---
type: "Bill"
title: "Workforce Readiness and Opportunity Act"
description: "Workforce Readiness and Opportunity Act"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2026"
identifier: "SB 402"
citation: "West Virginia SB 402 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Economic Development"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Smith"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 41
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2026-01-15"
last_action: "2026-06-25"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/49ac2fb4-d8c7-4ccf-9933-23d69954a42a"
source_url: "https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=402&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "f06a1282eab464a176eb3bf9fcca96bf1a2fa9dd76539b1531c432e82a2acff5"
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 402 (2026) — Workforce Readiness and Opportunity Act

## 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=sb402%20sub1.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=402)
2. **Committee Substitute for the Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb402%20sub2.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=402)
3. **Enrolled Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb402%20sub2%20enr.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=402)
4. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb402%20intr.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=402)
5. **sb402 hfin am adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2026/RS/com_amends/sb402%20hfin%20am%20adopted.htm)
6. **sb402 hfin amt adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2026/RS/com_amends/sb402%20hfin%20amt%20adopted.htm)

## Votes

- PASSAGE — **95–0** (pass) · lower
- Passage — **34–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Smith — primary (person)
- Woelfel — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-01-15** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2026-01-15** To Workforce then Finance
- **2026-01-15** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2026-01-15** To Workforce
- **2026-01-28** Committee substitute reported, but first to Finance
- **2026-01-28** To Finance `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-20** Com. sub. for com. sub. reported
- **2026-02-21** On 1st reading
- **2026-02-21** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2026-02-23** On 2nd reading
- **2026-02-23** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2026-02-24** On 3rd reading
- **2026-02-24** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2026-02-24** Passed Senate (Roll No. 209) `passage`
- **2026-02-24** Ordered to House
- **2026-02-25** House received Senate message
- **2026-02-25** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2026-02-25** To Finance `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-25** To House Finance `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-09** With amendment, do pass `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-09** Immediate consideration
- **2026-03-09** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2026-03-10** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-03-10** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2026-03-10** Amendment reported by the Clerk
- **2026-03-10** Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2026-03-11** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-03-11** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2026-03-11** Passed House (Roll No. 389) `passage`
- **2026-03-11** Title amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2026-03-11** Communicated to Senate
- **2026-03-14** House Message received
- **2026-03-14** Senate concurred in House amendments and passed bill (Roll No. 656)
- **2026-03-14** Communicated to House
- **2026-03-14** Completed legislative action
- **2026-03-18** To Governor 3/18/2026 `executive-receipt`
- **2026-03-14** To Governor 3/18/2026 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2026-04-01** Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 `executive-signature`
- **2026-03-14** Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 - Senate Journal `executive-signature`
- **2026-03-14** Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 - House Journal `executive-signature`
- **2026-06-25** Chapter 293, Acts, Regular Session, 2026 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/49ac2fb4-d8c7-4ccf-9933-23d69954a42a`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).