---
type: "Bill"
title: "To amend the law concerning ownership and possession of real property"
description: "To amend the law concerning ownership and possession of real property"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "HB 2961"
citation: "West Virginia HB 2961 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Real and Personal Property"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Ridenour"]
version_count: 8
action_count: 46
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2025-02-25"
last_action: "2025-07-30"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/f8138cb4-e5e9-4840-ab7b-e2130d0f5e75"
source_url: "https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=2961&year=2025&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "e8524c05ac9eca4b442e7e2d590579492977c846b90264cdf5ce5d6aee7cb51f"
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 2961 (2025) — To amend the law concerning ownership and possession of real property

## 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=hb2961%20sub1.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=2961)
2. **Engrossed Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb2961%20sub1%20eng.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=2961)
3. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb2961%20sub1%20enr.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=2961)
4. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb2961%20intr.htm&yr=2025&sesstype=RS&i=2961)
5. **hb2961 hfa funkhouser 4-1 _2 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2025/RS/floor_amends/hb2961%20hfa%20funkhouser%204-1%20_2%20adopted.htm)
6. **hb2961 hfa ridenour 3-31 _1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2025/RS/floor_amends/hb2961%20hfa%20ridenour%203-31%20_1%20adopted.htm)
7. **hb2961 s jud am _1 4-9 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2025/RS/com_amends/hb2961%20s%20jud%20am%20_1%204-9%20adopted.htm)
8. **hb2961 sfat stuart _2 4-10 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2025/RS/floor_amends/hb2961%20sfat%20stuart%20_2%204-10%20adopted.htm)

## Votes

- Passage — **34–0** (pass) · upper
- PASSAGE — **99–1** (pass) · lower
- PASSAGE-SENATE AMENDED HB — **96–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Ridenour — primary (person)
- Akers — cosponsor (person)
- Butler — cosponsor (person)
- Hillenbrand — cosponsor (person)
- Jennings — cosponsor (person)
- Mallow — cosponsor (person)
- Maynor — cosponsor (person)
- Petitto — cosponsor (person)
- Phillips — cosponsor (person)
- Roop — cosponsor (person)
- Ward — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-02-25** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2025-02-25** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-25** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2025-02-25** To House Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-24** Markup Discussion
- **2025-03-28** By substitute, do pass
- **2025-03-31** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-03-31** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2025-04-01** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-04-01** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2025-04-01** Amendment reported by the Clerk
- **2025-04-01** Amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2025-04-01** Amendment reported by the Clerk
- **2025-04-02** Amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2025-04-02** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2025-04-02** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-04-02** Passed House (Roll No. 350) `passage`
- **2025-04-02** Communicated to Senate
- **2025-04-03** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2025-04-03** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-04-03** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-04-08** Without recommendation, but first rereferred to Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-04-08** Immediate consideration
- **2025-04-08** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2025-04-08** On second reading, rereferred to Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-04-09** Reported do pass, with amendment `committee-passage`
- **2025-04-10** On 2nd reading
- **2025-04-10** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2025-04-10** Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2025-04-11** On 3rd reading
- **2025-04-11** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-04-11** Passed Senate (Roll No. 482) `passage`
- **2025-04-11** Title amendment adopted
- **2025-04-11** Senate requests House to concur
- **2025-04-12** House received Senate message
- **2025-04-12** House concurred in Senate amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 605)
- **2025-04-12** Communicated to Senate
- **2025-04-12** Completed legislative action
- **2025-04-12** House Message received
- **2025-04-21** To Governor 4/21/2025 `executive-receipt`
- **2025-04-12** To Governor 4/21/2025 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2025-04-12** To Governor 4/21/2025 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2025-04-28** Approved by Governor 4/28/2025 `executive-signature`
- **2025-04-12** Approved by Governor 4/28/2025 - House Journal `executive-signature`
- **2025-04-12** Approved by Governor 4/28/2025 - Senate Journal `executive-signature`
- **2025-07-30** Chapter 120, Acts, Regular Session, 2025 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/f8138cb4-e5e9-4840-ab7b-e2130d0f5e75`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).