---
type: "Bill"
title: "Creating exception to spousal privilege"
description: "Creating exception to spousal privilege"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2024"
identifier: "HB 4999"
citation: "West Virginia HB 4999 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Crime"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Kirby"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 34
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2024-01-22"
last_action: "2024-04-22"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/29ee2db6-1160-414e-ab2c-a607e80b58d5"
source_url: "https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=4999&year=2024&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "2ce789cf17f7b2ef4b0f44f5e1fe0fbec46afc7509ce1695cca1c1feec6d72d0"
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 4999 (2024) — Creating exception to spousal privilege

## 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=hb4999%20sub.htm&yr=2024&sesstype=RS&i=4999)
2. **Enrolled Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4999%20sub%20enr.htm&yr=2024&sesstype=RS&i=4999)
3. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4999%20intr.htm&yr=2024&sesstype=RS&i=4999)
4. **hb4999 hfat fast 2-26 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2024/RS/floor_amends/hb4999%20hfat%20fast%202-26%20adopted.htm)

## Votes

- Passage — **33–0** (pass) · upper
- PASSAGE — **96–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Kirby — primary (person)
- Brooks — cosponsor (person)
- Pritt, C. — cosponsor (person)
- Steele — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-01-22** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2024-01-22** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-22** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2024-01-22** To House Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-21** By substitute, do pass
- **2024-02-22** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2024-02-22** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2024-02-23** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2024-02-23** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2024-02-26** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2024-02-26** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2024-02-26** Passed House (Roll No. 294) `passage`
- **2024-02-26** Title amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2024-02-26** Communicated to Senate
- **2024-02-28** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2024-02-28** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-28** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2024-03-06** Reported do pass `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`
- **2024-03-08** On 3rd reading
- **2024-03-08** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2024-03-08** Passed Senate (Roll No. 442) `passage`
- **2024-03-08** Communicated to House
- **2024-03-08** Completed legislative action
- **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 3/27/2024 - Senate Journal `executive-signature`
- **2024-03-27** Approved by Governor 3/27/24 `executive-signature`
- **2024-03-09** Approved by Governor 3/27/24 - House Journal `executive-signature`
- **2024-04-22** Chapter 95, 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/29ee2db6-1160-414e-ab2c-a607e80b58d5`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).