SB 450 West Virginia Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Establishing WV Guardian Program

SB 450 allows West Virginia county school boards to hire retired law enforcement officers - such as former state troopers, deputies, or federal officers - as "West Virginia guardians" to provide security on public school grounds. These guardians must meet specific requirements, including U.S. citizenship, a high school diploma, concealed carry certification, and training in law enforcement standards, and must apply for a sheriff-issued permit with a $50 fee. Guardians wear identifiable uniforms but are not law enforcement officers and cannot make arrests; their role focuses on protecting students and staff from threats on school property. Participation by county boards is voluntary and depends on available funding, with the program exempt from standard purchasing rules.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2025

Senate Passage

Mar 2025

House of Delegates Passage

Governor

Introduced Feb 13, 2025 Last action Mar 24, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Version → Committee Substitute · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended from an introduced version to a committee substitute version, primarily adding new requirements for permit fees, fund administration, and liability protections while clarifying definitions and eligibility criteria. The changes expand the program's operational framework by establishing a dedicated fund for permit costs and providing stronger liability shields for both county boards and guardians.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include explicit fund administration requirements, liability limitations, and additional eligibility criteria such as current tax obligations and county board-imposed requirements like polygraph exams.

FISCAL

Added requirement that $50 permit fees be deposited into a guardian program fund administered by the county sheriff, with interest compounding and surplus funds available for law enforcement purposes.

ENFORCEMENT

Added liability protections limiting county board civil/criminal liability to cases of gross negligence or willful misconduct, and capping monetary damages at $1,000,000 per person and $3,000,000 aggregate.

ELIGIBILITY

Added new eligibility requirements including current tax obligations to the state and optional county board requirements like pre-employment polygraph exams and liability insurance.

DEFINITION

Clarified that county board participation is voluntary, subject to county funds availability, and explicitly stated no employer-employee relationship is created.

TECHNICAL

Removed introductory formatting elements including page headers, navigation links, and legislative session metadata that were present in the introduced version.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 20, 2025

How they voted

33–0

Passed

Total votes 33

Mar 20, 2025

D Democratic2

2 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican31

31 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 24, 2025

Committee

To Education then Finance

lower

Mar 21, 2025

Committee

To House Education

lower

Mar 21, 2025

Introduced

Introduced in House

lower

Mar 20, 2025

Upper · Passed

Passed Senate (Roll No. 138)

upper

Mar 14, 2025

Upper · Passed

Reported do pass

upper

Feb 26, 2025

Committee

To Finance

upper

Feb 26, 2025

Upper · Passed

Committee substitute reported, but first to Finance

upper

Feb 13, 2025

Committee

To Education

upper

Feb 13, 2025

Introduced

Introduced in Senate

upper

Feb 13, 2025

Committee

To Education then Finance

upper

1 primary · 3 co-sponsors