# West Virginia HB 4801: Defining Permissible expenditures for municipalities and counties

West Virginia HB 4801, Defining Permissible expenditures for municipalities and counties, is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Pritt; status signed, last action 2026-06-29 (Chapter 83, Acts, Regular Session, 2026) (as of 2026-11-04).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4801-2026rs
- As of: 2026-11-04
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: West Virginia HB 4801
- State: West Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Defining Permissible expenditures for municipalities and counties
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-26
- Last action: 2026-06-29, Chapter 83, Acts, Regular Session, 2026
- Sponsor: Pritt
- Cosponsors: 2
- Subjects: §7-18-14
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 2 (123 yes, 1 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 4

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Tourism tax funds for bureaus and hotels: benefit, medium. The law requires cities and counties to spend at least 50% of hotel tax net revenue on promoting conventions and tourism. If a compliant local visitor bureau exists, the required share goes to that bureau; if more than one, leaders may split it. If no compliant bureau exists, a hotel can apply to t…
- Hotel tax can back rural emergency care: benefit, low. A county may use these funds for medical care and emergency services only if every condition below is true. There is an urgent need to keep acute care, demand has risen due to tourism, and repeated flooding disrupts care. The county has a weak non‑tourism tax base, under 10,000 people, and no more…
- Guardrails and fines on hotel tax use: cost, low. Cities and counties must deposit hotel tax net proceeds in the general fund and spend them only on uses the law lists. Any member who knowingly approves other uses, or funds a noncompliant bureau, commits a misdemeanor. A convicted member can be fined up to $100.
- How cities can spend remaining hotel tax: mixed, low. After the tourism share, the rest of the hotel tax can only fund a set list of public projects. Allowed uses include convention centers and bonds, parks and tourist centers, arts, historic sites, beautification, unsafe‑building demolition, reuse planning, passenger air service incentives, and the H…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Pritt
- Cosponsor: Flanigan
- Cosponsor: Michael Hornby (Republican), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-12 | Senate | Passed Senate (Roll No. 492) | pass | 34 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-13 | House | Passed House (Roll No. 90) | pass | 89 | 1 |   |

## Actions (39)

- 2026-06-29: Chapter 83, Acts, Regular Session, 2026 (House)
- 2026-04-01: Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 (House)
- 2026-03-25: To Governor 3/25/2026 (House)
- 2026-03-14: To Governor 3/25/2026 - Senate Journal (Senate)
- 2026-03-14: Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 - Senate Journal (Senate)
- 2026-03-14: Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 - House Journal (House)
- 2026-03-13: House received Senate message (House)
- 2026-03-12: On 3rd reading (Senate)
- 2026-03-12: Read 3rd time (Senate)
- 2026-03-12: Passed Senate (Roll No. 492) (Senate)
- 2026-03-12: Communicated to House (Senate)
- 2026-03-12: Completed legislative action (Senate)
- 2026-03-11: On 2nd reading (Senate)
- 2026-03-11: Read 2nd time (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Reported do pass (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Immediate consideration (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Read 1st time (Senate)
- 2026-02-16: Introduced in Senate (Senate)
- 2026-02-16: To Government Organization (Senate)
- 2026-02-16: To Government Organization (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: Read 3rd time (House)
- 2026-02-13: Passed House (Roll No. 90) (House)
- 2026-02-13: Communicated to Senate (House)
- 2026-02-12: On 3rd reading, Special Calendar (House)
- 2026-02-12: Read 3rd time (House)
- 2026-02-12: Postponed on 3rd reading, Special Calendar, until 2/13/26 (House)
- 2026-02-11: On 2nd reading, Special Calendar (House)
- 2026-02-11: Read 2nd time (House)
- 2026-02-10: On 1st reading, Special Calendar (House)
- 2026-02-10: Read 1st time (House)
- 2026-02-09: Do pass (House)
- 2026-02-05: Markup Discussion (House)
- 2026-02-04: To House Judiciary (House)
- 2026-02-03: To House Legal Services (House)
- 2026-02-03: Markup Discussion (House)
- 2026-01-26: Filed for introduction (House)
- 2026-01-26: To Judiciary (House)
- 2026-01-26: Introduced in House (House)
- 2026-01-26: To House Judiciary (House)

## Bill text

- Engrossed: [HTML](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb4801 eng.htm), [PDF](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb4801 eng.pdf)
- Enrolled: [HTML](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb4801 enr.htm), [PDF](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb4801 enr.pdf)
- Introduced Version: [HTML](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb4801 intr.htm), [PDF](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb4801 intr.pdf)

## Related bills

- HB 4452: To remove Mortmain restrictions on religious organizations (signed)
- HB 4354: Relating to necessity allowance (signed)
- HB 4390: Relating to the temporary payment to a kinship parent of a subsidy equal to that of a foster parent (signed)
- HB 4191: Relating to providing child care generally (became law)
- HB 4138: Relating to persons convicted of a crime (signed)
- HB 4106: Allowing constitutional carry for 18- to 20-year-olds (signed)

## Sources
- [Engrossed (HTML)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb4801 eng.htm)
- [Engrossed (PDF)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb4801 eng.pdf)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb4801 enr.htm)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb4801 enr.pdf)
- [Introduced Version (HTML)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb4801 intr.htm)
- [Introduced Version (PDF)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb4801 intr.pdf)

## Related
- [HB 4452: To remove Mortmain restrictions on religious organizations](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4452-2026rs)
- [HB 4354: Relating to necessity allowance](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4354-2026rs)
- [HB 4390: Relating to the temporary payment to a kinship parent of a subsidy equal to tha…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4390-2026rs)
- [HB 4191: Relating to providing child care generally](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4191-2026rs)
- [HB 4138: Relating to persons convicted of a crime](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4138-2026rs)
- [HB 4106: Allowing constitutional carry for 18- to 20-year-olds](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4106-2026rs)
- [West Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/west-virginia/bills)
- [West Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/west-virginia)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4801-2026rs (as of 2026-11-04).