---
type: "Bill"
title: "Authorizing the Department of Commerce to promulgate a legislative rule relating to certification of a microgrid district or certification as a high impact data center"
description: "Authorizing the Department of Commerce to promulgate a legislative rule relating to certification of a microgrid district or certification as a high impact data center"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2026"
identifier: "HB 4983"
citation: "West Virginia HB 4983 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Rules"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Smith, D."]
version_count: 5
action_count: 47
vote_count: 8
first_action: "2026-01-30"
last_action: "2026-06-29"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/a3a0631f-81db-45be-be99-50affa6ef19f"
source_url: "https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=4983&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "3e2074d6b83ebd644f35f9685d046412a598e5487c9188203e5398b653d269d8"
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 4983 (2026) — Authorizing the Department of Commerce to promulgate a legislative rule relating to certification of a microgrid district or certification as a high impact data center

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Engrossed Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4983%20eng.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=4983)
2. **Enrolled Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4983%20enr.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=4983)
3. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4983%20intr.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=4983)
4. **hb4983 s jud am _1 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2026/RS/com_amends/hb4983%20s%20jud%20am%20_1%20adopted.htm)
5. **hb4983 s jud amt adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/chamber/2026/RS/com_amends/hb4983%20s%20jud%20amt%20adopted.htm)

## Votes

- Passage — **28–6** (pass) · upper
- HFA HANSEN ET AL 2-16 — **23–70** (fail) · lower
- PASSAGE-SENATE AMENDED HB — **82–15** (pass) · lower
- PASSAGE — **78–16** (pass) · lower
- SUSPEND RULE — **77–13** (pass) · lower
- HFA DILLON AND ANDERS 2-16 #1 — **6–87** (fail) · lower
- EFFECT FROM PASSAGE — **91–6** (pass) · lower
- EFFECT FROM PASSAGE — **74–17** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Smith, D. — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-01-30** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2026-01-30** To Energy and Public Works
- **2026-01-30** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2026-01-30** To House Energy and Public Works `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-04** Markup Discussion
- **2026-02-12** Do pass
- **2026-02-13** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-02-13** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2026-02-16** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-02-16** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2026-02-16** Amendment reported by the Clerk
- **2026-02-16** Amendment rejected (Roll No. 99) `amendment-failure`
- **2026-02-16** Amendment reported by the Clerk
- **2026-02-16** Amendment rejected (Roll No. 100) `amendment-failure`
- **2026-02-17** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2026-02-17** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2026-02-17** Passed House (Roll No. 108) `passage`
- **2026-02-17** Rule suspension to make bill effective from passage (Roll No. 113)
- **2026-02-17** Effective from passage (Roll No. 114)
- **2026-02-17** Communicated to Senate
- **2026-02-19** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2026-02-19** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-19** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-06** Reported do pass, with amendment and title amendment `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-06** Immediate consideration
- **2026-03-06** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2026-03-09** On 2nd reading
- **2026-03-09** Laid over on 2nd reading 3/9/2026
- **2026-03-10** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2026-03-10** Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2026-03-11** On 3rd reading
- **2026-03-11** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2026-03-11** Passed Senate with amended title (Roll No. 464) `passage`
- **2026-03-11** Effective from passage (Roll No. 465)
- **2026-03-11** 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. 500)
- **2026-03-13** Effective from passage (Roll No. 501)
- **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`
- **2026-03-30** Approved by Governor 3/27/2026 `executive-signature`
- **2026-03-14** Approved by Governor 3/27/2026 - House Journal `executive-signature`
- **2026-03-14** Approved by Governor 3/27/2026 - Senate Journal `executive-signature`
- **2026-06-29** Chapter 221, 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/a3a0631f-81db-45be-be99-50affa6ef19f`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).