---
type: "Bill"
title: "Clarifying preferential recall rights for employees sustaining compensable injury"
description: "Clarifying preferential recall rights for employees sustaining compensable injury"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 661"
citation: "West Virginia SB 661 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Unemployment Compensation"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Roberts"]
version_count: 8
action_count: 42
vote_count: 1
first_action: "2023-02-16"
last_action: "2023-05-01"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d8f18a5e-a75b-48e4-a1cd-412ee1771c8b"
source_url: "http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=661&year=2023&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "35c7f9889405a65fc5f9ba00643aaf663d5ad94fe0bb9d04966316d6ba8be16a"
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 SB 661 (2023) — Clarifying preferential recall rights for employees sustaining compensable injury

## 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=sb661%20sub1.htm&yr=2023&sesstype=RS&i=661)
2. **Engrossed Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb661%20sub1%20eng.htm&yr=2023&sesstype=RS&i=661)
3. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb661%20sub1%20enr.htm&yr=2023&sesstype=RS&i=661)
4. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb661%20intr.htm&yr=2023&sesstype=RS&i=661)
5. **sb661 hfa c. pritt 3-9 _1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2023/RS/floor_amends/sb661 hfa c. pritt 3-9 _1 adopted.htm)
6. **sb661 hfat phillips 3-9 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2023/RS/floor_amends/sb661 hfat phillips 3-9 adopted.htm)
7. **sb661 sfa roberts _1 2-22 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2023/RS/floor_amends/sb661 sfa roberts _1 2-22 adopted.htm)
8. **sb661 sfat roberts _1 2-22 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2023/RS/floor_amends/sb661 sfat roberts _1 2-22 adopted.htm)

## Votes

- Passage — **32–2** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Roberts — primary (person)
- Tarr — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-02-16** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2023-02-16** To Workforce
- **2023-02-16** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2023-02-16** To Workforce
- **2023-02-20** Committee substitute reported
- **2023-02-21** On 1st reading
- **2023-02-21** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2023-02-22** On 2nd reading
- **2023-02-22** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2023-02-22** Floor amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2023-02-23** On 3rd reading
- **2023-02-23** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2023-02-23** Passed Senate with amended title (Roll No. 255) `passage`
- **2023-02-23** Ordered to House
- **2023-02-24** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2023-02-24** To Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-24** To House Government Organization `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-07** With amendment, do pass `committee-passage`
- **2023-03-08** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2023-03-08** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2023-03-09** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2023-03-09** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2023-03-09** Committee amendment withdrawn (Voice)
- **2023-03-09** Amendment reported by the Clerk
- **2023-03-09** Amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2023-03-10** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2023-03-10** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2023-03-10** Passed House (Roll No. 695) `passage`
- **2023-03-10** Title amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2023-03-10** Communicated to Senate
- **2023-03-11** House Message received
- **2023-03-11** Senate concurred in House amendments and passed bill (Roll No. 596)
- **2023-03-11** Communicated to House
- **2023-03-11** Completed legislative action
- **2023-03-11** House received Senate message
- **2023-03-17** To Governor 3/17/2023 `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-11** To Governor 3/17/2023 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-11** To Governor 3/17/2023 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-29** Approved by Governor 3/29/2023 `executive-signature`
- **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`
- **2023-05-01** Chapter 330, 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/d8f18a5e-a75b-48e4-a1cd-412ee1771c8b`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).