SB 485 West Virginia Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Exempting West Virginia Secretary of State from competitive bidding process

SB 485 exempts the West Virginia Secretary of State from the state's competitive bidding requirements for contracts. This means the Secretary's office can now directly hire vendors for services without publicly soliciting bids, affecting how the office procures goods or services. The bill became law on April 30, 2025, after being approved by the governor and both chambers of the legislature.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
Senate Passage
Apr 2025
House of Delegates Passage
Apr 2025
Signed into Law
Aug 2025
Introduced Feb 14, 2025 Signed Aug 8, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

sb485 h go am _1 adopted.htm sb485 hfat phillips 4-9 adopted.htm · 1 edit
MINOR
The bill's title was updated to reflect its purpose more clearly, specifically highlighting exemptions for the Secretary of State from competitive bidding for election infrastructure purchases and requirements to disclose related documents. This change clarifies the legislative intent and scope of the bill without altering its substantive provisions.
Scope change
The scope remains focused on the Purchasing Division and election infrastructure, but the title now explicitly states the exemption from competitive bidding and the disclosure requirements for exempt purchases.
TECHNICAL

The bill title was changed from a generic committee amendment notation to a specific description identifying the bill as a substitute for SB 485, authored by Delegate Phillips, with a clear summary of its purpose regarding election infrastructure purchasing exemptions and disclosure requirements.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 10, 2025 · House of Delegates Apr 9, 2025

How they voted

311
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 33
Mar 10, 2025
D Democratic2
2 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican31
29 Yea 1 Nay 1
93% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
38
Key actions
9
Committee
6
Amendments
1
Apr 30, 2025
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 4/30/2025
upper
Apr 12, 2025
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 4/30/2025 - Senate Journal
upper
Apr 10, 2025
Upper · Passed
Senate concurred in House amendments and passed bill (Roll No. 457)
upper
Apr 9, 2025
Lower · Passed
Title amendment adopted (Voice vote)
lower
Apr 9, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed House (Roll No. 430)
lower
Apr 8, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)
lower
Apr 8, 2025
Introduced
Amendment reported by the Clerk
lower
Apr 4, 2025
Lower · Passed
With amendment, do pass
lower
Mar 11, 2025
Committee
To House Government Organization
lower
Mar 11, 2025
Committee
To Government Organization
lower
Mar 11, 2025
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Mar 10, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (Roll No. 84)
upper
Mar 5, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee substitute reported
upper
Feb 14, 2025
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
Feb 14, 2025
Committee
To Government Organization
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors