Office of Entrepreneurship Created in Secretary of State
Summary
West Virginia enacted SB878 creating the Office of Entrepreneurship within the Secretary of State's office, with associated fund and rulemaking authority. The bill was signed by the Governor on March 25, 2026, and becomes effective July 1, 2026. The legislation passed with strong bipartisan support in both chambers.
What changed
West Virginia SB878 establishes a new Office of Entrepreneurship within the Office of Secretary of State, creating a dedicated fund for entrepreneurship support and granting rulemaking authority to the office. The bill was passed by the Senate 28-0 and the House 83-9, with the enrolled version signed by the Governor on March 25, 2026, effective July 1, 2026.
State agencies and businesses should prepare for the establishment of this new office and monitor for any rulemaking or administrative requirements that emerge. The Office of Entrepreneurship may develop programs affecting business formation, registration, and support services under the Secretary of State's purview. No specific compliance deadlines or penalties are established by this legislation.
What to do next
- Monitor for rulemaking from the new Office of Entrepreneurship once established
- Coordinate with Secretary of State office on any business-related administrative changes
- Review internal processes for potential interaction with new entrepreneurship support programs
Source document (simplified)
ChangeBridge / West Virginia / SB878 Signed by Governor SB878 Senate Bill Signed by Governor 2026-03-25
Creating Office of Entrepreneurship within Office of Secretary of State
The purpose of this bill is to create the office of entrepreneurship, provide for legislative oversight, authorize rulemaking authority, create an associated fund, and to provide an appropriation.
Bill Details
State West Virginia
Session 2026 Regular Session
Chamber Senate
Official Source www.wvlegislature.gov/BillStatus/Billshi...
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Sponsors
Bennett Queen (Sen - R) Trenton Barnhart (Sen - R) Jay Taylor (Sen - R)
Action History
2026-03-14 H Approved by Governor 3/25/2026 - House Journal 2026-03-14 S Approved by Governor 3/25/2026 - Senate Journal 2026-03-25 S Approved by Governor 3/25/2026 2026-03-14 S To Governor 3/18/2026 - Senate Journal 2026-03-18 S To Governor 3/18/2026 2026-03-13 S Completed legislative action 2026-03-13 S Communicated to House 2026-03-13 S Effective July 1, 2026 (Roll No. 604) 2026-03-13 S Senate concurred in House amendments and passed bill (Roll No. 603) 2026-03-13 S House Message received 2026-03-12 H Communicated to Senate 2026-03-12 H Effective July 1, 2026 (Roll No. 477) 2026-03-12 H Title amendment adopted (Voice vote) 2026-03-12 H Passed House (Roll No. 476) 2026-03-12 H Read 3rd time 2026-03-12 H On 3rd reading, Special Calendar 2026-03-11 H Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote) 2026-03-11 H Amendment reported by the Clerk 2026-03-11 H Read 2nd time 2026-03-11 H On 2nd reading, Special Calendar 2026-03-10 H Read 1st time 2026-03-10 H Immediate consideration 2026-03-10 H 2nd reference dispensed 2026-03-10 H With amendment, do pass, but first to Finance 2026-02-23 H To House Government Organization 2026-02-23 H To Government Organization then Finance 2026-02-23 H Introduced in House 2026-02-23 H House received Senate message 2026-02-21 S Ordered to House 2026-02-21 S Effective July 1, 2026 (Roll No. 186) 2026-02-21 S Passed Senate (Roll No. 185) 2026-02-21 S Read 3rd time 2026-02-21 S On 3rd reading 2026-02-20 S Read 2nd time 2026-02-20 S On 2nd reading 2026-02-19 S Read 1st time 2026-02-19 S On 1st reading 2026-02-18 S Com. sub. for com. sub. reported 2026-02-13 S Referred to Finance 2026-02-13 S Committee substitute reported, but first to Finance 2026-02-09 S To Economic Development 2026-02-09 S Introduced in Senate 2026-02-09 S To Economic Development 2026-02-09 S Filed for introduction
Votes
2026-02-21 Passed Senate (Roll No. 185) Yea: 28 Nay: 0 2026-02-21 Effective July 1, 2026 (Roll No. 186) Yea: 28 Nay: 0 2026-03-12 Passed House (Roll No. 476) Yea: 83 Nay: 9 2026-03-12 Effective July 1, 2026 (Roll No. 477) Yea: 86 Nay: 7 2026-03-13 Senate concurred in House amendments and passed bill (Roll No. 603) Yea: 30 Nay: 4 2026-03-13 Effective July 1, 2026 (Roll No. 604) Yea: 34 Nay: 0
Committee Referrals
2026-02-09 S Economic Development 2026-02-23 H Government Organization
Amendments
2026-03-06 sb878 h go am _1 2026-03-06 sb878 h go am _1 adopted Adopted 2026-03-12 sb878 hfat phillips 3-12 adopted Adopted
Bill Text Versions
0000-00-00 Introduced 0000-00-00 Comm Sub 0000-00-00 Comm Sub 0000-00-00 Enrolled
Subjects
Legislature--Rule Making Legislative data powered by LegiScan (CC BY 4.0)
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