---
type: "Bill"
title: "Allowing use or nonuse of safety belt as admissible evidence in civil actions"
description: "Allowing use or nonuse of safety belt as admissible evidence in civil actions"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2021"
identifier: "SB 439"
citation: "West Virginia SB 439 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Actions", "Suits and Liens"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Swope"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 50
vote_count: 1
first_action: "2021-02-24"
last_action: "2021-05-24"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/9d5a1fce-e2b8-4f3e-ad4e-c0aaa08c0777"
source_url: "http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=439&year=2021&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "3195e0b0994fa6c6e3c151da8f92b2e33c8cf3e7bbb94f2b5ac757fc5a62fbcf"
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 439 (2021) — Allowing use or nonuse of safety belt as admissible evidence in civil actions

## Version chain

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

1. **Amendment adopted (Roll No. 399)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/2021/RS/votes/house/00399.pdf)
2. **Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=SB439%20SUB1.htm&yr=2021&sesstype=RS&i=439)
3. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=SB439%20SUB1%20ENR.htm&yr=2021&sesstype=RS&i=439)
4. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=SB439%20INTR.htm&yr=2021&sesstype=RS&i=439)
5. **SB439 HFA STEELE 4-1 _1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2021/RS/floor_amends/SB439 HFA STEELE 4-1 _1 adopted.htm)
6. **SB439 SFA _2 TRUMP 4-5 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2021/RS/floor_amends/SB439 SFA _2 TRUMP 4-5 adopted.htm)

## Votes

- Passage — **0–0** (fail) · upper

## Sponsors

- Swope — primary (person)
- Roberts — cosponsor (person)
- Rucker — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-02-24** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2021-02-24** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2021-02-24** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2021-02-24** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-03** Committee substitute reported
- **2021-03-04** On 1st reading
- **2021-03-04** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2021-03-05** On 2nd reading
- **2021-03-05** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2021-03-08** On 3rd reading
- **2021-03-08** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2021-03-08** Laid over on 3rd reading 3/8/21
- **2021-03-09** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2021-03-09** Passed Senate (Roll No. 103) `passage`
- **2021-03-09** Ordered to House
- **2021-03-10** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2021-03-10** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-10** To House Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-24** Do pass
- **2021-03-25** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2021-03-25** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2021-03-26** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2021-03-26** Placed on House Calendar
- **2021-03-31** On 2nd reading, House Calendar
- **2021-03-31** Placed on Special Calender
- **2021-03-31** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2021-03-31** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2021-03-31** Amendment pending
- **2021-04-01** On 3rd reading with right to amend, Special Calendar
- **2021-04-01** Amendment reported by the Clerk
- **2021-04-01** Amendment adopted (Roll No. 399)
- **2021-04-01** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2021-04-01** Passed House (Roll No. 400) `passage`
- **2021-04-01** Communicated to Senate
- **2021-04-06** House Message received
- **2021-04-06** Senate amends House amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 318)
- **2021-04-06** Senate requests House to concur
- **2021-04-07** House received Senate message
- **2021-04-07** House concurred in Senate amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 493)
- **2021-04-07** Motion to reconsider rejected (Roll No. 503)
- **2021-04-07** Communicated to Senate
- **2021-04-07** Completed legislative action
- **2021-04-08** House Message received
- **2021-04-13** To Governor 4/13/21 `executive-receipt`
- **2021-04-10** To Governor 4/13/21 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2021-04-10** To Governor 4/13/21 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2021-04-10** Approved by Governor 4/19/21 - House Journal
- **2021-04-19** Approved by Governor 4/19/21 `executive-signature`
- **2021-04-10** Approved by Governor 4/19/21 - Senate Journal
- **2021-05-24** Chapter 2, Acts, Regular Session, 2021

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/9d5a1fce-e2b8-4f3e-ad4e-c0aaa08c0777`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).