ABOUT THE LEGISLATURE
Wyoming’s legislature meets for a total of 60 days during a two-year period with a budgetary session every other year. Thus, if it meets for 28 days in a budgetary year, it can only meet for 32 days in a general session. 2018 is a budgetary session year and will convene on February 12, 2018.
Committees meet in various locations around the state, as required for hearings and deliberations, during the entire year. A calendar of hearings can be found here.
Representatives are elected for two-year terms. Senators for four.
All congressmen and congresswomen are paid $150/day.
2017 LEGISLATIVE SESSION – MAJOR BILLS AND ACTIVITY
HOW DID OUR LEGISLATORS VOTE ON GUNS AND OTHER MAJOR ISSUES?
[sta_anchor id=”guns”]GUNS[/sta_anchor]
REPEAL GUN FREE ZONES. HB 0137 passed both houses but was vetoed. In the House: Flitner, Greear, and Laursen voted AYE. Northrup voted NAY. In the Senate: Peterson and Coe voted nay.
CAMPUS CARRY. HB0136 failed. In the House: Flitner, Greear, and Laursen voted AYE. Northrup voted NAY.
SCHOOL DISTRICT CHOICE ON GUN CARRY. HB 0194 passed & was signed. All Park County legislators voted AYE.
[sta_anchor id=”issues”]OTHER MAJOR LEGISLATION[/sta_anchor]
MINIMUM WAGE – measure to raise the minimum wage — HB 140 failed with all PC reps voting against it.
SCHOOL FINANCE – OMNIBUS EDUCATION FUNDING — HB 236 passed with all PC reps voting against it.
AUTOMATIC RESTORATION OF THE RIGHT TO VOTE — HB75 passed with all PC reps except David Nothrup voting for it.
RECORDING OF LEGISLATIVE MEETINGS — HB276 failed with all PC reps voting for it.
EMPLOYMENT NONDISCRIMINATION — SF 153 failed – voting not available
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BILLS INTRODUCED BY PC REPS
Representatives COURT and FLITNER introduced no legislation
for more information and the text of these bills click here
[sta_anchor id=”laursen”]Representative Laursen Introduced[/sta_anchor]
1). HB 0049. Failed. To eliminate Mountain Daylight Savings Time in Wyoming
2). HB 0050. Pending. To limit the scope of actions of delegates to a U.S. Constitution Article V (concerning amendments to the U.S. Constitution).
3). HB 0072. Failed. To consider volunteer health care workers attending the poor to be government workers an immune to liability claims.
4). HB 0090. Pending. Concealed Weapons-Military Family Applicants – a spouse of a member of the military residing outside the state need not come to the state to obtain a concealed carry permit.
5). HB 0092. Passed/Signed. Payment of wages upon termination-time limits. Establishes the date for the payment of wages to an employee who quits or is discharged where the employee has a collective bargaining agreement.
6). HB 0093. Failed. WICHE repayment program-veterinary medicine students.
7). HB 0181. Failed. Government contracts-labor organizations. Ensures that relationship(s) with labor can not be used either for or against in determining who will receive a state government contract.
8). HB 0211. Passed/Signed. Developmental preschool payment calculations-amendments.
9). HB 0252. Failed. Presented with State Senator Ray Peterson. Management council membership.
10). HB 0290. Failed. State Lodging Tax. To levy a 1% state lodging tax, the proceeds to go to the state Game and Fish.
11). HJ0003. Failed. Single subject amendment resolution. A JOINT RESOLUTION requesting Congress to call a convention for the purpose of proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to require that every law enacted by Congress shall embrace only one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in its title.
[sta_anchor id=”greear”]Representative Greear introduced[/sta_anchor]
1). HB 0096. Failed. With Rep Dan Laursen. Microbrewery Permits specifications.
2). HB 0097. Passed/Signed. Wyoming Uniform Transfer to Minors Act-amends the act to allow for minorities to extend to the age of 30 under certain conditions.
3). HB 0098. Passed/Signed. LLC-dissolution distributions. Distributions need not be paid only in money.
4). HB 0123. Postponed. Probate-estates of nonresidents. Removes stipulation of $200,000 value.
5). HB 0124. Passed/Signed. Uniform Trust Code amendments.
6). HB 0125. Passed/Signed. Sealing of Trust Documents. Clarifies who is a beneficiary.
7). HB 0281. Withdrawn. Unlawful use of water.
[sta_anchor id=”northrup”]Representative Northrup introduced[/sta_anchor]
1). HB 0138. Not considered. School finance class sizes .
2). HB 0139. Passed/Signed. School finance-court ordered placement; specifying when a school district may count children under court ordered placement among its average daily membership
3). HB 0163. Passed/Signed. With Senator Coe. Elections-recount deposits. Raises the fees relative to the gap in the original count.
4). HB 0196. Not considered. Teachers online credentialing system.
5). HB 0201. Failed. With Senator Coe. Presidential primary elections. Provides for a Presidential primary election to determine the major parties preferred primary candidate.
6). HB 0261. Not considered. Diversion dam operation and turbidity measure.
7). HB 0278. Failed. Special nonresident hunting license draw.
8). HB 0282. Died in committee. Recount results.
[sta_anchor id=”winters”]Representative Winters introduced[/sta_anchor]
1). HB 0110. Not considered. With Rep. Laursen and Senators Coe and Peterson. Education-continuing contract status.
2). HB 0279. Failed. With Senator Peterson. Wyoming anti boycott, divestment and sanctions. Among other items, the proposed bill “prohibits public contracts with companies that boycott Israel as specified; requiring investment policies to limit investment of state funds and retirement funds in companies that boycott Israel;”
3). HJ0001. Failed. With Rep Laursen and Senator Peterson. Call for a Constitutional Convention for proposing constitutional amendments limited to imposing fiscal restraints on the federal government, limiting the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, etc.
4). HJ0009. Not considered. With Rep Greear. National speech and debate education day.
[sta_anchor id=”coe”]Senator Coe[/sta_anchor]introduced
1). SF 0119. Postponed. Grand Teton National Park- transfer of state lands. Providing for the sale of the Kelly Parcel to the US Department of Interior.
2). SF 0097. Passed/Signed. Tobacco settlement data sharing.
3). SF 0126. Passed/Signed. Guides and outfitters-penalties.
[sta_anchor id=”peterson”]Senator Peterson[/sta_anchor] introduced
1). SJ0005. Failed. With Rep. Winters. Countermand amendment. A JOINT RESOLUTION making an application to the United States Congress to call an Article V convention of the several states for the purpose of proposing the state legislatures’ pre-approved single issue countermand amendment to the United States Constitution.
2). SF 0098. Withdrawn. Involuntary commitment-standards for commitment.
3). SF 0087. Not considered. With Rep Winters. Countermand amendment provisions. An Article V constitutional amendment limiting the powers of the federal government and expanding those of the states. (Back to top)
[sta_anchor id=”back”]What Legislation Did Our Legislators introduce?[/sta_anchor]
Click on the names of the NW Wyoming legislators listed below to find out what legislation they introduced in the 2017 session.
Senator Henry H.R. “Hank” Coe
Cody, Wyoming
Represents Cody, N & S Forks, Meeteetse
Hank.Coe@wyoleg.gov
Senator R. Ray Peterson
Cowley, Wyoming
Represents N & W Powell, Lovell, Greybull
Ray.Peterson@wyoleg.gov
Senator Wyatt Agar
Introduced No Legislation
Thermopolis, WY
Wyatt.Agar@wyoleg.gov
Representative Scott B. Court
Introduced No Legislation
Cody, Wyoming
W & Central Cody, N. & S. Forks
Scott.Court@wyoleg.gov
Representative Jamie Flitner
Introduced No Legislation
Greybull, Wyoming
Jamie.Flitner@wyoleg.gov
Representative Dan Laursen
Powell, Wyoming
Dan.Laursen@wyoleg.gov
Representative David Northrup
Powell & North Cody
David.Northrup@wyoleg.gov
Representative Nathan Winters
Thermopolis to Meeteetse
Nathan.Winters@wyoleg.gov
Representative Mike Greear
Washakie County
Mike.Greear@ wyoleg.gov