---
type: "Bill"
title: "Removing authority of municipalities to require occupational licensure if licensure for the occupation is required by the state"
description: "Removing authority of municipalities to require occupational licensure if licensure for the occupation is required by the state"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2020"
identifier: "HB 4020"
citation: "West Virginia HB 4020 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Boards and Commissions", "Municipalities"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Foster"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 41
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2020-01-13"
last_action: "2020-04-15"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/bf4b0341-7d38-40f4-9ac0-d0f51f1bbbdc"
source_url: "http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=4020&year=2020&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "f3ace5b48e5de8baca9c9885f52bea7b71ec2e7a4c9283164921f422eced2629"
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 4020 (2020) — Removing authority of municipalities to require occupational licensure if licensure for the occupation is required by the state

## 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=HB4020%20SUB.htm&yr=2020&sesstype=RS&i=4020)
2. **Engrossed Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=HB4020%20SUB%20ENG.htm&yr=2020&sesstype=RS&i=4020)
3. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=HB4020%20SUB%20ENR.htm&yr=2020&sesstype=RS&i=4020)
4. **HB4020 HFA HOWELL 1-20 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2020/RS/floor_amends/HB4020 HFA HOWELL 1-20 adopted.htm)
5. **HB4020 S JUD AM _1 3-2 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2020/RS/com_amends/HB4020 S JUD AM _1 3-2 adopted.htm)
6. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=HB4020%20INTR.htm&yr=2020&sesstype=RS&i=4020)

## Votes

- PASSAGE-SENATE AMENDED HB — **59–40** (pass) · lower
- Passage — **19–14** (pass) · upper
- PASSAGE — **61–38** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Foster — primary (person)
- Atkinson — cosponsor (person)
- Bibby — cosponsor (person)
- Butler — cosponsor (person)
- Espinosa — cosponsor (person)
- Jennings — cosponsor (person)
- Mandt — cosponsor (person)
- Phillips — cosponsor (person)
- Porterfield — cosponsor (person)
- Steele — cosponsor (person)
- Waxman — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2020-01-13** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2020-01-13** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-13** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2020-01-13** To House Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-16** By substitute, do pass
- **2020-01-17** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2020-01-17** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2020-01-20** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2020-01-20** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2020-01-20** Amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2020-01-21** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2020-01-21** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2020-01-21** Passed House (Roll No. 18) `passage`
- **2020-01-21** Communicated to Senate
- **2020-01-22** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2020-01-22** To Government Organization then Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-22** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-24** Reported do pass, but first to Judiciary `committee-passage`
- **2020-01-24** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2020-03-03** Reported do pass, with amendments `committee-passage`
- **2020-03-03** Immediate consideration
- **2020-03-03** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2020-03-04** On 2nd reading
- **2020-03-04** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2020-03-04** Committee amendments adopted (Voice vote)
- **2020-03-05** On 3rd reading
- **2020-03-05** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2020-03-05** Passed Senate (Roll No. 450) `passage`
- **2020-03-05** Senate requests House to concur
- **2020-03-07** House received Senate message
- **2020-03-07** House concurred in Senate amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 703)
- **2020-03-07** Communicated to Senate
- **2020-03-07** Completed legislative action
- **2020-03-07** House Message received
- **2020-03-07** To Governor 3/19/20 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2020-03-07** To Governor 3/19/20 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2020-03-19** To Governor 3/19/20 `executive-receipt`
- **2020-03-07** Approved by Governor 3/25/20 - Senate Journal
- **2020-03-07** Approved by Governor 3/25/20 - House Journal
- **2020-03-25** Approved by Governor 3/25/20 `executive-signature`
- **2020-04-15** Chapter 244, Acts, Regular Session, 2020

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/bf4b0341-7d38-40f4-9ac0-d0f51f1bbbdc`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).