# West Virginia HB 5653: To confirm the confidentiality of internal audit and other manuals, training materials, guidelines, thresholds, and procedures. West Virginia HB 5653, To confirm the confidentiality of internal audit and other manuals, training materials, guidelines, thresholds, and procedures., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Walter Hall (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-06-29 (Chapter 264, Acts, Regular Session, 2026) (as of 2026-11-04). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB5653-2026rs - 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 5653 - State: West Virginia - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: To confirm the confidentiality of internal audit and other manuals, training materials, guidelines, thresholds, and procedures. - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2026-02-17 - Last action: 2026-06-29, Chapter 264, Acts, Regular Session, 2026 - Sponsor: Walter Hall (Republican) - Cosponsors: 0 - Subjects: §11-10-5D - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 4 (253 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 8 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Tax data aids child support cases: benefit, low. The child support office can ask for return data to find people and collect support. The request must be in writing. Shared items can include Social Security number, address, filing status, income details, dependents, and gross state return income if not available elsewhere. Use is limited to child… - You can authorize sharing your return: benefit, low. You can sign a written waiver to let the Tax Commissioner share your return with named people. The Commissioner can set conditions on the release. The Commissioner can refuse if sharing would seriously harm tax enforcement. - Know tax lien amounts, limited access: benefit, low. If a tax lien is recorded on a property, the Tax Commissioner may tell you how much is owed. You must show written proof that you have, or plan to get, a right in the property. A person with a real legal or financial interest may also ask for specific return information. The Commissioner may share… - Stronger privacy for tax records: benefit, low. State and local workers must keep your tax returns confidential. Unlawful disclosure is a crime, with up to a $1,000 fine and up to one year in jail. The tax agency can keep its audit manuals, training, and risk models secret. It must publish tax decisions and summaries, but it must remove details… - Jury lists use tax filers: mixed, low. A circuit court can ask for a list of people who filed state income tax returns in its counties last year. The Tax Commissioner must provide the list within 30 days. The jury office must merge the list with others and then destroy the copies and certify destruction. - Tax data sharing with governments: mixed, low. The Tax Commissioner may share returns with the U.S., other states, or their local offices by written agreement. The other government must give West Virginia similar access. Shared data must be used only to run tax laws, and the Commissioner can withhold it to protect informants or investigations.… - Tax info for criminal investigations: mixed, low. Law enforcement can get tax returns for criminal cases only with a private (ex parte) court order. The judge must find a specific crime, that the data is relevant, and that it is not reasonably available elsewhere. Use is limited to that case. The Tax Commissioner can refuse if it would reveal a co… - Public lists of licensed and flagged taxpayers: mixed, low. If it helps enforcement, the Tax Commissioner must give, on request, names and addresses in set categories. Examples include people with current business registrations or licenses, contractors, transient vendors, suspended registrations, liened parties, and those convicted of tax crimes. The disclo… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Walter Hall (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-03-12 | Senate | Effective from passage (Roll No. 516) | pass | 34 | 0 | | | 2026-03-12 | Senate | Passed Senate (Roll No. 515) | pass | 34 | 0 | | | 2026-03-02 | House | Passed House (Roll No. 252) | pass | 94 | 0 | | | 2026-03-02 | House | Effective from passage (Roll No. 253) | pass | 91 | 0 | | ## Actions (35) - 2026-06-29: Chapter 264, Acts, Regular Session, 2026 (House) - 2026-03-30: Approved by Governor 3/27/2026 (House) - 2026-03-25: To Governor 3/25/26 (House) - 2026-03-14: To Governor 3/25/2026 - Senate Journal (Senate) - 2026-03-14: Approved by Governor 3/27/2026 - House Journal (House) - 2026-03-14: Approved by Governor 3/27/2026 - Senate Journal (Senate) - 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. 515) (Senate) - 2026-03-12: Effective from passage (Roll No. 516) (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) - 2026-03-04: Introduced in Senate (Senate) - 2026-03-04: To Government Organization (Senate) - 2026-03-04: To Government Organization (Senate) - 2026-03-02: On 3rd reading, Special Calendar (House) - 2026-03-02: Read 3rd time (House) - 2026-03-02: Passed House (Roll No. 252) (House) - 2026-03-02: Effective from passage (Roll No. 253) (House) - 2026-03-02: Communicated to Senate (House) - 2026-02-27: On 2nd reading, Special Calendar (House) - 2026-02-27: Read 2nd time (House) - 2026-02-26: On 1st reading, Special Calendar (House) - 2026-02-26: Read 1st time (House) - 2026-02-25: Do pass (House) - 2026-02-17: Filed for introduction (House) - 2026-02-17: To Government Organization (House) - 2026-02-17: Introduced in House (House) - 2026-02-17: To House Government Organization (House) ## Bill text - Engrossed: [HTML](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5653 eng.htm), [PDF](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5653 eng.pdf) - Enrolled: [HTML](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5653 enr.htm), [PDF](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5653 enr.pdf) - Introduced Version: [HTML](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5653 intr.htm), [PDF](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5653 intr.pdf) ## Related bills - HB 5694: Supplemental appropriation to Department of Education, fund 0313. (signed) - HB 5353: To bring virtual currency kiosks within the purview of money transmission licensure and create disclosure requirements and daily transaction limitations for ne… (signed) - HB 4452: To remove Mortmain restrictions on religious organizations (signed) - HB 4390: Relating to the temporary payment to a kinship parent of a subsidy equal to that of a foster parent (signed) - HB 4354: Relating to necessity allowance (signed) - HB 4191: Relating to providing child care generally (became law) ## Sources - [Engrossed (HTML)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5653 eng.htm) - [Engrossed (PDF)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5653 eng.pdf) - [Enrolled (HTML)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5653 enr.htm) - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5653 enr.pdf) - [Introduced Version (HTML)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5653 intr.htm) - [Introduced Version (PDF)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5653 intr.pdf) ## Related - [HB 5694: Supplemental appropriation to Department of Education, fund 0313.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB5694-2026rs) - [HB 5353: To bring virtual currency kiosks within the purview of money transmission licen…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB5353-2026rs) - [HB 4452: To remove Mortmain restrictions on religious organizations](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4452-2026rs) - [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 4354: Relating to necessity allowance](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4354-2026rs) - [HB 4191: Relating to providing child care generally](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4191-2026rs) - [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-HB5653-2026rs (as of 2026-11-04).