---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to domestic relations"
description: "Relating to domestic relations"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2018"
identifier: "SB 51"
citation: "West Virginia SB 51 (2018)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Domestic Relations"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Gaunch"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 56
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2018-01-10"
last_action: "2018-04-23"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/16fe316f-1e71-4a05-989d-a804de4b53f7"
source_url: "http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=51&year=2018&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "86b1aa4925885fd23bc4c02aaa772dff672869131653fc77d79f241eb624a0de"
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 51 (2018) — Relating to domestic relations

## 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=SB51%20SUB1.htm&yr=2018&sesstype=RS&i=51)
2. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=SB51%20SUB1%20enr.htm&yr=2018&sesstype=RS&i=51)
3. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=SB51%20INTR.htm&yr=2018&sesstype=RS&i=51)

## Votes

- Passage — **33–0** (pass) · legislature
- PASSAGE — **84–13** (pass) · legislature
- PASSAGE — **81–16** (pass) · legislature

## Sponsors

- Gaunch — primary (person)
- Cline — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2018-01-10** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2018-01-10** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2018-01-10** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2018-01-10** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2018-01-24** Committee substitute reported
- **2018-01-25** On 1st reading
- **2018-01-25** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2018-01-26** On 2nd reading
- **2018-01-26** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2018-01-29** On 3rd reading
- **2018-01-29** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2018-01-29** Passed Senate (Roll No. 27) `passage`
- **2018-01-29** Ordered to House
- **2018-01-30** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2018-01-30** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2018-01-30** To House Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2018-03-03** With amendment, do pass `committee-passage`
- **2018-03-05** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2018-03-05** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2018-03-06** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2018-03-06** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2018-03-06** Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2018-03-06** Amendment rejected (Voice vote) `amendment-failure`
- **2018-03-07** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2018-03-07** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2018-03-07** Passed House (Roll No. 364) `passage`
- **2018-03-07** Title amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2018-03-07** Communicated to Senate
- **2018-03-08** House Message received
- **2018-03-08** Senate refused to concur; requested House recede(Voice vote)
- **2018-03-09** House received Senate message
- **2018-03-09** House refused to recede and requested conference(Voice vote)
- **2018-03-09** House appointed conferees: Foster, Harshbarger, Isner
- **2018-03-09** Communicated to Senate
- **2018-03-09** House Message received
- **2018-03-09** Senate agreed to conference and appoints conferees: Trump, Smith, Woelfel
- **2018-03-09** Communicated to House
- **2018-03-09** To conference
- **2018-03-09** House received Senate message
- **2018-03-09** Conference report filed - House
- **2018-03-09** Conference report filed - Senate
- **2018-03-10** Senate adopted conference report and passed bill (Roll No. 488)
- **2018-03-10** Senate requests House to concur
- **2018-03-10** House received Senate message
- **2018-03-10** Conference report received-House
- **2018-03-10** House adopted conference report and passed bill (Roll No. 533)
- **2018-03-10** Communicated to Senate
- **2018-03-10** Completed legislative action
- **2018-03-10** House Message received
- **2018-03-10** To Governor 3/21/18 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2018-03-21** To Governor 3/21/18 `executive-receipt`
- **2018-03-10** To Governor 3/21/18 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2018-03-22** Approved by Governor 3/22/18 `executive-signature`
- **2018-03-10** Approved by Governor 3/22/18 - Senate Journal
- **2018-03-10** Approved by Governor 3/22/18 - House Journal
- **2018-04-23** Chapter 65, Acts, Regular Session, 2018

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/16fe316f-1e71-4a05-989d-a804de4b53f7`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).