Relating to courthouse closures on certain days
SB 793 defines a "day of local significance" as a date when local events like fairs, festivals, parades, or celebrations make court business impractical in a county. It establishes that county courts may designate such days through the chief justice of the Supreme Court or local chief judge, allowing courthouses to close without disrupting court schedules. If a court proceeding is scheduled on a designated day of local significance, it automatically moves to the next non-holiday, non-emergency weekday. This bill clarifies courthouse closure rules for local events while maintaining consistent court operations on standard legal holidays.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Jun 2026
Introduced Feb 6, 2026
Signed Jun 25, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Introduced Version
→
Enrolled Version
·
4 edits
·
Apr 1, 2026
MODERATE
The bill was converted from an introduced draft to an enrolled final version, adding standard legislative certification signatures and effective dates while removing website navigation text. Substantively, the text of the law remains identical, but the final version clarifies the definition of a 'weather or other emergency day' to explicitly include days designated by a county's chief judge, and it adds a procedural requirement that proclamations for 'days of local significance' must be issued more than 90 days in advance.
Scope change
The scope of the bill's applicability remains unchanged as it still governs West Virginia county courthouses and legal holidays; however, the procedural requirements for designating non-standard closure days were tightened.
REQUIREMENT
Added a requirement that proclamations for 'days of local significance' must be issued more than 90 days prior to the event to allow for proper planning.
DEFINITION
Clarified that a 'weather or other emergency day' can be designated by the chief judge of the circuit court in the specific county where the court proceeding is taking place, not just by the state's chief justice.
TECHNICAL
Added standard enrolled version elements including certification signatures from Senate and House Clerks, passage dates, and the Governor's signature line.
Removed introductory draft text, committee referral notes, and website navigation links that were present in the introduced version.
Floor votes · Senate Feb 17, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 13, 2026
How they voted
32–0
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 33
Feb 17, 2026
D
Democratic2
100% Yea
R
Republican31
96% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
34
Key actions
7
Committee
5
Apr 1, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 4/1/2026
upper
Mar 14, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 - House Journal
lower
Mar 14, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 - Senate Journal
upper
Mar 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House (Roll No. 564)
lower
Mar 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Do pass
lower
Feb 18, 2026
Committee
To House Judiciary
lower
Feb 18, 2026
Committee
To Judiciary
lower
Feb 18, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (Roll No. 105)
upper
Feb 12, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported do pass
upper
Feb 6, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
Feb 6, 2026
Committee
To Judiciary
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
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