HB 5537 West Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Repealing obsolete and outdated sections of the Education code.

HB 5537 repeals four outdated sections of West Virginia's Education Code: §18-2E-5 and §18-2E-12 (related to education performance audits and digital literacy projects), §18-2I-1 (professional development for educators), and §18-8-6 (High School Graduation Improvement Act). The bill directly affects the state's education code by removing obsolete provisions that no longer apply. This is a procedural update to streamline the code, with no new policies or funding changes. The bill passed the House on March 3, 2026, and is now in the Senate for review.

Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

Governor

Introduced Feb 16, 2026 Last action Mar 14, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 6 comparisons

What changed between versions

hb5537 sfa weld _1 3-13 adopted.htm → hb5537 sfat weld _1 3-13 adopted.htm · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill's title was updated to include 'SFAT', and the amendment text was replaced with a new motion by Senator Weld. The substantive policy content regarding child abuse reporting and home instruction restrictions was removed from the amendment text, though the new title indicates the bill still intends to address these issues.

Scope change

The amendment's specific scope changed from a detailed set of reporting requirements to a general motion to amend the bill title and repeal specific sections, removing the immediate text of the proposed changes.

REQUIREMENT

Detailed policy requirements for county boards to restrict home instruction during pending child abuse investigations were removed from the amendment text.

Specific timelines for notifying county superintendents and investigating abuse reports were removed from the amendment text.

TECHNICAL

The amendment header was changed from 'SFA Weld' to 'SFAT Weld', and the amendment text was replaced with a motion to substitute a new, more comprehensive bill title.

TITLE

The proposed title was expanded to explicitly list the sections to be repealed and the general subject matter of the bill.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 13, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 3, 2026

How they voted

23–7

Passed · 3 other

Total votes 33

Mar 13, 2026

D Democratic2

2 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican31

21 Yea 7 Nay 3

67% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Mar 14, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed House (Roll No. 717)

lower

Mar 14, 2026

Lower · Passed

Amendment adopted (Roll No. 716)

lower

Mar 14, 2026

Amended

Amendment rejected (Roll No. 715)

lower

Mar 14, 2026

Amended

Amendment rejected (Roll No. 714)

lower

Mar 14, 2026

Amended

Motion to table amendment rejected (Roll No. 712)

lower

Mar 14, 2026

Amended

Amendment rejected (Roll No. 711)

lower

Mar 14, 2026

Lower · Passed

Motion to limit debate to 5 minutes per amendment adopted (Roll No. 709)

lower

Mar 14, 2026

Amended

Motion to limit debate to 90 seconds per amendment rejected (Roll No. 708)

lower

Mar 14, 2026

Introduced

Amendment reported by the Clerk

lower

Mar 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Title amendment adopted

upper

Mar 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed Senate (Roll No. 575)

upper

Mar 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Committee amendment as amended adopted (Voice vote)

upper

Mar 13, 2026

Introduced

Com. amend. as amended ruled not germane

upper

Mar 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Amendment to committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)

upper

Mar 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Committee amendment reported

upper

Mar 11, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported do pass, with amendment

upper

Mar 4, 2026

Committee

To Education

upper

Mar 4, 2026

Introduced

Introduced in Senate

upper

Mar 3, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed House (Roll No. 270)

lower

Feb 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

By substitute, do pass

lower

Feb 16, 2026

Committee

To House Education

lower

Feb 16, 2026

Introduced

Introduced in House

lower

Feb 16, 2026

Committee

To Education

lower

1 primary · 10 co-sponsors