---
type: "Bill"
title: "Modifying parole eligibility for crime of second degree murder and voluntary manslaughter"
description: "Modifying parole eligibility for crime of second degree murder and voluntary manslaughter"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2026"
identifier: "SB 137"
citation: "West Virginia SB 137 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Crime"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Deeds"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 40
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2026-01-14"
last_action: "2026-06-25"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/6e01a992-85bb-4e7f-840b-b6c68a95ce7c"
source_url: "https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=137&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "2b25ec95374fd7b7ea0d6ca34d73f4472b2b3ce24504b96e7806c078e9c83e28"
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 137 (2026) — Modifying parole eligibility for crime of second degree murder and voluntary manslaughter

## 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=sb137%20sub1.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=137)
2. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb137%20sub1%20enr.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=137)
3. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb137%20intr.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=137)
4. **sb137 h jud am _1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2026/RS/com_amends/sb137%20h%20jud%20am%20_1%20adopted.htm)
5. **sb137 hfat akers 3-6 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2026/RS/floor_amends/sb137%20hfat%20akers%203-6%20adopted.htm)

## Votes

- Passage — **30–2** (pass) · upper
- HFA FLANIGAN & MASTERS 3-5 #1 — **45–47** (fail) · lower
- PASSAGE — **95–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Deeds — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-01-14** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2026-01-14** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-14** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2026-01-14** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-20** Committee substitute reported
- **2026-01-21** On 1st reading
- **2026-01-21** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2026-01-22** On 2nd reading
- **2026-01-22** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2026-01-23** On 3rd reading
- **2026-01-23** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2026-01-23** Passed Senate (Roll No. 7) `passage`
- **2026-01-23** Ordered to House
- **2026-01-27** House received Senate message
- **2026-01-27** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2026-01-27** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-27** To House Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-02** Markup Discussion
- **2026-03-04** With amendment, do pass `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-05** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-03-05** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2026-03-06** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-03-06** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2026-03-06** Amendment reported by the Clerk
- **2026-03-06** Amendment rejected (Roll No. 360) `amendment-failure`
- **2026-03-06** Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2026-03-09** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-03-09** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2026-03-09** Passed House (Roll No. 361) `passage`
- **2026-03-09** Title amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2026-03-09** Communicated to Senate
- **2026-03-11** House Message received
- **2026-03-11** Senate concurred in House amendments and passed bill (Roll No. 420)
- **2026-03-11** Communicated to House
- **2026-03-11** Completed legislative action
- **2026-03-12** To Governor 3/12/2026 `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 98, 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/6e01a992-85bb-4e7f-840b-b6c68a95ce7c`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).