---
type: "Bill"
title: "Clarifying authority of Governor and Legislature to proclaim and declare state of emergency and preparedness"
description: "Clarifying authority of Governor and Legislature to proclaim and declare state of emergency and preparedness"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 128"
citation: "West Virginia SB 128 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Public Safety"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Smith"]
version_count: 11
action_count: 53
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2023-01-11"
last_action: "2023-05-01"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/6f3062bc-72da-4c22-a1c6-8175e16e605e"
source_url: "http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=128&year=2023&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "c06f62c6191d5e34cb551350a9dd5dd9a1f4a5b3ad48955c2e1eece8a1dc2f80"
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 128 (2023) — Clarifying authority of Governor and Legislature to proclaim and declare state of emergency and preparedness

## Version chain

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

1. **Enrolled Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb128%20enr.htm&yr=2023&sesstype=RS&i=128)
2. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb128%20intr.htm&yr=2023&sesstype=RS&i=128)
3. **sb128 h go am _1 1-18 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2023/RS/com_amends/sb128 h go am _1 1-18 adopted.htm)
4. **sb128 h go am _1 1-18 as amended adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2023/RS/com_amends/sb128 h go am _1 1-18 as amended adopted.htm)
5. **sb128 hfa capito 1-24 _1 revised adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2023/RS/floor_amends/sb128 hfa capito 1-24 _1 revised adopted.htm)
6. **sb128 hfa phillips 1-22 _1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2023/RS/floor_amends/sb128 hfa phillips 1-22 _1 adopted.htm)
7. **sb128 hfat phillips 1-24 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2023/RS/floor_amends/sb128 hfat phillips 1-24 adopted.htm)
8. **sb128 sfa takubo 1-26 _1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2023/RS/floor_amends/sb128 sfa takubo 1-26 _1 adopted.htm)
9. **sb128 sfa takubo 2-23 _1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2023/RS/floor_amends/sb128 sfa takubo 2-23 _1 adopted.htm)
10. **sb128 sfat takubo 2-1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2023/RS/floor_amends/sb128 sfat takubo 2-1 adopted.htm)
11. **sb128 sfat takubo 2-19 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2023/RS/floor_amends/sb128 sfat takubo 2-19 adopted.htm)

## Votes

- Passage — **34–0** (pass) · upper
- Passage — **33–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Smith — primary (person)
- Azinger — cosponsor (person)
- Boley — cosponsor (person)
- Deeds — cosponsor (person)
- Karnes — cosponsor (person)
- Roberts — cosponsor (person)
- Rucker — cosponsor (person)
- Tarr — cosponsor (person)
- Taylor — cosponsor (person)
- Woodrum — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-01-11** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2023-01-11** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2023-01-11** Immediate consideration
- **2023-01-11** Committee reference dispensed
- **2023-01-11** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2023-01-11** Constitutional Rule Suspended (Roll No. 5)
- **2023-01-11** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2023-01-11** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2023-01-11** Passed Senate (Roll No. 6) `passage`
- **2023-01-11** Effective from passage (Roll No. 6)
- **2023-01-11** Ordered to House
- **2023-01-16** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2023-01-16** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-16** To House Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-19** With amendment, do pass `committee-passage`
- **2023-01-20** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2023-01-20** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2023-01-23** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2023-01-23** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2023-01-23** Amendment pending
- **2023-01-24** On 3rd reading with right to amend, Special Calendar
- **2023-01-24** Amendment reported by the Clerk
- **2023-01-24** Amendment to committee amendment adopted (voice)
- **2023-01-24** Amendment to committee amendment rejected (Roll No. 23)
- **2023-01-24** Amendment to committee amendment rejected (Roll No. 24)
- **2023-01-24** Amendment to committee amendment rejected (Roll No. 25)
- **2023-01-24** Amendment to committee amendment adopted (voice)
- **2023-01-24** Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2023-01-24** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2023-01-24** Passed House (Roll No. 26) `passage`
- **2023-01-24** Title amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2023-01-24** Effective from passage (Roll No. 31)
- **2023-01-24** Communicated to Senate
- **2023-02-01** House Message received
- **2023-02-01** Senate amends House amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 110)
- **2023-02-01** Effective from passage (Roll No. 110)
- **2023-02-23** Senate reconsidered amendment and withdrew (Voice vote)
- **2023-02-23** Substitute amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2023-02-23** Passed Senate (Roll No. 243) `passage`
- **2023-02-23** Effective from passage (Roll No. 243)
- **2023-02-23** Senate requests House to concur
- **2023-02-23** House received Senate message
- **2023-02-23** House concurred in Senate amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 232)
- **2023-02-23** Effective from passage (Roll No. 233)
- **2023-02-23** Communicated to Senate
- **2023-02-23** Completed legislative action
- **2023-02-25** House Message received
- **2023-02-27** To Governor 2/27/2023 `executive-receipt`
- **2023-02-28** To Governor 2/27/2023 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-04** Became law 3/4/2023
- **2023-03-06** Became law without Governor's signature - Senate Journal
- **2023-03-06** Became law without Governor's signature- House Journal
- **2023-05-01** Chapter 276, Acts, Regular Session, 2023 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/6f3062bc-72da-4c22-a1c6-8175e16e605e`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).