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Senate passes bill restricting pubertal modulation for minors and expands enforcement options
Summary
The West Virginia Senate approved Senate Bill 299 on third reading, expanding who may be subject to restrictions on pubertal modulation and adding civil and licensing enforcement tools. The measure passed 32–2 and includes an Aug. 1, 2025 effective date for amendments and a telehealth prescribing prohibition for minors.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Senate on March 5 passed Senate Bill 299, a bill that modifies state rules on pubertal modulation, hormonal therapy and gender reassignment for minors and expands enforcement mechanisms, by a 32–2 vote.
Supporters said the bill tightens rules and protects children; opponents said it removes medical decisions from families and clinicians. The chamber approved the measure after floor debate that ranged from medical evidence to international policy developments.
The bill’s written provisions, as described on the floor, include: license revocation for providers who violate the act; permission for civil actions by aggrieved parties; exemption from the certificate-of-merit requirements in the state Medical Professional Liability Act for suits brought under the bill; authorization for the attorney general to bring enforcement actions; and an expansion of the covered prescribers to include physician assistants and advanced registered nurse practitioners. The bill also requires any proposed telehealth rule to include a prohibition on prescribing or dispensing gender-altering medication to a person under 18. Amendments to the bill are effective Aug. 1, 2025, according to floor remarks.
“This is a public health issue, and I urge passage,” said Senator from Ohio, arguing the state has the police-power authority to act. That's the senator’s floor description of the bill’s public-health rationale.
Opponents cautioned that medical decisions should be individualized and raised concerns about the quality of the testimony considered during prior committee work. “I will be a no,” said Senator from Marion, citing continuing concerns about the bill’s effects on vulnerable young people and the adequacy of the available medical evidence as discussed in committee hearings.
Floor supporters cited international reports and policy changes in other countries during debate. The sponsor cited a March 2023 report by Norway’s healthcare investigation body and said some European jurisdictions have limited or paused certain treatments for minors; the sponsor framed the bill as a protective measure given uncertainty about long-term outcomes for children who start these treatments at younger ages.
The clerk recorded the vote as 32 yays, 2 nays, 0 absent. Following passage, the Senate considered and adopted a title amendment, and the clerk communicated the Senate’s action to the House.
Provisions on enforcement and private civil actions were highlighted repeatedly during floor debate; advocates and critics spoke about suicide risk, long-term medical effects, and the proper balance among clinicians, families and the state in deciding care for minors.
The bill text and committee reports referenced medical professional-liability procedure and telehealth rulemaking but did not cite a specific statutory cross-reference on the floor beyond those descriptions. The attorney general was explicitly named as having authority to bring enforcement actions under the bill’s terms.
The bill now proceeds to the House for consideration.
