---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to permitting the electronic execution of trusts."
description: "Relating to permitting the electronic execution of trusts."
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2024"
identifier: "HB 5561"
citation: "West Virginia HB 5561 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Estates and Trusts"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Barnhart"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 38
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2024-02-12"
last_action: "2024-04-22"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/b3c777fc-3e77-4ee0-9823-ceed8bc02e64"
source_url: "https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=5561&year=2024&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "e91ed9d34f63bbe0ac9cf859b26a5ce5162865434b3931073056dcfe2fd42c52"
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 5561 (2024) — Relating to permitting the electronic execution of trusts.

## 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=hb5561%20sub.htm&yr=2024&sesstype=RS&i=5561)
2. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb5561%20sub%20enr.htm&yr=2024&sesstype=RS&i=5561)
3. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb5561%20intr.htm&yr=2024&sesstype=RS&i=5561)
4. **hb5561 s jud am _1 3-4 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2024/RS/com_amends/hb5561%20s%20jud%20am%20_1%203-4%20adopted.htm)
5. **hb5561 s jud amt _1 3-4 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2024/RS/com_amends/hb5561%20s%20jud%20amt%20_1%203-4%20adopted.htm)

## Votes

- Passage — **33–0** (pass) · upper
- PASSAGE — **93–0** (pass) · lower
- PASSAGE-SENATE AMENDED HB — **93–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Barnhart — primary (person)
- Anderson — cosponsor (person)
- Criss — cosponsor (person)
- Hott — cosponsor (person)
- Westfall — cosponsor (person)
- Zatezalo — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-02-12** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2024-02-12** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-12** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2024-02-12** To House Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-20** By substitute, do pass
- **2024-02-21** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2024-02-21** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2024-02-22** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2024-02-22** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2024-02-23** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2024-02-23** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2024-02-23** Passed House (Roll No. 277) `passage`
- **2024-02-23** Communicated to Senate
- **2024-02-26** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2024-02-26** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-26** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2024-03-06** Reported do pass, with amendment and title amendment `committee-passage`
- **2024-03-06** Immediate consideration
- **2024-03-06** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2024-03-07** On 2nd reading
- **2024-03-07** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2024-03-07** Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2024-03-08** On 3rd reading
- **2024-03-08** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2024-03-08** Passed Senate with amended title (Roll No. 455) `passage`
- **2024-03-08** Senate requests House to concur
- **2024-03-08** House received Senate message
- **2024-03-08** House concurred in Senate amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 700)
- **2024-03-08** Communicated to Senate
- **2024-03-08** Completed legislative action
- **2024-03-09** House Message received
- **2024-03-09** To Governor 3/21/2024 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-21** To Governor 3/21/2024 `executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-09** To Governor 3/21/2024 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-09** Approved by Governor 3/26/2024 - Senate Journal `executive-signature`
- **2024-03-26** Approved by Governor 3/26/24 `executive-signature`
- **2024-03-09** Approved by Governor 3/26/24 - House Journal `executive-signature`
- **2024-04-22** Chapter 135, 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/b3c777fc-3e77-4ee0-9823-ceed8bc02e64`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).