Removing county residency requirement for county superintendent of schools
SB 694 removes a requirement that county superintendents of schools must reside in their county or a neighboring county. Currently, West Virginia law (§18-4-1) mandates this residency for all county superintendents. The bill would amend this law to eliminate that specific residency restriction, allowing superintendents to live anywhere in the state. This change directly affects all current and future county superintendents of schools across West Virginia. The policy shift focuses solely on removing a geographic residency mandate without altering other appointment or qualification rules.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Jun 2026
Introduced Jan 30, 2026
Signed Jun 25, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Committee Substitute
→
Enrolled Committee Substitute
·
4 edits
·
Mar 17, 2026
MODERATE
The bill was finalized and enacted into law, changing its status from a committee substitute to an enrolled version. The primary substantive change removes the mandatory requirement for county superintendents to live in their county or a neighboring one, instead allowing local school boards to decide if residency is required through their employment contracts. The effective date was set to 90 days after passage, with the bill now bearing the signatures of the Governor and legislative officers.
Scope change
The bill's scope regarding superintendent residency was broadened by removing the default state mandate, shifting the decision power to individual county boards.
REQUIREMENT
Removed the mandatory requirement for county superintendents to reside in their county or a contiguous county.
Changed the residency rule to allow county boards to require local residence only if specified in the superintendent's employment contract.
TIMELINE
Added an effective date of 90 days from passage (June 7, 2026).
TECHNICAL
Added official enrollment signatures from the Clerk of the Senate, Clerk of the House, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, and the Governor.
Floor votes · Senate Feb 10, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 9, 2026
How they voted
27–6
Passed
Total votes 33
Feb 10, 2026
D
Democratic2
100% Yea
R
Republican31
80% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
34
Key actions
7
Committee
5
Mar 17, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 3/17/2026
upper
Mar 14, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 3/17/2026 - House Journal
lower
Mar 14, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 3/17/2026 - Senate Journal
upper
Mar 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House (Roll No. 367)
lower
Mar 4, 2026
Lower · Passed
Do pass
lower
Feb 12, 2026
Committee
To House Education
lower
Feb 12, 2026
Committee
To Education
lower
Feb 12, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Feb 10, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (Roll No. 61)
upper
Feb 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee substitute reported
upper
Jan 30, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
Jan 30, 2026
Committee
To Education
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
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