---
type: "Bill"
title: "Creating Student Journalist Press Freedom Protection Act"
description: "Creating Student Journalist Press Freedom Protection Act"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 121"
citation: "West Virginia SB 121 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Education (Higher)", "Education (K12)", "Human Rights"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Azinger"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 43
vote_count: 1
first_action: "2023-01-11"
last_action: "2023-05-01"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/7bc03b65-a620-44f1-a075-f6c1b238906d"
source_url: "http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=121&year=2023&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "85b97c3510379d3d2d0d08c1b931231fc92f0da4e4935c1ec46250a6aca6a444"
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 121 (2023) — Creating Student Journalist Press Freedom Protection 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=sb121%20sub1.htm&yr=2023&sesstype=RS&i=121)
2. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb121%20sub1%20enr.htm&yr=2023&sesstype=RS&i=121)
3. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb121%20intr.htm&yr=2023&sesstype=RS&i=121)
4. **sb121 hfa fast 3-9 _1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2023/RS/floor_amends/sb121 hfa fast 3-9 _1 adopted.htm)

## Votes

- Passage — **32–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Azinger — primary (person)
- Maynard — cosponsor (person)
- Roberts — cosponsor (person)
- Tarr — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-01-11** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2023-01-11** To Education `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-11** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2023-01-11** To Education `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-20** Committee substitute reported
- **2023-01-23** On 1st reading
- **2023-01-23** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2023-01-24** On 2nd reading
- **2023-01-24** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2023-01-25** On 3rd reading
- **2023-01-25** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2023-01-25** Passed Senate (Roll No. 67) `passage`
- **2023-01-25** Ordered to House
- **2023-01-26** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2023-01-26** To Education then Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-26** To House Education `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-23** Do pass, but first to Judiciary
- **2023-02-23** To House Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-02** Do pass
- **2023-03-03** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2023-03-03** Placed on House Calendar
- **2023-03-08** On 1st reading, House Calendar
- **2023-03-08** From Housel Calendar, 1st reading, placed on Special Calendar
- **2023-03-08** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2023-03-09** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2023-03-09** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2023-03-09** Amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2023-03-10** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2023-03-10** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2023-03-10** Passed House (Roll No. 637) `passage`
- **2023-03-10** Communicated to Senate
- **2023-03-11** House Message received
- **2023-03-11** Senate concurred in House amendments and passed bill (Roll No. 576)
- **2023-03-11** Communicated to House
- **2023-03-11** Completed legislative action
- **2023-03-11** House received Senate message
- **2023-03-11** To Governor 3/16/2023 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-16** To Governor 3/16/2023 `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-11** To Governor 3/16/2023 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-23** Approved by Governor 3/23/2023 `executive-signature`
- **2023-03-11** Approved by Governor 3/23/2023 - Senate Journal `executive-signature`
- **2023-03-11** Approved by Governor 3/23/2023 - House Journal `executive-signature`
- **2023-05-01** Chapter 175, Acts, Regular Session, 2023 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/7bc03b65-a620-44f1-a075-f6c1b238906d`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).