---
type: "Bill"
title: "To clarify that counties can hire fire fighters as paid staff and to modify the existing procedures to include a procedure of public hearing to commission a vote"
description: "To clarify that counties can hire fire fighters as paid staff and to modify the existing procedures to include a procedure of public hearing to commission a vote"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2021"
identifier: "HB 2953"
citation: "West Virginia HB 2953 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Municipalities"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Hardy"]
version_count: 7
action_count: 42
vote_count: 1
first_action: "2021-03-05"
last_action: "2021-05-20"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/ba3daa51-537a-41d3-bae6-07edf3c78357"
source_url: "http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=2953&year=2021&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "2e01331f001f55efb507495e21fe17acdabd2a0cce1d0af3160185363c2c5612"
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 2953 (2021) — To clarify that counties can hire fire fighters as paid staff and to modify the existing procedures to include a procedure of public hearing to commission a vote

## Version chain

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

1. **Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=HB2953%20SUB.htm&yr=2021&sesstype=RS&i=2953)
2. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=HB2953%20SUB%20ENR.htm&yr=2021&sesstype=RS&i=2953)
3. **HB2953 HFAT CAPITO 3-24 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2021/RS/floor_amends/HB2953 HFAT CAPITO 3-24 adopted.htm)
4. **HB2953 S GOV AMT _2 4-6 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2021/RS/com_amends/HB2953 S GOV AMT _2 4-6 adopted.htm)
5. **HB2953 SFA _3 STOLLINGS 4-9 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2021/RS/floor_amends/HB2953 SFA _3 STOLLINGS 4-9 adopted.htm)
6. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=HB2953%20INTR.htm&yr=2021&sesstype=RS&i=2953)
7. **Stollings Floor amendment #3 adopted (Roll No. 416)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/2021/RS/votes/senate/04-09-0416.pdf)

## Votes

- Passage — **0–0** (fail) · upper

## Sponsors

- Hardy — primary (person)
- Clark — cosponsor (person)
- Forsht — cosponsor (person)
- Graves — cosponsor (person)
- Hott — cosponsor (person)
- Jeffries, D. — cosponsor (person)
- Jennings — cosponsor (person)
- Linville — cosponsor (person)
- Storch — cosponsor (person)
- Tully — cosponsor (person)
- Westfall — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-03-05** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2021-03-05** To Fire Departments and Emergency Medical Services then Judiciary
- **2021-03-05** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2021-03-05** To House Fire Departments and Emergency Medical Services `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-11** With amendment, do pass, but first to Judiciary `committee-passage`
- **2021-03-11** To House Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-22** By substitute, do pass
- **2021-03-23** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2021-03-23** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2021-03-24** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2021-03-24** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2021-03-25** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2021-03-25** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2021-03-25** Passed House (Roll No. 277) `passage`
- **2021-03-25** Title amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2021-03-25** Communicated to Senate
- **2021-03-26** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2021-03-26** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-26** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2021-04-06** Reported do pass, with title amendment `committee-passage`
- **2021-04-07** On 1st reading
- **2021-04-07** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2021-04-08** On 2nd reading
- **2021-04-08** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2021-04-09** On 3rd reading with right to amend
- **2021-04-09** Stollings Floor amendment #1 rejected (Roll No. 415)
- **2021-04-09** Stollings Floor amendment #3 adopted (Roll No. 416)
- **2021-04-09** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2021-04-09** Passed Senate with amended title (Roll No. 417) `passage`
- **2021-04-09** Senate requests House to concur
- **2021-04-10** House received Senate message
- **2021-04-10** House concurred in Senate amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 595)
- **2021-04-10** Communicated to Senate
- **2021-04-10** Completed legislative action
- **2021-04-10** House Message received
- **2021-04-10** To Governor 4/22/21 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2021-04-22** To Governor 4/22/21 `executive-receipt`
- **2021-04-10** To Governor 4/22/21 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2021-04-10** Approved by Governor 4/26/21 - Senate Journal
- **2021-04-10** Approved by Governor 4/26/21 - House Journal
- **2021-04-26** Approved by Governor 4/26/21 `executive-signature`
- **2021-05-20** Chapter 77, 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/ba3daa51-537a-41d3-bae6-07edf3c78357`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).