---
type: "Bill"
title: "Make utility workers essential employees during a state of emergency"
description: "Make utility workers essential employees during a state of emergency"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2021"
identifier: "HB 3089"
citation: "West Virginia HB 3089 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Public Safety"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Ward, G."]
version_count: 6
action_count: 43
vote_count: 1
first_action: "2021-03-12"
last_action: "2021-05-20"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/0c5edc5f-57c3-4855-8598-cbe14ecf02c3"
source_url: "http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=3089&year=2021&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "0d57ba39d8f7fb4401cd1cd66e52b2422671a2f13bff1f4c74f1e431acfe89a4"
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 3089 (2021) — Make utility workers essential employees during a state of emergency

## 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=HB3089%20ENR.htm&yr=2021&sesstype=RS&i=3089)
2. **HB3089 S JUD AM _1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2021/RS/com_amends/HB3089 S JUD AM _1 adopted.htm)
3. **HB3089 S JUD AMT _1 4-7 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2021/RS/com_amends/HB3089 S JUD AMT _1 4-7 adopted.htm)
4. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=HB3089%20INTR.htm&yr=2021&sesstype=RS&i=3089)
5. **Motion for previous question adopted (Roll No. 668)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/2021/RS/votes/house/00668.pdf)
6. **Motion for previous question adopted (Roll No. 669)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/2021/RS/votes/house/00669.pdf)

## Votes

- Passage — **0–0** (fail) · upper

## Sponsors

- Ward, G. — primary (person)
- Anderson — cosponsor (person)
- Ferrell — cosponsor (person)
- Haynes — cosponsor (person)
- Holstein — cosponsor (person)
- Kelly, J. — cosponsor (person)
- Kimble — cosponsor (person)
- Pack, L. — cosponsor (person)
- Paynter — cosponsor (person)
- Queen — cosponsor (person)
- Riley — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-03-12** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2021-03-12** To Workforce Development then Judiciary
- **2021-03-12** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2021-03-12** To House Workforce Development `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-19** Do pass, but first to Judiciary
- **2021-03-19** To House Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-26** Do pass
- **2021-03-29** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2021-03-29** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2021-03-30** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2021-03-30** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2021-03-31** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2021-03-31** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2021-03-31** Passed House (Roll No. 364) `passage`
- **2021-03-31** Communicated to Senate
- **2021-04-01** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2021-04-01** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2021-04-01** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2021-04-08** Reported do pass, with amendment and title amendment `committee-passage`
- **2021-04-08** Immediate consideration
- **2021-04-08** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2021-04-09** On 2nd reading
- **2021-04-09** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2021-04-10** On 3rd reading with right to amend
- **2021-04-10** Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2021-04-10** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2021-04-10** Passed Senate with amended title (Roll No. 471) `passage`
- **2021-04-10** Senate requests House to concur
- **2021-04-10** House received Senate message
- **2021-04-10** Motion for previous question adopted (Roll No. 668)
- **2021-04-10** House concurred in Senate amendment (Voice vote)
- **2021-04-10** Motion for previous question adopted (Roll No. 669)
- **2021-04-10** Passed House (Roll No. 670) `passage`
- **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 233, 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/0c5edc5f-57c3-4855-8598-cbe14ecf02c3`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).