---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to licensure and certification of alcohol and drug counselors"
description: "Relating to licensure and certification of alcohol and drug counselors"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2026"
identifier: "SB 897"
citation: "West Virginia SB 897 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Health", "Human Services"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Helton"]
version_count: 7
action_count: 44
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2026-02-10"
last_action: "2026-06-25"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/76c510fa-763a-4ddc-9509-81580ba175b3"
source_url: "https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=897&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "d50eed45e3f3da8cc9fd83896df5a19ed5acd322f313befbcef54a4c1da720d4"
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 897 (2026) — Relating to licensure and certification of alcohol and drug counselors

## Version chain

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

1. **Enrolled Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb897%20enr.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=897)
2. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb897%20intr.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=897)
3. **sb897 h go am _1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2026/RS/com_amends/sb897%20h%20go%20am%20_1%20adopted.htm)
4. **sb897 hfa phillips 3-11 _1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2026/RS/floor_amends/sb897%20hfa%20phillips%203-11%20_1%20adopted.htm)
5. **sb897 hfa phillips 3-12 _2 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2026/RS/floor_amends/sb897%20hfa%20phillips%203-12%20_2%20adopted.htm)
6. **sb897 hfa pushkin 3-12 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2026/RS/floor_amends/sb897%20hfa%20pushkin%203-12%20adopted.htm)
7. **sb897 hfat phillips 3-12 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2026/RS/floor_amends/sb897%20hfat%20phillips%203-12%20adopted.htm)

## Votes

- Passage — **33–0** (pass) · upper
- PASSAGE — **95–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Helton — primary (person)
- Morris — cosponsor (person)
- Rose — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-02-10** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2026-02-10** To Health and Human Resources then Finance `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-10** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2026-02-10** To Health and Human Resources `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-24** Reported do pass, but first to Finance `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-24** To Finance `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-02** Reported do pass `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-02** Immediate consideration
- **2026-03-02** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2026-03-03** On 2nd reading
- **2026-03-03** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2026-03-04** On 3rd reading
- **2026-03-04** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2026-03-04** Passed Senate (Roll No. 345) `passage`
- **2026-03-04** Ordered to House
- **2026-03-05** House received Senate message
- **2026-03-05** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2026-03-05** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-05** To House Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-11** With amendment, do pass `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-11** Immediate consideration
- **2026-03-11** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2026-03-12** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-03-12** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2026-03-12** Amendment reported by the Clerk
- **2026-03-12** Amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2026-03-12** Amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2026-03-12** Amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2026-03-12** Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2026-03-13** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-03-13** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2026-03-13** Passed House (Roll No. 589) `passage`
- **2026-03-13** Title amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2026-03-13** Communicated to Senate
- **2026-03-14** House Message received
- **2026-03-14** Senate concurred in House amendments and passed bill (Roll No. 674)
- **2026-03-14** Communicated to House
- **2026-03-14** Completed legislative action
- **2026-03-19** To Governor 3/19/2026 `executive-receipt`
- **2026-03-14** To Governor 3/19/2026 - 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 252, 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/76c510fa-763a-4ddc-9509-81580ba175b3`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).