---
type: "Bill"
title: "Authorizing certain agencies of the Department of Environmental Protection to promulgate legislative rules"
description: "Authorizing certain agencies of the Department of Environmental Protection to promulgate legislative rules"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2023"
identifier: "HB 2640"
citation: "West Virginia HB 2640 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Legislature--Rule Making"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Foster"]
version_count: 7
action_count: 45
vote_count: 1
first_action: "2023-01-17"
last_action: "2023-05-01"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/74f8ca2a-9d3d-4be8-a4ec-bc2d6c6ff94c"
source_url: "http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=2640&year=2023&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "c5a310fcef374d83ffc460b5a4e1496ba4f5c967dbf49e5506e8dfea5bc1d5b1"
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 2640 (2023) — Authorizing certain agencies of the Department of Environmental Protection to promulgate legislative rules

## 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=hb2640%20sub.htm&yr=2023&sesstype=RS&i=2640)
2. **Engrossed Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb2640%20sub%20eng.htm&yr=2023&sesstype=RS&i=2640)
3. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb2640%20sub%20enr.htm&yr=2023&sesstype=RS&i=2640)
4. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb2640%20intr.htm&yr=2023&sesstype=RS&i=2640)
5. **hb2640 s jud am _1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2023/RS/com_amends/hb2640 s jud am _1 adopted.htm)
6. **hb2640 s jud amt adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2023/RS/com_amends/hb2640 s jud amt adopted.htm)
7. **hb2640 sub hfa howell riley am _1 2-16 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2023/RS/floor_amends/hb2640 sub hfa howell riley am _1 2-16 adopted.htm)

## Votes

- Passage — **33–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Foster — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-01-17** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2023-01-17** To Energy and Manufacturing then Judiciary
- **2023-01-17** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2023-01-17** To House Energy and Manufacturing `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-25** Do pass, but first to Judiciary
- **2023-01-25** To House Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-14** By substitute, do pass
- **2023-02-14** Immediate consideration
- **2023-02-14** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2023-02-15** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2023-02-15** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2023-02-16** On 3rd reading with right to amend, Special Calendar
- **2023-02-16** Amendment reported by the Clerk
- **2023-02-16** Amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2023-02-16** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2023-02-16** Passed House (Roll No. 169) `passage`
- **2023-02-16** Effective from passage (Roll No. 170)
- **2023-02-16** Communicated to Senate
- **2023-02-17** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2023-02-17** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-17** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-27** Reported do pass, with amendments and title amendment `committee-passage`
- **2023-02-28** On 1st reading
- **2023-02-28** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2023-03-01** On 2nd reading
- **2023-03-01** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2023-03-01** Committee amendments adopted (Voice vote)
- **2023-03-02** On 3rd reading
- **2023-03-02** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2023-03-02** Passed Senate with amended title (Roll No. 350) `passage`
- **2023-03-02** Effective from passage (Roll No. 350)
- **2023-03-02** Senate requests House to concur
- **2023-03-06** House received Senate message
- **2023-03-06** House concurred in Senate amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 496)
- **2023-03-06** Effective from passage (Roll No. 497)
- **2023-03-06** Communicated to Senate
- **2023-03-06** Completed legislative action
- **2023-03-07** House Message received
- **2023-03-11** To Governor 3/21/2023 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-21** To Governor 3/21/2023 `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-11** To Governor 3/21/2023 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-11** Approved by Governor 3/29/2023 - Senate Journal `executive-signature`
- **2023-03-11** Approved by Governor 3/29/2023 - House Journal `executive-signature`
- **2023-03-29** Approved by Governor 3/29/2023 `executive-signature`
- **2023-05-01** Chapter 204, Acts, Regular Session, 2023 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/74f8ca2a-9d3d-4be8-a4ec-bc2d6c6ff94c`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).