---
type: "Bill"
title: "Providing more efficient application processes for private investigators, security guards, and firms"
description: "Providing more efficient application processes for private investigators, security guards, and firms"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2020"
identifier: "HB 4749"
citation: "West Virginia HB 4749 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Boards and Commissions", "Taxation"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Howell"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 41
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2020-02-07"
last_action: "2020-04-15"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d57eb8fd-c45d-46f4-a36e-51e92fab0db8"
source_url: "http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=4749&year=2020&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "be87dbb75ef4d907351198f792df6af78ac81bdb223ced9592ee5185a1dbd27c"
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 4749 (2020) — Providing more efficient application processes for private investigators, security guards, and firms

## 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=HB4749%20ENR.htm&yr=2020&sesstype=RS&i=4749)
2. **HB4749 S GOV AM _1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2020/RS/com_amends/HB4749 S GOV AM _1 adopted.htm)
3. **HB4749 S GOV AMT _1 3-3 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2020/RS/com_amends/HB4749 S GOV AMT _1 3-3 adopted.htm)
4. **HB4749 SFA _1 TARR 3-5 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2020/RS/floor_amends/HB4749 SFA _1 TARR 3-5 adopted.htm)
5. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=HB4749%20INTR.htm&yr=2020&sesstype=RS&i=4749)

## Votes

- PASSAGE-SENATE AMENDED HB — **99–0** (pass) · lower
- PASSAGE — **96–0** (pass) · lower
- Passage — **26–5** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Howell — primary (person)
- Martin, C. — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2020-02-07** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2020-02-07** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-07** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2020-02-07** To House Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-17** Do pass
- **2020-02-18** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2020-02-18** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-19** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2020-02-19** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-20** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2020-02-20** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-20** Passed House (Roll No. 260) `passage`
- **2020-02-20** Communicated to Senate
- **2020-02-21** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2020-02-21** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-21** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2020-03-04** Reported do pass, with amendment and title amendment `committee-passage`
- **2020-03-04** Immediate consideration
- **2020-03-04** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2020-03-05** On 2nd reading
- **2020-03-05** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2020-03-05** Committee Amendment Reported
- **2020-03-05** Amendments to committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2020-03-05** Committee amendment as amended adopted (Voice vote)
- **2020-03-06** On 3rd reading
- **2020-03-06** Laid over on 3rd reading 3/6/20
- **2020-03-07** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2020-03-07** Passed Senate with amended title (Roll No. 568) `passage`
- **2020-03-07** 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. 767)
- **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 - House Journal
- **2020-03-25** Approved by Governor 3/25/20 `executive-signature`
- **2020-03-07** Approved by Governor 3/25/20 - Senate Journal
- **2020-04-15** Chapter 252, 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/d57eb8fd-c45d-46f4-a36e-51e92fab0db8`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).