---
type: "Bill"
title: "Ensuring meaningful contact between child and step-siblings"
description: "Ensuring meaningful contact between child and step-siblings"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2026"
identifier: "SB 459"
citation: "West Virginia SB 459 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Actions", "Suits and Liens", "Domestic Relations"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Chapman"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 35
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2026-01-16"
last_action: "2026-06-25"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/277abb5f-96ad-433c-a5d1-78dc582c627c"
source_url: "https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=459&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "ddace4734c3ff703af26f0293ec0ec77b3fa7a2d108ab6772b447417339d2de7"
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 459 (2026) — Ensuring meaningful contact between child and step-siblings

## 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=sb459%20sub1.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=459)
2. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb459%20sub1%20enr.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=459)
3. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb459%20intr.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=459)

## Votes

- PASSAGE — **85–0** (pass) · lower
- Passage — **31–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Chapman — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-01-16** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2026-01-16** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-16** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2026-01-16** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-26** Committee substitute reported
- **2026-02-26** Immediate consideration
- **2026-02-26** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2026-02-27** On 2nd reading
- **2026-02-27** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2026-03-02** On 3rd reading
- **2026-03-02** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2026-03-02** Passed Senate (Roll No. 271) `passage`
- **2026-03-02** Ordered to House
- **2026-03-03** House received Senate message
- **2026-03-03** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2026-03-03** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-03** To House Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-06** Markup Discussion
- **2026-03-10** Do pass
- **2026-03-11** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-03-11** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2026-03-12** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-03-12** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2026-03-13** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-03-13** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2026-03-13** Passed House (Roll No. 528) `passage`
- **2026-03-13** Communicated to Senate
- **2026-03-13** Completed legislative action
- **2026-03-14** House Message received
- **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 62, 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/277abb5f-96ad-433c-a5d1-78dc582c627c`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).