West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed SB474, ending DEI programs statewide and shielding school staff who refuse transgender students' pronouns

On April 30, 2025, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey signed Senate Bill 474 into law, eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, trainings, activities, offices, and officers from the state's executive branch, primary and secondary schools, and institutions of higher education. The act also requires public colleges and universities to reallocate any unexpended funds that would have supported DEI initiatives.

SB474 further adds a section addressing gender pronouns that defines sex by an individual's reproductive biology at birth and provides that county board and public charter school employees may not be required to use a student's preferred pronoun when it is inconsistent with the student's sex. The provision immunizes employees who decline from civil liability, bars any adverse employment action against them for refusing, and forbids school boards from adopting a policy contrary to the section.

The West Virginia Senate passed the bill 32-2, with the chamber's two Democratic members casting the only no votes. The measure was a legislative priority for Morrisey, mirroring an executive order he had issued earlier in the year, and he held a separate ceremonial signing the following week in Hinton. The law was set to take effect roughly 90 days after passage.