HB 4599 West Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Relating to the WV Cares background check variance process

HB 4599 modifies West Virginia's background check variance process under the WV Cares program, primarily affecting healthcare workers and facility employees requiring background checks. The bill establishes that granted variances follow individuals (not employers), extends validity to five years (unless new disqualifying offenses appear), and requires variance reviews to be completed within 30 days. It narrows disqualifying offenses to only those involving abuse, violence, fraud, or safety risks, and creates a single standardized "Fitness Variance Determination" document for employers to use instead of multiple records. All relevant state agencies must update their systems within 180 days to implement these changes.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Jun 2026
Introduced Jan 20, 2026 Signed Jun 29, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

Committee Substitute Engrossed Committee Substitute · 3 edits · Mar 9, 2026
MINOR
The bill's title page was updated to reflect its current status as the 'Engrossed Committee Substitute' while removing links to previous versions like the 'Enrolled Version.' The substantive text of the bill, including the bill's purpose, the specific sections of law being amended, and the legislative history, remains unchanged.
TECHNICAL

Removed a link to the 'Enrolled Version - Final Version' from the version history list.

Added a link to the 'Committee Substitute' version in the version history list.

Updated the document header to indicate the bill is now an 'Engrossed' Committee Substitute.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 9, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 19, 2026

How they voted

330
Passed
Total votes 33
Mar 9, 2026
D Democratic2
2 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican31
31 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
34
Key actions
6
Committee
5
Mar 14, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 3/17/2026 - House Journal
lower
Mar 14, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 3/17/2026
lower
Mar 14, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 3/17/2026 - Senate Journal
upper
Mar 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (Roll No. 376)
upper
Mar 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported do pass
upper
Feb 20, 2026
Committee
To Health and Human Resources
upper
Feb 20, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
Feb 19, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House (Roll No. 127)
lower
Feb 16, 2026
Committee
By substitute, do pass, but first to Judiciary
lower
Jan 20, 2026
Committee
To House Health and Human Resources
lower
Jan 20, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Jan 20, 2026
Committee
To Health and Human Resources then Judiciary
lower
1 primary · 2 co-sponsors

Sponsors