West VirginiaSB 5312026 Regular SessionSenate

Establishing First Amendment Preservation Act

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

4 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 2 mixed.

No contracts with adversaries or terrorists

State agencies cannot contract with people or companies tied to certain federal lists. These include foreign adversaries, terrorist exclusion lists, countries that back terrorism, and named executive order designees. The ban applies to contracts started or changed on or after July 1, 2026.

New certifications for state ad vendors

If you bid on state advertising or marketing work, you must give a written certification. It says you are not a media reliability or bias monitor and will not use one for the job. Agencies must get the same from current contractors before renewals or changes. This applies on and after July 1, 2026.

Who must follow these rules and when

The law explains who must follow these rules. It covers all state departments, boards, and commissions. It covers colleges that use state money and political subdivisions. It also covers most companies, including nonprofits and parent or subsidiary firms. These rules apply to contracts signed or changed on or after July 1, 2026.

State ad buys ban bias monitors

State agencies cannot use media reliability or bias monitors to pick where ads run or to buy programmatic ads. They also cannot hire marketing firms that rely on those monitors for placements. The law still allows news aggregation and ad performance analytics. Starting July 1, 2026, these limits apply to new or changed contracts.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

Mike Azinger
Republican • Senate

Cosponsors

Anne B. Charnock
Republican • Senate
Bill Hamilton
Republican • Senate
Brian Helton
Republican • Senate
Robbie Morris
Republican • Senate
Rupie Phillips
Republican • Senate
Rollan A. Roberts
Republican • Senate
Chris Rose
Republican • Senate
Patricia Rucker
Republican • Senate
Jay Taylor
Republican • Senate
Tom Willis
Republican • Senate

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 293 • No: 25

Senate vote • 3/13/2026

Effective July 1, 2026 (Roll No. 599)

Yes: 33 • No: 0

Senate vote • 3/13/2026

Senate concurred in House amendments and passed bill (Roll No. 598)

Yes: 31 • No: 2

House vote • 3/12/2026

Passed House (Roll No. 424)

Yes: 82 • No: 12

House vote • 3/12/2026

Effective July 1, 2026 (Roll No. 425)

Yes: 87 • No: 7

Senate vote • 2/13/2026

Passed Senate (Roll No. 76)

Yes: 30 • No: 2