---
type: "Bill"
title: "Defining \"men\" and \"women\""
description: "Defining \"men\" and \"women\""
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "SB 456"
citation: "West Virginia SB 456 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Governor -- Bills Requested By"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Smith"]
version_count: 9
action_count: 45
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2025-02-13"
last_action: "2025-08-08"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/5e2169dc-61c2-467d-bc87-26f8c8659a91"
source_url: "https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=456&year=2025&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "91fff6d6129a7fae8811816f13193881cad48a53d0abea3f803e8e524cd2f461"
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 456 (2025) — Defining "men" and "women"

## 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=sb456%20sub1.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=456)
2. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb456%20sub1%20enr.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=456)
3. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb456%20intr.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=456)
4. **sb456 hfa akers 3-6 _1 adopted adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2025/RS/floor_amends/sb456%20hfa%20akers%203-6%20_1%20adopted%20adopted.htm)
5. **sb456 hfa akers 3-6 _1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2025/RS/floor_amends/sb456%20hfa%20akers%203-6%20_1%20adopted.htm)
6. **sb456 hfa akers 3-6 _1adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2025/RS/floor_amends/sb456%20hfa%20akers%203-6%20_1adopted.htm)
7. **sb456 hfat akers 3-6 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2025/RS/floor_amends/sb456%20hfat%20akers%203-6%20adopted.htm)
8. **sb456 sfa martin 3-11 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2025/RS/floor_amends/sb456%20sfa%20martin%203-11%20adopted.htm)
9. **sb456 sfat martin 3-11 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2025/RS/floor_amends/sb456%20sfat%20martin%203-11%20adopted.htm)

## Votes

- PASSAGE — **87–9** (pass) · lower
- PASSAGE — **90–8** (pass) · lower
- Passage — **32–1** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

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

## Timeline

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

- **2025-02-13** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2025-02-13** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-13** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2025-02-13** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-26** Committee substitute reported
- **2025-02-27** On 1st reading
- **2025-02-27** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2025-02-28** On 2nd reading
- **2025-02-28** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2025-03-03** On 3rd reading
- **2025-03-03** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-03-03** Passed Senate (Roll No. 52) `passage`
- **2025-03-03** Ordered to House
- **2025-03-04** House received Senate message
- **2025-03-04** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2025-03-04** Reference dispensed
- **2025-03-04** Immediate consideration
- **2025-03-05** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-03-04** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2025-03-05** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-03-05** Postponed on 2nd reading, Special Calendar, until 3/6/2025
- **2025-03-06** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-03-06** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2025-03-06** Amendment reported by the Clerk
- **2025-03-06** Amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2025-03-06** Amendment reported by the Clerk
- **2025-03-06** Amendment rejected (Voice vote) `amendment-failure`
- **2025-03-07** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-03-10** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-03-07** Passed House (Roll No. 37) `passage`
- **2025-03-07** Title amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2025-03-07** Communicated to Senate
- **2025-03-11** House Message received
- **2025-03-11** Senate amends House amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 89)
- **2025-03-11** Senate requests House to concur
- **2025-03-11** House received Senate message
- **2025-03-11** House concurred in Senate amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 49)
- **2025-03-11** Completed legislative action
- **2025-03-12** House Message received
- **2025-03-12** To Governor 3/12/2025 `executive-receipt`
- **2025-03-12** Approved by Governor 3/12/2025 `executive-signature`
- **2025-03-13** Approved by Governor 3/12/2025 - Senate Journal `executive-signature`
- **2025-03-18** To Governor 3/18/2025 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2025-03-18** Approved by Governor 3/18/2025 - House Journal `executive-signature`
- **2025-08-08** Chapter 202, Acts, Regular Session, 2025 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/5e2169dc-61c2-467d-bc87-26f8c8659a91`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).