 - The Wyoming Legislature has passed a bill allowing for the conveyance of 90 acres of Wyoming Life Resource Center property for housing in Lander.){kind=link}
(Cheyenne, WY) – The Wyoming Legislature has passed a bill authorizing the conveyance of 90 acres of Wyoming Life Resource Center property for housing in Lander.
In its final form, the legislation says the Wyoming Department of Health – in consultation with the City of Lander, the Board of Land Commissioners, and the Office of State Lands and Investments – may convey the property in question for residential housing.
May vs. shall
When it left the Senate last week, the bill draft contained stronger language – directing, rather than allowing, the WDH to convey the 90 acres for residential housing.
The House of Representatives failed to adopt the Senate version of the legislation, however, with Wyoming Reps. Joel Guggenmos, R-Riverton, Pepper Ottman, R-Riverton, and John Winter, R-Thermopolis, all voting against concurrence.
As a result of the House decision, a Joint Conference Committee was formed to come to an agreement on HB 69.
The committee included Wyoming Rep. Lloyd Larsen, R-Lander; Wyoming Sens. Cale Case, R-Lander, and Ed Cooper, R-Ten Sleep; and three other lawmakers, who agreed to propose modifying the bill draft to allow – rather than require – the conveyance for residential housing.
The bill still directs, or requires, the WDH – in consultation with the City of Lander, the Board of Land Commissioners, and the Office of State Lands and Investments – to convey 29 acres of property to the Wyoming Department of Transportation.
City consultation
It was the conference committee that proposed adding the City of Lander to the list of entities that must be consulted about both transactions, too.
“People at home are concerned about this,” Case said, referring specifically to the WYDOT transfer. “They want to make sure that the City of Lander is consulted (on) the WYDOT piece.”
The conference committee also incorporated reporting requirements into the legislation.
The House and Senate both voted to adopt the conference committee proposals on Friday.
All of Fremont County’s local lawmakers voted in favor of the final bill.