---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to the WV Cares background check variance process"
description: "Relating to the WV Cares background check variance process"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2026"
identifier: "HB 4599"
citation: "West Virginia HB 4599 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Health"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Burkhammer"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 35
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2026-01-20"
last_action: "2026-06-29"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/9715412c-d129-4174-9dda-e9d461b976d4"
source_url: "https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=4599&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "bd2970333034c558d0ea3b0157d9a2e700bf4ca7b5264dabaf4047299c80fc7a"
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 4599 (2026) — Relating to the WV Cares background check variance process

## 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=hb4599%20sub1.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=4599)
2. **Engrossed Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4599%20sub1%20eng.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=4599)
3. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4599%20sub1%20enr.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=4599)
4. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4599%20intr.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=4599)

## Votes

- Passage — **34–0** (pass) · upper
- PASSAGE — **94–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Burkhammer — primary (person)
- Pushkin — cosponsor (person)
- Worrell — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-01-20** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2026-01-20** To Health and Human Resources then Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-20** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2026-01-20** To House Health and Human Resources `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-29** Markup Discussion
- **2026-02-16** By substitute, do pass, but first to Judiciary
- **2026-02-16** 2nd reference dispensed
- **2026-02-17** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-02-17** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2026-02-18** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-02-18** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2026-02-19** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-02-19** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2026-02-19** Passed House (Roll No. 127) `passage`
- **2026-02-19** Communicated to Senate
- **2026-02-20** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2026-02-20** To Health and Human Resources `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-20** To Health and Human Resources `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-04** Reported do pass `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-05** On 1st reading
- **2026-03-05** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2026-03-06** On 2nd reading
- **2026-03-06** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2026-03-09** On 3rd reading
- **2026-03-09** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2026-03-09** Passed Senate (Roll No. 376) `passage`
- **2026-03-09** Communicated to House
- **2026-03-09** Completed legislative action
- **2026-03-09** House received Senate message
- **2026-03-10** To Governor 3/10/2026 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2026-03-10** To Governor 3/10/2026 `executive-receipt`
- **2026-03-14** Approved by Governor 3/17/2026 - Senate Journal `executive-signature`
- **2026-03-14** Approved by Governor 3/17/2026 `executive-signature`
- **2026-03-14** Approved by Governor 3/17/2026 - House Journal `executive-signature`
- **2026-06-29** Chapter 139, 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/9715412c-d129-4174-9dda-e9d461b976d4`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).