---
type: "Bill"
title: "Creating Protect Our Right to Unite Act"
description: "Creating Protect Our Right to Unite Act"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2020"
identifier: "SB 16"
citation: "West Virginia SB 16 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Human Rights"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Azinger"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 33
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2020-01-08"
last_action: "2020-04-14"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d431fa64-d2f7-4541-8a0d-d7314c837fae"
source_url: "http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=16&year=2020&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "9041680a87303332945bcf1314fa17f4503a70684008d98ca66e34be7e3165c9"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-wv"]
---

# West Virginia SB 16 (2020) — Creating Protect Our Right to Unite Act

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=SB16%20SUB1.htm&yr=2020&sesstype=RS&i=16)
2. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=SB16%20SUB1%20enr.htm&yr=2020&sesstype=RS&i=16)
3. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=SB16%20INTR.htm&yr=2020&sesstype=RS&i=16)

## Votes

- Passage — **34–0** (pass) · upper
- PASSAGE — **75–22** (pass) · lower
- SUSPEND CONSTITUTIONAL RULE — **96–1** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Azinger — primary (person)
- Maynard — cosponsor (person)
- Rucker — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2020-01-08** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2020-01-08** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-08** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2020-01-08** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-15** Committee substitute reported
- **2020-01-16** On 1st reading
- **2020-01-16** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2020-01-17** On 2nd reading
- **2020-01-17** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2020-01-20** On 3rd reading
- **2020-01-20** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2020-01-20** Passed Senate (Roll No. 8) `passage`
- **2020-01-20** Ordered to House
- **2020-01-21** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2020-01-21** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-21** To House Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-10** Do pass
- **2020-02-11** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2020-02-11** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-12** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2020-02-12** Dispensed with Constitutional Rule (Roll No. 157)
- **2020-02-12** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-13** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2020-02-13** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-13** Passed House (Roll No. 166) `passage`
- **2020-02-13** Communicated to Senate
- **2020-02-13** Completed legislative action
- **2020-02-14** House Message received
- **2020-02-25** To Governor 2/25/20 `executive-receipt`
- **2020-02-26** To Governor 2/25/20 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2020-03-02** Approved by Governor 3/2/20 `executive-signature`
- **2020-03-03** Approved by Governor 3/2/20 - House Journal
- **2020-04-14** Chapter 339, Acts, Regular Session, 2020

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d431fa64-d2f7-4541-8a0d-d7314c837fae`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).