WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE

2024 REGULAR SESSION

Introduced

House Bill 5240

By Delegates Crouse, Petitto, Adkins, and Dean

[Introduced January 26, 2024; Referred to the Committee on Health and Human Resources then Finance]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new article, designated §1-8-1, relating to restricting speech by eliminating woke words and agendas from state government documents, websites, literature, and in person.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 8. ELIMINATING WOKE WORDS AND WOKE AGENDAS FROM GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATIONS.

§1-8-1. Woke words and agendas are prohibited from being used in government communications.

(a) All state offices, departments, boards, and commissions are prohibited from using exclusionary, sexist language in state government business, effective immediately.

(b) In official government documents, websites, literature and in person, the following exclusionary and sexist terms shall be replaced with accurate, female-affirming alternatives:

(1) Rather than "pregnant people" or "pregnant person," use "pregnant women" or "pregnant mom."

(2) Rather than "chestfeeding," use "breastfeeding."

(3) Rather than "body fed" or "person fed," use "breast fed."

(4) Rather than "human milk," use "breast milk."

(5) Rather than "birthing person," use "birth mom."

(6) Rather than "laboring person," use "birth mom."

(7) Rather than "menstruating person" or "menstruating people," use "woman" or "women."

(8) Rather than "birth-giver," use "woman."

(9) Rather than "womxn" or "womyn," use "woman."

(c) This bill shall take effect on June 1, 2024.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to eliminate woke words and agendas from state government documents, websites, literature, and in person.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.