---
type: "Bill"
title: "Authorizing Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board of Examiners to conduct criminal background checks for licensing"
description: "Authorizing Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board of Examiners to conduct criminal background checks for licensing"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "SB 443"
citation: "West Virginia SB 443 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Consumer Protection", "Professions and Occupations"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Tarr"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 36
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2025-02-13"
last_action: "2025-08-08"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/cf787df8-cb78-4c61-a348-1e0ac3743bb6"
source_url: "https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=443&year=2025&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "29d735cb7ca389d450168e2b247c5b2217529c119460827929bc3ed1d0049467"
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 443 (2025) — Authorizing Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board of Examiners to conduct criminal background checks for licensing

## Version chain

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

1. **Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb443%20sub1.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=443)
2. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb443%20sub1%20enr.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=443)
3. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb443%20intr.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=443)

## Votes

- Passage — **33–0** (pass) · upper
- PASSAGE — **95–1** (pass) · lower
- EFFECT FROM PASSAGE — **95–1** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Tarr — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-02-13** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2025-02-13** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-13** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2025-02-13** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-21** Committee substitute reported
- **2025-02-24** On 1st reading
- **2025-02-24** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2025-02-25** On 2nd reading
- **2025-02-25** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2025-02-26** On 3rd reading
- **2025-02-26** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-02-26** Passed Senate (Roll No. 37) `passage`
- **2025-02-26** Effective from passage (Roll No. 38)
- **2025-02-26** Ordered to House
- **2025-02-27** House received Senate message
- **2025-02-27** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2025-02-27** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-27** To House Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-03** Markup Discussion
- **2025-03-10** Do pass
- **2025-03-11** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-03-11** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2025-03-12** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-03-12** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2025-03-13** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-03-13** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-03-13** Passed House (Roll No. 77) `passage`
- **2025-03-13** Effective from passage (Roll No. 78)
- **2025-03-13** Completed legislative action
- **2025-03-14** House Message received
- **2025-03-18** To Governor 3/18/2025 `executive-receipt`
- **2025-03-19** To Governor 3/18/2025 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2025-03-26** To Governor 3/18/2025 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2025-03-24** Approved by Governor 3/25/2025 - House Journal `executive-signature`
- **2025-03-24** Approved by Governor 3/24/2025 `executive-signature`
- **2025-08-08** Chapter 125, Acts, Regular Session, 2025 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/cf787df8-cb78-4c61-a348-1e0ac3743bb6`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).