Disallow candidates for office if back taxes are owed

HB 4764 Text

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House Bill 4764 History

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WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE
2026
REGULAR SESSION
Introduced
House Bill 4764
By Delegates White, Parsons, Coop-Gonzalez, Petitto, Anders, Dean, Martin, Pritt, Brooks, B. Ward, and Dillon
[Introduced January 23, 2026; referred to the Committee on the Judiciary]
A BILL to amend §6B-2-6 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to the filing requirements of a disclosure of financial interest by a candidate for public office; and providing that if the disclosure reveals that a candidate for public office has delinquent unpaid taxes, that person may not run for office.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 2. WEST VIRGINIA ETHICS COMMISSION; POWERS AND DUTIES; DISCLOSURE OF FINANCIAL INTEREST BY PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES; APPEARANCES BEFORE PUBLIC AGENCIES; CODE OF CONDUCT FOR ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGES.

§6B-2-6. Financial disclosure statement; filing requirements.

(a) The financial disclosure statement shall be filed on February 1 of each calendar year to cover the period of the preceding calendar year, except insofar as may be otherwise provided herein. The following persons must file the financial disclosure statement required by this section with the Ethics Commission:
(1) All elected officials in this state, including, but not limited to, all persons elected statewide, all county elected officials, municipal elected officials in municipalities which have, by ordinance, opted to be covered by the disclosure provisions of this section, all members of the several county or district boards of education and all county or district school board superintendents;
(2) All members of state boards, commissions and agencies appointed by the Governor; and
(3) Secretaries of departments, commissioners, deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners, directors, deputy directors, assistant directors, department heads, deputy department heads and assistant department heads.
A person who is required to file a financial disclosure statement under this section by virtue of becoming an elected or appointed public official whose office is described in subdivision (1), (2) or (3) of this subsection, and who assumes the office less than ten days before a filing date established herein or who assumes the office after the filing date, shall file a financial disclosure statement for the previous twelve months no later than thirty days after the date on which the person assumes the duties of the office, unless the person has filed a financial disclosure statement with the commission during the twelve-month period before he or she assumed office.
(b) A candidate for public office shall file a financial disclosure statement for the previous calendar year with the state Ethics Commission no later than ten days after he or she files a certificate of announcement, unless he or she has previously filed a financial disclosure statement with the state Ethics Commission for the previous calendar year.
The financial disclosure statement by a candidate shall include whether the candidate is delinquent in the payment of any city, county, state, or federal taxes. Notwithstanding any other provision of this code to the contrary, that person may not be a candidate for public office until all unpaid tax obligations are met.
The Ethics Commission shall file a duplicate copy of the financial disclosure statement required in this section in the following offices within ten days of the receipt of the candidate’s statement of disclosure:
(1) Municipal candidates in municipalities which have opted, by ordinance, to be covered by the disclosure provisions of this section, in the office of the clerk of the municipality in which the candidate is seeking office;
(2) Legislative candidates in single county districts and candidates for a county office or county school board in the office of the clerk of the county commission of the county in which the candidate is seeking office;
(3) Legislative candidates from multi-county districts and congressional candidates in the office of the clerk of the county commission of the county of the candidate’s residence.
After a ninety-day period following any election, the clerks who receive the financial disclosure statements of candidates may destroy or dispose of those statements filed by candidates who were unsuccessful in the election.
(c) No candidate for public office may maintain his or her place on a ballot and no public official may take the oath of office or enter or continue upon his or her duties or receive compensation from public funds unless he or she has filed a financial disclosure statement with the state Ethics Commission as required by the provisions of this section.
(d) The Ethics Commission may, upon request of any person required to file a financial disclosure statement, and for good cause shown, extend the deadline for filing such statement for a reasonable period of time:
Provided,
That no extension of time shall be granted to a candidate who has not filed a financial disclosure statement for the preceding filing period.
(e) No person shall fail to file a statement required by this section.
(f) No person shall knowingly file a materially false statement that is required to be filed under this section.
(g) The Ethics Commission shall publish either on the Internet or by printed document made available to the public, a list of all persons who have violated any Ethics Commission’s financial disclosure statement filing deadline.
(h) The Ethics Commission shall, in addition to making all financial disclosure statements

available for inspection upon request
:
(1) Publish on the Internet all financial disclosure statements filed by members of the Legislature and candidates for legislative office, elected members of the executive department and candidates for the offices that constitute the executive department, and members of the Supreme Court of Appeals and candidates for the Supreme Court of Appeals, commencing with those reports filed on or after January 1, 2012; and
(2)

Publish on the Internet all financial disclosure statements filed by any other person required to file such financial disclosure statements, as the commission determines resources are available to permit the Ethics Commission to make such publication on the Internet. The commission shall redact financial disclosure statements published on the Internet to exclude from publication personal information such as signatures, home addresses and mobile and home telephone numbers.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to prohibit a person from running for public office if the required financial disclosure statement reveals delinquent unpaid taxes.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.

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