 - The 68th Wyoming Legislature convenes at noon on Tuesday, Jan. 14, and local lawmakers have already filed more than a dozen pieces of proposed legislation with their names listed as main sponsors.){kind=link}
(Cheyenne, WY) – The 68th Wyoming Legislature convenes at noon on Tuesday, Jan. 14, and local lawmakers have already filed more than a dozen pieces of proposed legislation with their names listed as main sponsors.
The last day for Senate Files to be introduced is Wednesday, Jan. 29, and the deadline for House Bills is Monday, Feb. 3.
Local bills
Wyoming Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, has sponsored three bills so far.
The first, Senate File 61 – Pollution control property tax exemption-applicability – clarifies the applicability of the property tax exemption for property used to eliminate, control or prevent air, water or land pollution and specifies that carbon dioxide is not pollution for purposes of the exemption, according to the bill draft.
Wyoming Reps. Pepper Ottman, R-Riverton, and Lloyd Larsen, R-Lander, signed on as co-sponsors of SF 61.
Case also sponsored SF 75 – Coroner investigations-disposition of decedent’s property – which amends the disposition of property for decedents without personal representatives or next of kin, according to the bill draft.
The proposed amendment states that, “if there is no personal representative of the estate and if the deceased’s next of kin does not claim the money and property found upon the body of the deceased within a reasonable time, the coroner shall cause the property to be sold at public auction to the highest bidder or by any other means of sale adopted by the county in which the investigation occurs.”
“All money and any proceeds from the sale or auction of the property shall first be used to pay the expenses of the burial,” SF 75 states. “Any remaining money and proceeds shall be deposited in the county’s general fund.”
Case’s third bill draft is SF 97 – Trust code revisions – which clarifies the definition of “qualified trustee,” specifies who is required to receive notice for judicial proceedings related to trust, specifies that no rule of perpetuities applies to non-charitable purpose trusts, specifies when a trustee can reimburse a person for certain tax costs attributable to the trust, and specifies applicability, according to the legislation.
Wyoming Sen. Ed Cooper, R-Ten Sleep, has also sponsored three bills so far.
SF 5 – School district vehicles-flashing lights authorized – specifies that school district vehicles that are not school buses and are used for transporting students may display flashing lights as specified, according to the bill draft, which Wyoming Rep. John Winter, R-Thermopolis, co-sponsored.
Cooper’s SF 37 – Enhanced concealed carry in school zones – authorizes the issuance of enhanced concealed carry permits, specifies requirements and conditions for the enhanced permits, and specifies places where enhanced concealed carry permittees may carry concealed weapons, according to the bill draft, which Winter also co-sponsored.
Finally, Cooper also sponsored SF 87 – Prescriptive easement for electricity delivery – which establishes prescriptive easements for electricity delivery, provides requirements for the prescriptive easements, and specifies uses of the prescriptive easements, according to the bill draft, which Larsen co-sponsored.
New Wyoming Rep. Joel Guggenmos, R-Riverton, has sponsored three bills so far as well.
House Bill 133 – Sanctuary cities, counties and state-prohibition – prohibits the implementation of immigration sanctuary policies by cities, towns, counties and the state; prohibits the designation of sanctuary cities, towns, counties and the state; creates a new felony offense; and provides penalties, according to the bill draft, which is co-sponsored by Wyoming Sen. Tim Salazar, R-Riverton.
The legislation says “no governing body of a city, town of county (shall) enact, adopt, implement or enforce any policy that prohibits or restricts local officials or employees from communicating or cooperating with federal officials or law enforcement officers with regard to reporting immigration status information while the local official or employee is acting within the scope of the official’s or employee’s official duties,” nor shall they “declare or designate the city, town or county as a sanctuary city, town or county.”
If the governor, with a recommendation from the attorney general, determines that a governing body has violated that rule, HB 133 says “the governor shall require the office of state lands and investments and the department of revenue to withhold all state and state administered federal funding directly paid to the city, town or county, unless otherwise specifically provided by law, until the city, town or county complies.”
After the governing body complies, HB 133 says “the office of state lands and investments and the department of revenue shall resume distribution of state and state administered federal funding directly paid to the city, town or county (but) shall not distribute funds that were withheld during the period of noncompliance.”
Instead, HB 133 says “the department of revenue shall distribute funds that were withheld on a pro rata basis to the other receiving cities, towns or counties who are in compliance with this section.”
In addition, the bill draft says “any local official or employee who refuses to communicate or cooperate with federal officials or law enforcement officers with regard to reporting immigration status information while the local official or employee is acting within the scope of the official’s or employee’s official duties shall be guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not less than five years and not more than 10 years, a fine of not more than $20,000, or both.”
Guggenmos also sponsored HB 134 – Taxpayer funds-sexually explicit events prohibited-2 – which prohibits specified entities from contributing to or sponsoring sexually explicit events, authorizes specified persons to determine if an event is sexually explicit, creates a mechanism for repaying state or federal funds, and authorizes an appeals process, according to the bill draft.
Finally, Guggenmos sponsored HB 135 – Autologous or direct blood donations – which authorizes the use of autologous or direct blood donations as specified and authorizes reasonable fees for blood donations, according to the bill draft, which Ottman co-sponsored.
Larsen is the main sponsor on three bills so far, too.
HB 6 – Advance health care directives-dementia – amends the definition of advance health care directive to include dementia directives, according to the bill draft, while Larsen’s HB 73 – Recreation safety-rock climbing – adds rock climbing as a recreation activity for purposes of the Recreation Safety Act and for liability of the land owner whose land is used for recreation purposes, and HB 74 – County clerks-frivolous filings procedure – authorizes county clerks to seek to have frivolous filings rejected or notated as frivolous and specifies requirements and procedures for rejecting or notating frivolous filings.
Ottman has filed two bills so far.
HB 115 – Medical Ethics Defense Act – allows health care providers, health care institutions, and health care payers the right to refuse to participate in or pay for health care services as specified, authorizes religious-based health care organizations to make decisions consistent with religious beliefs, prohibits discrimination for making health care decisions based on conscience, prohibits adverse licensing actions based on protected expressive activity, specifies liability and damages for notice requirements, provides immunity, and specifies applicability, according to the bill draft.
Ottman’s HB 116 – Driver’s licenses-unauthorized alien restrictions – specifies that driver’s licenses and driving operating privilege cards issued by other jurisdictions to unauthorized aliens are invalid in Wyoming, according to the bill draft, which Winter co-sponsored.
Salazar, Winter, and new Wyoming Rep. Ivan Posey, D-Fort Washakie, have yet to sponsor any bills.
All floor proceedings and committee meetings during the 2025 General Session will be broadcast live on the Wyoming Legislature’s YouTube channel.
For more information, call the Legislative Service Office at (307) 777-7881.