SB 400 West Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Updating personal income tax definitions and provision of law relating to gaming and gambling losses

This bill updates West Virginia's personal income tax definitions to align with recent federal tax changes. It specifically preserves the ability for taxpayers to deduct gaming and gambling losses on their state returns for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, ensuring this deduction remains available even if federal rules change. The bill adjusts how "federal adjusted gross income" is defined for state tax purposes and sets retroactive effective dates for 2025 tax years. It directly affects West Virginia taxpayers who itemize deductions and claim gambling losses.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Jan 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2026
Signed into Law
Jun 2026
Introduced Jan 15, 2026 Signed Jun 25, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Committee Substitute Enrolled Committee Substitute · 3 edits · Mar 2, 2026
MINOR
The bill was finalized into its Enrolled Version, removing internal committee tracking notes and adding official certification signatures. The primary substantive change updates the effective date for federal tax law changes from 2025 to 2026, ensuring the state tax code aligns with the most recent federal amendments while preserving prior laws.
Scope change
The bill's applicability to future tax years was extended by one year, shifting the cutoff for federal law updates from January 1, 2025, to January 1, 2026.
TIMELINE

The effective date for applying new federal tax laws was updated from 2025 to 2026, delaying the state's adoption of future federal changes.

TECHNICAL

Official enrollment certification lines and signature blocks for the Clerk of the Senate, Clerk of the House, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, and Governor were added to finalize the bill.

Internal committee metadata, draft links, and placeholder text were removed to reflect the final legal text.

Floor votes · Senate Jan 29, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 23, 2026

How they voted

321
Passed
Total votes 33
Jan 29, 2026
D Democratic2
2 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican31
30 Yea 1 Nay
96% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
34
Key actions
6
Committee
5
Mar 2, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 3/2/2026
upper
Mar 2, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 3/2/2026 - House Journal
lower
Feb 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House (Roll No. 156)
lower
Feb 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
Do pass
lower
Jan 30, 2026
Committee
To House Finance
lower
Jan 30, 2026
Committee
To Finance
lower
Jan 30, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Jan 29, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (Roll No. 21)
upper
Jan 23, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee substitute reported
upper
Jan 15, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
Jan 15, 2026
Committee
To Finance
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors