---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to necessity allowance"
description: "Relating to necessity allowance"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2026"
identifier: "HB 4354"
citation: "West Virginia HB 4354 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Health"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Burkhammer"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 43
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2026-01-15"
last_action: "2026-04-01"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/4f186947-a0b1-4b12-b4cb-22abef2085c7"
source_url: "https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=4354&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "19b4fa615bc0b8f7b355212115a4849d9cdcbe7dfd61b2f90ed70001196243a3"
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 4354 (2026) — Relating to necessity allowance

## 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=hb4354%20sub1.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=4354)
2. **Engrossed Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4354%20sub1%20eng.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=4354)
3. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4354%20sub1%20enr.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=4354)
4. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4354%20intr.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=4354)
5. **hb4354 s jud am _1 2-23 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2026/RS/com_amends/hb4354%20s%20jud%20am%20_1%202-23%20adopted.htm)
6. **hb4354 s jud amt 2-23 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2026/RS/com_amends/hb4354%20s%20jud%20amt%202-23%20adopted.htm)

## Votes

- PASSAGE-SENATE AMENDED HB — **97–0** (pass) · lower
- Passage — **34–0** (pass) · upper
- PASSAGE — **88–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Burkhammer — primary (person)
- Mazzocchi — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-01-15** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2026-01-15** To Health and Human Resources then Finance `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-15** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2026-01-15** To House Health and Human Resources `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-19** Markup Discussion
- **2026-01-21** By substitute, do pass
- **2026-01-21** 2nd reference dispensed
- **2026-01-22** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-01-22** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2026-01-23** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-01-23** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2026-01-26** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-01-27** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-01-27** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2026-01-27** Passed House (Roll No. 19) `passage`
- **2026-01-27** Communicated to Senate
- **2026-01-28** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2026-01-28** To Health and Human Resources then Finance `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-28** To Health and Human Resources `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-21** Without recommendation, but first to Judiciary then Finance
- **2026-02-21** Referred to Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-24** Reported do pass with amend and title amend but first to Finance `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-24** To Finance `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-06** Reported do pass, as amended by Judiciary `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-06** Immediate consideration
- **2026-03-06** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2026-03-09** On 2nd reading
- **2026-03-09** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2026-03-09** Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2026-03-10** On 3rd reading
- **2026-03-10** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2026-03-10** Passed Senate with amended title (Roll No. 395) `passage`
- **2026-03-10** Senate requests House to concur
- **2026-03-13** House received Senate message
- **2026-03-13** House concurred in Senate amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 497)
- **2026-03-13** Communicated to Senate
- **2026-03-13** Completed legislative action
- **2026-03-14** House Message received
- **2026-03-14** To Governor 3/18/2026 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2026-03-18** To Governor 3/18/2026 `executive-receipt`
- **2026-03-14** Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 - Senate Journal `executive-signature`
- **2026-03-14** Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 - House Journal `executive-signature`
- **2026-04-01** Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/4f186947-a0b1-4b12-b4cb-22abef2085c7`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).