HB 4515 West Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

To remedy an issue relating to the disaffiliation from religious denominations whilst retaining church property

HB 4515 would establish rules for religious organizations leaving a denomination while keeping property. It requires a local church to get a two-thirds vote from its members to disaffiliate and mandates that the parent denomination provide a detailed financial accounting within 60 days. Property is divided into three classes: real estate (Class A) can be kept if over 50% of its costs were raised locally, movable items (Class B) go to the buyer, and financial assets (Class C) are split based on funding sources over two years. The bill aims to clarify property division during disaffiliation disputes without favoring either side.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 19, 2026 Last action Jan 19, 2026
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Total actions
4
Key actions
0
Committee
2
Jan 19, 2026
Committee
To House Judiciary
lower
Jan 19, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Jan 19, 2026
Committee
To Judiciary
lower
0 primary · 10 co-sponsors

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