---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to when contentions can be revived based on forensic scientific evidence that was not available at time of conviction"
description: "Relating to when contentions can be revived based on forensic scientific evidence that was not available at time of conviction"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2021"
identifier: "HB 2888"
citation: "West Virginia HB 2888 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Actions", "Suits and Liens", "Crime"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Higginbotham"]
version_count: 2
action_count: 34
vote_count: 1
first_action: "2021-03-03"
last_action: "2021-05-20"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d4f5e846-50db-4bb0-9d92-051a29918495"
source_url: "http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=2888&year=2021&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "fea7e3ff63923de0ad7d4c2cc1e3b02fa10590e116892ed2fd1b0b5f6479fea0"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-wv"]
---

# West Virginia HB 2888 (2021) — Relating to when contentions can be revived based on forensic scientific evidence that was not available at time of conviction

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Enrolled Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=HB2888%20ENR.htm&yr=2021&sesstype=RS&i=2888)
2. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=HB2888%20INTR.htm&yr=2021&sesstype=RS&i=2888)

## Votes

- Passage — **0–0** (fail) · upper

## Sponsors

- Higginbotham — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2021-03-03** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2021-03-03** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-03** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2021-03-03** To House Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-11** Do pass
- **2021-03-12** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2021-03-12** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2021-03-15** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2021-03-15** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2021-03-16** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2021-03-16** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2021-03-16** Passed House (Roll No. 172) `passage`
- **2021-03-16** Communicated to Senate
- **2021-03-17** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2021-03-17** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-17** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-30** Reported do pass `committee-passage`
- **2021-03-31** On 1st reading
- **2021-03-31** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2021-04-01** On 2nd reading
- **2021-04-01** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2021-04-02** On 3rd reading
- **2021-04-02** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2021-04-02** Passed Senate (Roll No. 296) `passage`
- **2021-04-02** Communicated to House
- **2021-04-02** Completed legislative action
- **2021-04-05** House received Senate message
- **2021-04-10** To Governor 4/14/21 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2021-04-10** To Governor 4/14/21 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2021-04-14** To Governor 4/14/21 `executive-receipt`
- **2021-04-10** Approved by Governor 4/19/21 - House Journal
- **2021-04-19** Approved by Governor 4/19/21 `executive-signature`
- **2021-04-10** Approved by Governor 4/19/21 - Senate Journal
- **2021-05-20** Chapter 89, Acts, Regular Session, 2021

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d4f5e846-50db-4bb0-9d92-051a29918495`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).