---
type: "Bill"
title: "Prohibiting certain misleading lawsuit advertising practices"
description: "Prohibiting certain misleading lawsuit advertising practices"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2020"
identifier: "SB 136"
citation: "West Virginia SB 136 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Actions", "Suits and Liens"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Swope"]
version_count: 7
action_count: 46
vote_count: 4
first_action: "2020-01-08"
last_action: "2020-04-14"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/f5ba2e44-4c7f-48e0-9118-4897e9e9496d"
source_url: "http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=136&year=2020&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "246f87d26a65a19aa56528f93409878996f470caa5f89e04b21e293a90261423"
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 136 (2020) — Prohibiting certain misleading lawsuit advertising practices

## 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=SB136%20SUB1.htm&yr=2020&sesstype=RS&i=136)
2. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=SB136%20SUB1%20enr.htm&yr=2020&sesstype=RS&i=136)
3. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=SB136%20INTR.htm&yr=2020&sesstype=RS&i=136)
4. **SB136 H JUD AM _1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2020/RS/com_amends/SB136 H JUD AM _1 adopted.htm)
5. **SB136 HFAT SHOTT 3-4 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2020/RS/floor_amends/SB136 HFAT SHOTT 3-4 adopted.htm)
6. **SB136 SFA _1 TRUMP 3-6 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2020/RS/floor_amends/SB136 SFA _1 TRUMP 3-6 adopted.htm)
7. **SB136 SFAT _1 TRUMP 2-7 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2020/RS/floor_amends/SB136 SFAT _1 TRUMP 2-7 adopted.htm)

## Votes

- PASSAGE — **57–41** (pass) · lower
- PASSAGE — **57–42** (pass) · lower
- HFA BYRD & FLUHARTY 3-3 — **48–51** (fail) · lower
- Passage — **33–1** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Swope — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2020-01-08** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2020-01-08** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-08** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2020-01-08** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-04** Committee substitute reported
- **2020-02-05** On 1st reading
- **2020-02-05** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-06** On 2nd reading
- **2020-02-06** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-07** On 3rd reading
- **2020-02-07** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-07** Passed Senate with amended title (Roll No. 81) `passage`
- **2020-02-07** Ordered to House
- **2020-02-10** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2020-02-10** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-10** To House Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-29** With amendment, do pass `committee-passage`
- **2020-03-02** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2020-03-02** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2020-03-03** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2020-03-03** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2020-03-03** Amendment to committee amendment rejected (Roll No. 469)
- **2020-03-03** Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2020-03-04** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2020-03-04** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2020-03-04** Passed House (Roll No. 492) `passage`
- **2020-03-04** Title amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2020-03-04** Communicated to Senate
- **2020-03-06** House Message received
- **2020-03-06** Senate concurred in House amendments and passed bill (Roll No. 474)
- **2020-03-06** Communicated to House
- **2020-03-06** Senate reconsidered action (voice vote)
- **2020-03-06** Senate amends House amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 533)
- **2020-03-06** Senate requests House to concur
- **2020-03-07** House received Senate message
- **2020-03-07** House concurred in Senate amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 708)
- **2020-03-07** Communicated to Senate
- **2020-03-07** Completed legislative action
- **2020-03-07** House Message received
- **2020-03-18** To Governor 3/18/20 `executive-receipt`
- **2020-03-07** To Governor 3/18/20 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2020-03-07** To Governor 3/18/20 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2020-03-25** Approved by Governor 3/25/20 `executive-signature`
- **2020-03-07** Approved by Governor 3/25/20 - Senate Journal
- **2020-03-07** Approved by Governor 3/25/20 - House Journal
- **2020-04-14** Chapter 311, Acts, Regular Session, 2020

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/f5ba2e44-4c7f-48e0-9118-4897e9e9496d`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).