---
type: "Bill"
title: "Prohibiting Human Smuggling and Trafficking"
description: "Prohibiting Human Smuggling and Trafficking"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2026"
identifier: "HB 4433"
citation: "West Virginia HB 4433 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Crime"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Ridenour"]
version_count: 9
action_count: 51
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2026-01-16"
last_action: "2026-06-29"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/64977552-db20-4f41-90e0-59423c5fc51d"
source_url: "https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=4433&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "47c12653f60c824261ffd2a107f227d2da118353f9a60a7821d00802655fe0f6"
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 4433 (2026) — Prohibiting Human Smuggling and Trafficking

## 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=hb4433%20sub1.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=4433)
2. **Engrossed Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4433%20sub1%20eng.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=4433)
3. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4433%20sub1%20enr.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=4433)
4. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4433%20intr.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=4433)
5. **hb4433 hfa akers 1-21 _1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2026/RS/floor_amends/hb4433%20hfa%20akers%201-21%20_1%20adopted.htm)
6. **hb4433 hfa kimble 1-23 _1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2026/RS/floor_amends/hb4433%20hfa%20kimble%201-23%20_1%20adopted.htm)
7. **hb4433 s jud am _1 2-10 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2026/RS/com_amends/hb4433%20s%20jud%20am%20_1%202-10%20adopted.htm)
8. **hb4433 s jud amt _1 2-10 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2026/RS/com_amends/hb4433%20s%20jud%20amt%20_1%202-10%20adopted.htm)
9. **hb4433 sfa weld _2 2-17 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2026/RS/floor_amends/hb4433%20sfa%20weld%20_2%202-17%20adopted.htm)

## Votes

- Passage — **30–2** (pass) · upper
- PASSAGE-SENATE AMENDED HB — **87–8** (pass) · lower
- PASSAGE — **81–9** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Ridenour — primary (person)
- Akers — cosponsor (person)
- Butler — cosponsor (person)
- Hillenbrand — cosponsor (person)
- Jennings — cosponsor (person)
- Kimble — cosponsor (person)
- Kump — cosponsor (person)
- Mallow — cosponsor (person)
- Martin — cosponsor (person)
- Maynor — cosponsor (person)
- Ward — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-01-16** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2026-01-16** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-16** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2026-01-16** To House Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-19** Markup Discussion
- **2026-01-21** By substitute, do pass
- **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`
- **2026-01-23** Amendment reported by the Clerk
- **2026-01-23** Amendment rejected (Voice vote) `amendment-failure`
- **2026-01-23** Amendment reported by the Clerk
- **2026-01-23** Amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2026-01-23** Amendment reported by the Clerk
- **2026-01-23** Amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **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. 20 ) `passage`
- **2026-01-27** Communicated to Senate
- **2026-01-28** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2026-01-28** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-28** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-11** Reported do pass, with amendment and title amendment `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-12** On 1st reading
- **2026-02-12** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2026-02-13** On 2nd reading
- **2026-02-13** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2026-02-16** On 3rd reading with right to amend
- **2026-02-16** Laid over on 3rd reading 2/16/2026 with right to amend, com. amend pending
- **2026-02-17** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2026-02-17** Committee Amendment Reported
- **2026-02-17** Garcia amends to com. amendment rejected (Roll No. 108)
- **2026-02-17** Weld amends. to com. amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2026-02-17** Committee amendment as amended adopted (Voice vote)
- **2026-02-17** Passed Senate with amended title (Roll No. 109) `passage`
- **2026-02-17** Senate requests House to concur
- **2026-02-27** House received Senate message
- **2026-02-27** House concurred in Senate amendment with amendment (Roll No. 215)
- **2026-02-27** Communicated to Senate
- **2026-03-06** House Message received
- **2026-03-06** Senate concurred in House amendments and passed bill (Roll No. 364)
- **2026-03-06** Communicated to House
- **2026-03-06** Completed legislative action
- **2026-03-09** House received Senate message
- **2026-03-10** To Governor 3/9/2026 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2026-03-09** To Governor 3/9/26 `executive-receipt`
- **2026-03-14** Approved by Governor 3/14/2026 - Senate Journal `executive-signature`
- **2026-03-14** Approved by Governor 3/14/26 `executive-signature`
- **2026-06-29** Chapter 191, Acts, Regular Session, 2026 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/64977552-db20-4f41-90e0-59423c5fc51d`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).