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Senate passes bill allowing courts to consider meaningful contact with step‑siblings (SB459)
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Summary
The West Virginia Senate passed Senate Bill 459 on third reading to add meaningful contact with step-siblings as a factor in custody decisions. The bill passed the Senate 31–0 with three members absent and will be communicated to the House.
The West Virginia Senate on Feb. 27, 2026, passed an engrossed committee substitute for Senate Bill 459, which adds "meaningful contact" with step-siblings to the list of factors courts may consider in custody determinations.
Junior Senator from the fifteenth summarized the measure on the floor, saying the bill "merely adds meaningful contact between ... step siblings to the best interest of a child that a court should consider when making custody determinations." He told colleagues that while current code accounts for contact between siblings and half-siblings, the proposed change allows judges to also consider strong relationships a child may have with step-siblings.
After the bill was read in full pursuant to a member's demand, the clerk administered a roll-call machine vote. The clerk reported: "On this question, 31 yays, 0 nays, 3 absent not voting." The presiding officer declared the bill passed and ordered the clerk to communicate the Senate's action to the House.
The bill amends provisions in Chapter 48 regarding custodial responsibility and the best interests of the child, clarifying that courts may consider established bonds with step-siblings in making custody decisions. No floor amendments were recorded during the session.
The measure now proceeds to the House for its consideration under the legislative process.
