West Virginia 2024 Regular Session Status: Enacted Bipartisan · 1 R · 1 D cosponsors

SB 837 — Reorganizing offices of Public Defender Corporations to conform to circuit reconfiguration

Last action — Chapter 78, Acts, Regular Session, 2024

Track this bill free

No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed Senate
  4. ✓
    Passed House of Delegates
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 16, 2024. Enacted.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 94% · high confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 4 sponsors

    1 primary, 3 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (1 R · 1 D) — cross-party backing.

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 3 recorded votes so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

131 added · 136 removed

Plain-language change summary

The latest version of Bill SB 837 modifies the way judges are elected in specific circuits of West Virginia. The changes clarify residency requirements for judges in the fifth circuit and establish a procedure to ensure that judges from different counties are elected, even if two candidates from the same county receive the most votes. These amendments are important because they aim to promote fair representation and prevent any single county from dominating the local judiciary.

→
Previous
Latest
WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION Introduced Senate Bill 837 B YSENATORS W ELD, RUMP, WOELFELAND PLYMALE [Introduced February 16, 2024;
WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION Enrolled Senate Bill 837 By Senators Weld, Trump, Woelfel, and Plymale [Passed March 9, 2024;
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary] Intr SB 837 A BILL to amend and reenact §51-2-1 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to authorizing Public Defender Corporations, until July 1, 2025, to reorganize its offices to conform the circuit reconfiguration enacted during the regular session of the Legislature, 2023.
in effect from passage] Enr SB 837 AN ACT to amend and reenact §51-2-1 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to authorizing Public Defender Corporations, until July 1, 2025, to reorganize its offices to conform the circuit reconfiguration enacted during the regular session of the Legislature, 2023.
Intr SB 837 (11) The counties of Greenbrier and Pocahontas shall constitute the eleventh circuit and shall have two judges;
(11) The counties of Greenbrier and Pocahontas shall constitute the eleventh circuit and Enr SB 837 shall have two judges;
(15) The county of Harrison shall constitute thefifteenth circuit and shall have threejudges;
(15) The county of Harrison shall constitute the fifteenth circuit and shall have three judges;
Intr SB 837 (26) The counties of Lewis and Upshur shall constitute the twenty-sixth circuit and shall have two judges;
(26) The counties of Lewis and Upshur shall constitute the twenty-sixth circuit and shall have two judges;
(27) The county of Wyoming shall constitute the twenty-seventh circuit and shall have one judge;
Enr SB 837 (27) The county of Wyoming shall constitute the twenty-seventh circuit and shall have one judge;
Provided, however, That if the highest vote recipients in both divisions are also both residents of the same county, then the candidate with the highest overall number of votes shall be declared the winner of the division in which he Intr SB 837 or she ran:
Provided, however, That if the highest vote recipients in both divisions are also both residents of the same county, then the candidate with the highest overall number of votes shall be declared the winner of the division in which he or she ran:
Provided, further, That the candidate who has the highest number of votes in the other division who is not a resident of the same county as the highest overall vote recipient shall be declared the winner of the division in which he or she ran;
Provided, further, That the candidate who has the highest number of votes in the other division who is not a resident of the same county as the highest overall vote recipient shall be declared the Enr SB 837 winner of the division in which he or she ran;
Intr SB 837 (10) The county of Wayne shall constitute the tenth circuit and shall have two judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(10) The county of Wayne shall constitute the tenth circuit and shall have two judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth Enr SB 837 year thereafter;
Intr SB 837 (16) The county of Nicholas shall constitute the sixteenth circuit and shall have two judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(16) The county of Nicholas shall constitute the sixteenth circuit and shall have two judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(17) The counties of Braxton, Clay, Gilmer, and Webster shall constitute the seventeenth circuit and shall have two judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter:
Enr SB 837 (17) The counties of Braxton, Clay, Gilmer, and Webster shall constitute the seventeenth circuit and shall have two judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter:
Intr SB 837 (21) The county of Monongalia shall constitute the twenty-first circuit and shall have three judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(21) The county of Monongalia shall constitute the twenty-first circuit and shall have three judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(22) The counties of Preston and Tucker shall constitute the twenty-second circuit and shall have two judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(22) The counties of Preston and Tucker shall constitute the twenty-second circuit and shall have two judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the Enr SB 837 year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
Intr SB 837 (29) The counties of Greenbrier and Pocahontas shall constitute the twenty-ninth circuit and shall have two judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(29) The counties of Greenbrier and Pocahontas shall constitute the twenty-ninth circuit and shall have two judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(c) The Raleigh County circuit court shall be a court of concurrent jurisdiction with the remaining single-judge circuit where the sitting judge in the single-judge circuit is unavailable by reason of sickness, vacation, or other reason.
(c) The Raleigh County circuit court shall be a court of concurrent jurisdiction with the Enr SB 837 remaining single-judge circuit where the sitting judge in the single-judge circuit is unavailable by reason of sickness, vacation, or other reason.
(d) Any judge in office onthe effective date of the reenactment ofthis section shall continue as a judge of the circuit as constituted under prior enactments of this section, unless sooner removed or retired as provided by law, until December 31, 2024.
(d) Any judge in office on the effective date of the reenactment of this section shall continue as a judge of the circuit as constituted under prior enactments of this section, unless sooner removed or retired as provided by law, until December 31, 2024.
Intr SB 837 (h) Notwithstanding any provisions of this code to the contrary, public defender corporations organized pursuant to the provisions of §29-21-1 et seq.
(h) Notwithstanding any provisions of this code to the contrary, public defender corporations organized pursuant to the provisions of §29-21-1 et seq.
⬇ Download PDF
View plain text versions (2)

Action History

  1. Chapter 78, Acts, Regular Session, 2024

  2. Approved by Governor 3/13/2024

  3. To Governor 3/12/2024

  4. Approved by Governor 3/13/24 - House Journal

  5. Approved by Governor 3/13/2024 - Senate Journal

  6. To Governor 3/12/2024 - House Journal

  7. To Governor 3/12/2024 - Senate Journal

  8. House Message received

  9. Completed legislative action

  10. Communicated to Senate

  11. Effective from passage (Roll No. 714)

  12. Passed House (Roll No. 713)

  13. Read 3rd time

  14. On 3rd reading, Special Calendar

  15. Read 2nd time

  16. On 2nd reading, Special Calendar

  17. On 1st reading, Special Calendar

  18. Read 1st time

  19. Immediate consideration

  20. Do pass

  21. To House Judiciary

  22. Introduced in House

  23. Ordered to House

  24. Effective from passage (Roll No. 302)

  25. Passed Senate (Roll No. 302)

  26. Read 3rd time

  27. On 3rd reading

  28. Read 2nd time

  29. On 2nd reading

  30. Read 1st time

  31. Immediate consideration

  32. Reported do pass

  33. To Judiciary

  34. Introduced in Senate

  35. To Judiciary

  36. Filed for introduction

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 3 co-sponsors · 148 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (3)

Not signed on (148)

148 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 148 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

EFFECT FROM PASSAGE

Passed 97 Yea · 0 Nay · 3 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 64002
Democrat 7001
Unaffiliated 26000
Total 97003
% of votes cast 97%0%0%3%
How each member voted (100)
Member Party Vote
Kirby — Yea
Ross — Yea
Forsht — Yea
Kump — Yea
Rowe — Yea
Foster — Yea
Linville — Yea
Longanacre — Yea
Smith — Yea
Griffith — Yea
Steele — Yea
Hamilton — Yea
Martin — Yea
Hardy — Yea
Summers — Yea
Tully — Yea
Nestor — Yea
Warner — Yea
Westfall — Yea
Devault — Yea
Phillips — Yea
Householder — Yea
Winzenreid — Yea
Espinosa — Yea
Jeffries — Yea
Fast — Yea
Evan Hansen Democrat Yea
Hollis Lewis Democrat Yea
Joey Garcia Democrat Not Voting
John Williams Democrat Yea
Kayla Young Democrat Yea
Mike Pushkin Democrat Yea
Sean Hornbuckle Democrat Yea
Shawn Fluharty Democrat Yea
Adam Burkhammer Republican Yea
Adam Vance Republican Not Voting
Andy Shamblin Republican Yea
Betsy Kelly Republican Yea
Bill Ridenour Republican Yea
Bob Fehrenbacher Republican Yea
Bryan Ward Republican Yea
Charles Sheedy Republican Yea
Christopher W. Toney Republican Yea
Chuck Horst Republican Yea
Clay Riley Republican Yea
D. Rolland Jennings Republican Yea
Dana Ferrell Republican Yea
Darren Thorne Republican Yea
Dave Foggin Republican Yea
David Green Republican Yea
Elias Coop-Gonzalez Republican Yea
Eric Brooks Republican Yea
Erica Moore Republican Yea
Evan Worrell Republican Yea
Gary G. Howell Republican Yea
Geno Chiarelli Republican Yea
George Miller Republican Yea
George Street Republican Yea
Henry Dillon Republican Yea
James Robert "JB" Akers II Republican Yea
Jarred Cannon Republican Yea
Jeff Campbell Republican Yea
Jeffrey Stephens Republican Yea
Jim Butler Republican Yea
Jimmy Willis Republican Yea
Joe Ellington Republican Yea
Joe Statler Republican Yea
John Paul Hott Republican Yea
Jonathan Pinson Republican Yea
Jordan Bridges Republican Not Voting
Jordan Maynor Republican Yea
Josh Holstein Republican Yea
Kathie Hess Crouse Republican Yea
Keith Marple Republican Yea
Laura Kimble Republican Yea
Lori Dittman Republican Yea
Margitta Mazzocchi Republican Yea
Mark Dean Republican Yea
Mark Zatezalo Republican Yea
Marty Gearheart Republican Yea
Matthew Rohrbach Republican Yea
Michael Hite Republican Yea
Michael Hornby Republican Yea
Mickey Petitto Republican Yea
Pat McGeehan Republican Yea
Patrick Lucas Republican Yea
Phil Mallow Republican Yea
Rick Hillenbrand Republican Yea
Roger Hanshaw Republican Yea
Roy Cooper Republican Yea
Scot C. Heckert Republican Yea
Stanley Adkins Republican Yea
Trenton Barnhart Republican Yea
Vacant1 Republican Yea
Vacant1 Republican Yea
Vernon Criss Republican Yea
Walter Hall Republican Yea
Wayne Clark Republican Yea
Wayne Clark Republican Yea
William Anderson Republican Yea

Official roll call →

PASSAGE

Passed 96 Yea · 0 Nay · 4 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 64002
Unaffiliated 26000
Democrat 6002
Total 96004
% of votes cast 96%0%0%4%
How each member voted (100)
Member Party Vote
Kirby — Yea
Ross — Yea
Forsht — Yea
Kump — Yea
Rowe — Yea
Foster — Yea
Linville — Yea
Longanacre — Yea
Smith — Yea
Griffith — Yea
Steele — Yea
Hamilton — Yea
Martin — Yea
Hardy — Yea
Summers — Yea
Tully — Yea
Nestor — Yea
Warner — Yea
Westfall — Yea
Devault — Yea
Phillips — Yea
Householder — Yea
Winzenreid — Yea
Espinosa — Yea
Jeffries — Yea
Fast — Yea
Evan Hansen Democrat Yea
Hollis Lewis Democrat Yea
Joey Garcia Democrat Not Voting
John Williams Democrat Yea
Kayla Young Democrat Yea
Mike Pushkin Democrat Yea
Sean Hornbuckle Democrat Yea
Shawn Fluharty Democrat Not Voting
Adam Burkhammer Republican Yea
Adam Vance Republican Not Voting
Andy Shamblin Republican Yea
Betsy Kelly Republican Yea
Bill Ridenour Republican Yea
Bob Fehrenbacher Republican Yea
Bryan Ward Republican Yea
Charles Sheedy Republican Yea
Christopher W. Toney Republican Yea
Chuck Horst Republican Yea
Clay Riley Republican Yea
D. Rolland Jennings Republican Yea
Dana Ferrell Republican Yea
Darren Thorne Republican Yea
Dave Foggin Republican Yea
David Green Republican Yea
Elias Coop-Gonzalez Republican Yea
Eric Brooks Republican Yea
Erica Moore Republican Yea
Evan Worrell Republican Yea
Gary G. Howell Republican Yea
Geno Chiarelli Republican Yea
George Miller Republican Yea
George Street Republican Yea
Henry Dillon Republican Yea
James Robert "JB" Akers II Republican Yea
Jarred Cannon Republican Yea
Jeff Campbell Republican Yea
Jeffrey Stephens Republican Yea
Jim Butler Republican Yea
Jimmy Willis Republican Yea
Joe Ellington Republican Yea
Joe Statler Republican Yea
John Paul Hott Republican Yea
Jonathan Pinson Republican Yea
Jordan Bridges Republican Not Voting
Jordan Maynor Republican Yea
Josh Holstein Republican Yea
Kathie Hess Crouse Republican Yea
Keith Marple Republican Yea
Laura Kimble Republican Yea
Lori Dittman Republican Yea
Margitta Mazzocchi Republican Yea
Mark Dean Republican Yea
Mark Zatezalo Republican Yea
Marty Gearheart Republican Yea
Matthew Rohrbach Republican Yea
Michael Hite Republican Yea
Michael Hornby Republican Yea
Mickey Petitto Republican Yea
Pat McGeehan Republican Yea
Patrick Lucas Republican Yea
Phil Mallow Republican Yea
Rick Hillenbrand Republican Yea
Roger Hanshaw Republican Yea
Roy Cooper Republican Yea
Scot C. Heckert Republican Yea
Stanley Adkins Republican Yea
Trenton Barnhart Republican Yea
Vacant1 Republican Yea
Vacant1 Republican Yea
Vernon Criss Republican Yea
Walter Hall Republican Yea
Wayne Clark Republican Yea
Wayne Clark Republican Yea
William Anderson Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Passage

Passed 33 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 16000
Unaffiliated 16001
Democrat 1000
Total 33001
% of votes cast 97%0%0%3%
How each member voted (34)
Member Party Vote
MARONEY — Not Voting
STOVER — Yea
MARTIN — Yea
STUART — Yea
BOLEY — Yea
SWOPE — Yea
CAPUTO — Yea
NELSON — Yea
PHILLIPS — Yea
PLYMALE — Yea
TRUMP — Yea
HAMILTON — Yea
HUNT — Yea
JEFFRIES — Yea
SMITH — Yea
MR PRESIDENT — Yea
KARNES — Yea
Mike Woelfel Democrat Yea
Amy Grady Republican Yea
Ben Queen Republican Yea
Charles H. Clements Republican Yea
Eric Tarr Republican Yea
Jack Woodrum Republican Yea
Jason Barrett Republican Yea
Jay Taylor Republican Yea
Laura Wakim Chapman Republican Yea
Mark R. Maynard Republican Yea
Mike Azinger Republican Yea
Mike Oliverio Republican Yea
Patricia Rucker Republican Yea
Rollan A. Roberts Republican Yea
Ryan Weld Republican Yea
Tom Takubo Republican Yea
Vince Deeds Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors SB 837?
SB 837 is sponsored by Plymale, Mike Woelfel (Democrat), Trump, and Ryan Weld (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 837?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 16, 2024. Enacted.
Where can I track SB 837?
Track SB 837 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on SB 837

Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.

Find my representatives → Run a campaign

Stay ahead of SB 837

Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.

Track this bill →