Relating to the preservation of missing persons records and evidence
HB 4345 requires law enforcement agencies in West Virginia to permanently retain all records and evidence for missing persons cases that remain unresolved after one year. It mandates that agencies digitize all documentation and physical/biological evidence for these cases and transmit the complete records to the West Virginia Fusion Center. The bill directly affects law enforcement agencies (including county and municipal departments) by establishing new requirements for record retention, digitization, and database sharing. Key provisions include banning destruction of unresolved case files, requiring secure digital storage, and ensuring evidence is preserved permanently. This applies to all missing persons cases, not just children or high-risk situations.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Jun 2026
Introduced Jan 15, 2026
Signed Jun 29, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons
What changed between versions
hb4345 s jud am _1 adopted.htm
→
Enrolled Committee Substitute
·
3 edits
·
Mar 25, 2026
MINOR
This bill was amended to remove unnecessary navigation text and clean up formatting errors. The substantive policy content regarding missing persons records remains unchanged, including the requirement for law enforcement to share data with the Fusion Center and the definition of a 'cold case'.
Scope change
The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; the text only reflects the final enrolled version after committee amendments.
TECHNICAL
Removed the committee's motion text and redundant navigation links that were part of the draft markup but not part of the final law.
Corrected a typo in the definition of 'Cold case' by removing a duplicate word ('a an').
Fixed a grammatical error in Section (d) by removing the word 'may' before 'provide', clarifying that agencies are required to provide information.
Floor votes · Senate Mar 13, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 10, 2026
How they voted
33–0
Passed
Total votes 33
Mar 13, 2026
D
Democratic2
100% Yea
R
Republican31
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
40
Key actions
9
Committee
8
Mar 25, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 3/25/2026
lower
Mar 14, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 3/25/2026 - House Journal
lower
Mar 14, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 3/25/2026 - Senate Journal
upper
Mar 14, 2026
Lower · Passed
House concurred in Senate amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 677)
lower
Mar 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (Roll No. 534)
upper
Mar 12, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)
upper
Mar 11, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported do pass, with amendment
upper
Feb 11, 2026
Committee
To Judiciary
upper
Feb 11, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
Feb 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House (Roll No. 64)
lower
Feb 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
By substitute, do pass
lower
Feb 2, 2026
Committee
To House Judiciary
lower
Jan 30, 2026
Committee
To House Homeland Security
lower
Jan 15, 2026
Committee
To House Judiciary
lower
Jan 15, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Jan 15, 2026
Committee
To Judiciary
lower
1 primary · 3 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Mike Hornby
RRepublican
Co
Ian Masters
RRepublican
Co
Josh Holstein
RRepublican
Co
Scot Heckert
RRepublican
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