Plain English Breakdown
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HB4486 • 2026
Establish fines for any company or organization that knowingly hires an illegal alien
Establish fines for any company or organization that knowingly hires an illegal alien
Passed Legislature
This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.
Bill History
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2026-01-19
H
To House Government Organization
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2026-01-19
H
Introduced in House
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2026-01-19
H
To Government Organization
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2026-01-19
H
Filed for introduction
Official Summary Text
Establish fines for any company or organization that knowingly hires an illegal alien
Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
HB 4486 Text skip navigation SENATE PRESIDENT SENATORS COMMITTEES VIDEO/AUDIO DISTRICT MAPS SENATE CLERK SENATE RULES HOUSE SPEAKER DELEGATES COMMITTEES VIDEO/AUDIO DISTRICT MAPS HOUSE CLERK HOUSE RULES HOUSE STAFF JOINT INTERIM COMMITTEES LEGISLATIVE ADMINISTRATOR LEGISLATIVE SERVICES DIVISION PUBLIC INFORMATION LEGISLATIVE AUTOMATED SYSTEMS DIVISION LEGISLATIVE AUDITOR'S OFFICE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION & RESEARCH DIVISION POST AUDIT DIVISION BUDGET DIVISION REGULATORY AND FISCAL AFFAIRS DIVISION CLAIMS COMMISSION CRIME VICTIMS RULE-MAKING REVIEW SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS JUDICIAL COMP. COMMISSION JOINT RULES STAFF INFO BILL STATUS BILL STATUS BILL TRACKING STATE LAW WEST VIRGINIA CODE ACTS OF THE LEGISLATURE CODE OF 1931 WV CONSTITUTION US CONSTITUTION REPORTS AGENCY REPORTS AGENCY GRANT AWARDS PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS POST AUDITS EDUCATIONAL CITIZEN’S GUIDE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM PAGE PROGRAM PUBLICATIONS PHOTO GALLERY CAPITOL HISTORY HOW A BILL BECOMES LAW CONTACT SENATE ROSTER HOUSE ROSTER PUBLIC INFO. NEWS RELEASES HELPFUL LINKS Introduced Version House Bill 4486 History | Email Key: Green = existing Code. Red = new code to be enacted WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE 2026 REGULAR SESSION FISCAL NOTE Introduced House Bill 4486 By Delegates Ridenour, Martin, Butler, Mazzocchi, Hillenbrand, B. Ward, Holstein, Jennings, Kump, Maynor, and Masters [Introduced January 19, 2026; referred to the Committee on Government Organization] A BILL to amend and reenact §21-1B-5 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to prohibiting companies and organizations from knowingly hiring illegal aliens and establishing fines for violations. Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia: Article 1B. verifying legal employment status of workers. §21-1B-5. Penalties. (a) Any employer who knowingly and willfully fails to maintain records as required by section four of this article is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined $100 $200 for each offense. Failure to keep records on each employee constitutes a separate offense. (b) Any employer who knowingly violates the provisions of section three of this article by employing, hiring, recruiting or referring an unauthorized worker is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, is subject to the following penalties: (1) For a first offense, a fine of not less than $100 $1,000 nor more than $1,000 $10,000 for each violation; (2) For a second offense, a fine of not less than $500 $5,000 nor more than $5,000 $20,000 for each violation; (3) For a third or subsequent offense, a fine of not less than $1,000 $10,000 nor more than $10,000 $30,000 , or and confinement in jail for not less than 30 days nor more than one year , or both . (c) Any employer who knowingly and willfully provides false records as to the legal status or authorization to work of any employee to the commissioner or his or her authorized representative is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be confined in jail not less than 30 days nor more than one year or and fined not more less than $2,500 $1,000 nor more than $5,000. or both. (d) Any employer who knowingly and willfully and with fraudulent intent sells, transfers or otherwise disposes of substantially all of the employer's assets for the purpose of evading the record-keeping requirements of section four of this article is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be confined in jail not less than 30 days not nor more than one year or and fined not more less than $10,000, $20,000. or both. NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to establish stricter penalties for any company or organization that knowingly hires an illegal alien. Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added. Bill Status | Bill Tracking | Legacy WV Code | Bulletin Board | District Maps | Senate Roster | House Roster | Live | Blog | Jobs | Links | Home This Web site is maintained by the West Virginia Legislature's Office of Reference & Information. | Terms of Use | Webmaster | © 2026 West Virginia Legislature ** Print On Demand Name: Email: Phone: