animal abuse

Summary

HB5209 would create a new animal abuse registry in West Virginia and integrate it into the state’s existing Central Abuse Registry. The bill directs the West Virginia State Police to maintain a registry of people convicted of certain animal cruelty offenses, as well as people found not guilty by reason of mental illness, mental incapacity, or addiction for those offenses. It applies both retroactively and prospectively, and requires courts and clerks to forward conviction information to the State Police for registration. The bill also sets out registration duties for covered individuals, including updating address and other information within ten business days and complying with State Police verification requests. Registrants would remain on the registry for ten years after release from incarceration or after placement on probation, parole, or supervised release, with removal available if the conviction is overturned. The bill further amends the Central Abuse Registry to include animal abuse registrants alongside child abuse, neglect, incapacitated adult abuse, behavioral health abuse, and sex offender information.

Impact

HB5209 would amend West Virginia Code §15-2C-2 and add a new article in Chapter 15 creating a separate animal abuse registration system. It would expand the State Police’s registry responsibilities, require court clerks to transmit conviction information, and impose ongoing reporting obligations on registrants. The bill also authorizes an annual $125 fee for persons on the Central Abuse Registry, with the revenue directed to the State Police, and allows fee nonpayment to be enforced through a judgment lien process.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes, the overall sentiment appears to be supportive and public-safety oriented. The bill’s findings frame animal abuse registration as a law-enforcement tool intended to protect the public and reflect a strong legislative concern about the connection between violence against animals and violence against people. The sponsors and caption suggest the measure is being advanced as a protective registry rather than as a punitive criminal penalty.

Contention

The main points of potential contention are the breadth and retroactive reach of the registry, the inclusion of people found not guilty by reason of mental illness, mental incapacity, or addiction, and the privacy implications of creating a public registration system. Another likely issue is the administrative burden on courts, the State Police, and registrants, including the annual fee and reporting requirements. The bill’s explicit statement that registrants have a reduced expectation of privacy signals that civil-liberties concerns could arise, even though no committee testimony or vote record is provided here.