---
type: "Bill"
title: "Permitting the cremation of unidentified remains."
description: "Permitting the cremation of unidentified remains."
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2024"
identifier: "HB 4431"
citation: "West Virginia HB 4431 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Health"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Summers"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 42
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2024-01-10"
last_action: "2024-04-22"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/8905d308-0d0b-4ca7-939a-1fc5e2bdec38"
source_url: "https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=4431&year=2024&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "81ce3eafdcb630d0f9adde9478709d579441e1caebf9d0889b418ba3e6ad5612"
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 4431 (2024) — Permitting the cremation of unidentified remains.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4431%20sub.htm&yr=2024&sesstype=RS&i=4431)
2. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4431%20sub%20enr.htm&yr=2024&sesstype=RS&i=4431)
3. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4431%20intr.htm&yr=2024&sesstype=RS&i=4431)
4. **hb4431 s h_hr am _1 2-25 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2024/RS/com_amends/hb4431%20s%20h_hr%20am%20_1%202-25%20adopted.htm)
5. **hb4431 s h_hr amt _1 2-25 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2024/RS/com_amends/hb4431%20s%20h_hr%20amt%20_1%202-25%20adopted.htm)

## Votes

- PASSAGE — **83–13** (pass) · lower
- Passage — **31–3** (pass) · upper
- PASSAGE-SENATE AMENDED HB — **81–16** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Summers — primary (person)
- Griffith — cosponsor (person)
- Rohrbach — cosponsor (person)
- Tully — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-01-10** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2024-01-10** To Health and Human Resources `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-10** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2024-01-10** To House Health and Human Resources `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-17** By substitute, do pass
- **2024-01-18** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2024-01-18** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2024-01-19** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2024-01-19** Postponed on 2nd reading, Special Calendar, until 1/22/2024
- **2024-01-22** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2024-01-22** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2024-01-23** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2024-01-23** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2024-01-23** Passed House (Roll No. 18) `passage`
- **2024-01-23** Communicated to Senate
- **2024-01-24** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2024-01-24** To Health and Human Resources `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-24** To Health and Human Resources `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-27** Reported do pass, with amendments and title amendment `committee-passage`
- **2024-02-27** Immediate consideration
- **2024-02-27** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2024-02-28** On 2nd reading
- **2024-02-28** Laid over on 2nd reading 2/28/2024
- **2024-02-29** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2024-02-29** Committee amendments adopted (Voice vote)
- **2024-03-01** On 3rd reading
- **2024-03-01** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2024-03-01** Passed Senate with amended title (Roll No. 328) `passage`
- **2024-03-01** Senate requests House to concur
- **2024-03-04** House received Senate message
- **2024-03-04** Immediate consideration
- **2024-03-04** House concurred in Senate amendments and passed bill (Roll No. 439)
- **2024-03-04** Communicated to Senate
- **2024-03-04** Completed legislative action
- **2024-03-05** House Message received
- **2024-03-13** To Governor 3/13/2024 `executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-09** To Governor 3/13/2024 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-09** To Governor 3/13/2024 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-09** Approved by Governor 3/22/2024 - Senate Journal `executive-signature`
- **2024-03-22** Approved by Governor 3/22/2024 `executive-signature`
- **2024-03-09** Approved by Governor 3/22/2024 - House Journal `executive-signature`
- **2024-04-22** Chapter 219, Acts, Regular Session, 2024 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/8905d308-0d0b-4ca7-939a-1fc5e2bdec38`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).