First new bills signed into law

Governor Mark Gordon signed the first bills to emerge from the 2023 session of the Wyoming State Legislature last week. Just three were originally slated to reach the governor’s desk on Wednesday, a number that had grown to 36 by the time he picked up his pen.

By the end of the week, a total of 45 new bills had become law.

The first was SF 023, the “Court Supervised Treatment Programs Act”, which transfers oversight of court-supervised treatment programs to the Wyoming Supreme Court.

The governor praised this in a statement, calling it an example of a collaborative effort between the three branches of state government and an opportunity to strengthen Wyoming’s drug treatment courts.

Chief Justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court Kate Fox also expressed her support and said it would improve how the judicial branch addresses mental health and substance abuse issues.

Another bill highlighted by Gordon was HB 069, which provides additional flexibility for the governor to utilize an account dedicated to funding litigation against entities that, “impede Wyoming’s ability to export coal, that cause the early retirement of coal-fired electric generation facilities located in Wyoming, that result in the decreased use of Wyoming coal or the closure of coal-fired electric generation facilities that use Wyoming coal.”

Gordon commented upon signing the bill: “Coal has a future in Wyoming. Thank you to the Legislature for helping to make a broader use of these funds, so we can be much more proactive in protecting our coal industries’ future.”

Declining to give his signature to HB 024 on Friday, the governor provided his thoughts in a letter to the Speaker of the House, Albert Sommers. The bill amends the performance compensation limits for analysts within the State Treasurer’s Department and the Wyoming retirement system.

The bill gave Gordon heartburn, he said, not because he doesn’t understand that it is needed to attract the best professionals to the two agencies and ensure the highest risk-adjusted returns on Wyoming’s funds, but because the plan depends on self-reporting.

“We need to examine the rules and procedures surrounding performance compensation to ensure that it is implemented fairly and transparently, with appropriate standards,” he wrote.

Additional bills signed include:

HB 012 – This new law establishes a new penalty for a fifth or subsequent conviction of theft. This felony will be punishable by up to ten years of imprisonment, a $10,000 fine or both.

HB 011 – Fentanyl will now be added to the list of controlled substances that qualify as a child endangerment offense.

HB 097 – Adds chancery court to the jurisdiction for lawsuits that relate to government contracts filed under the Wyoming Governmental Claims Act.

HB 050 – Updates the priority list for municipalities seeking funding for cease and transfer projects. Moorcroft appears at number four on the list for a total of $1.5 million in funding, and again at number 16 for $2.6 million in funding.

HB 045 – Allows for rehiring of retired law enforcement officers and repeals the mandatory retirement age for Wyoming Highway Patrol, Wyoming Game & Fish wardens and under the Criminal Investigator Retirement Act.

HB 039 – Authorizes the Wyoming Department of Transportation to verify honorable discharge of a veteran for the veteran designation on a driver’s license.

HB 029 – Allows distance education courses at community to be treated the same as in-person courses in terms of state reimbursement.

HB 028 – Increases the minimum estimated cost of a community college construction project to require approval from the Community College Commission from $100,000 to $250,000.

HB 012 – Amends the percentages used to determine how much child support a parent is obligated to according to the combined income of both parents.

HB 010 – Increases the amount of the bond that county officers are required to give upon taking office. County clerks, assessors and sheriffs, for instance, must now give a bond of $100,000 (an increase from $10,000, $5000 and $4000 respectively).

HB 070 – Modifies the definition of a home-based educational program to now include a program provided to more than one family unit. “This is an important, common-sense law for families who choose to homeschool their children,” said House Majority Floor Leader Chip Neiman, who authored the bill. “Homeschooled children will benefit greatly from the broader involvement this new law allows. This measure will lead to a richer experience for home-schooled students and provide more tools to advance their education.”

HB 026 – Clarifies the Legislature’s ability to appropriate money for the design and construction phase of a school facility project separately.

SF 002 – Removes the sunset date from the Wyoming Telecommunications Act.

SF 004 – Amends the codes for extrahazardous industries for worker’s compensation to conform with changes to the North American Classification System manual.

SF 007 – Repeals the statutes that authorize the use of apprenticeship programs on public works projects.

SF 013 – Changes the requirements for bar and grill liquor license requirements to be based on population formulas and sets the rules for the sale of alcoholic and malt beverages.

SF 026 – Adopts the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact, which regulates the practice of telepsychology (the provision of psychological services using telecommunication technologies).

SF 122 – Extends the amount of time for a nonresident employed in Wyoming to temporarily register their vehicles from 120 to 180 days.

SF 118 – Removes federal encumbrances from the calculations of state fund balances.

SF 057 – Determines that any outstanding debt on the state-held bonds of two drainage districts established in the 1930s (Lovell Drainage District and the North Bench District) are uncollectible and adds $24,000 to the common school account from the general fund to restore the amount lost by doing so.

SF 036 – Requires vacancies on the Investment Funds Committee and its selection panel to be filled within 60 days.

SF 033 – Defines “aircraft” within the context of prohibiting their use for hunting. “Aircraft” will now mean “any machine or device capable of atmospheric flight”, to include planes, helicopters, gliders, dirigibles or unmanned aerial vehicles.

SF 028 – Specifies the inclusion of tribal lands in the testing, containment and reimbursement programs for livestock contagious and infectious diseases.

SF 017 – Requires off-road recreational vehicles used on public roads to be equipped with horns and warning devices, mufflers and mirrors, and to have liability insurance.

SF 015 – Removes the requirement for a state employee to have held their position for a year before being given a leave of absence for military duty.

SF 014 – Extends Wyoming National Guard malpractice indemnity, which previously applied only to attorneys and doctors, to other professionals.

SF 005 – Grants discretion to the Insurance Commissioner as to whether reporting of medical malpractice claims is required.

SF 006 – Clarifies language in the statutes regarding unfair insurance discrimination and insurance rebate and authorizes specified insurance rebates.

SF 024 – Requires financial institutions to report the financial exploitation of vulnerable adults.

SF 063 – Allows the Department of Revenue to waive or credit interest related to mine product taxes.

SF 059 – Allows the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources to expend up to 60% of the funds in the state parks account, instead of the previous cap of 30%.

SF 020 – Strikes the requirement for the photograph used on a driver’s license to be in color.

SF 018 – Makes amendments to the death benefits allowable for spouses of law enforcement members.

SJ 007 – A reaffirmation of Wyoming’s relationship with Taiwan as its “sister state”.

HB 035 – Creates an exception to certification for daycare facilities with fewer than eight enrolled children, under specific circumstances.

HB 082 – Specifies that the examination of mentally ill criminal defendants charged with misdemeanors shall not occur at the state hospital on an inpatient basis.

HB 160 – Allows veterans to use their driver’s license as proof of veteran status instead of military form DD 214.

HB 147 – Amends the crime of interference with the lawful taking of wildlife to include knowingly posting signs that restrict access to or use of federal lands on which taking wildlife is permitted.

HB 019 – Creates the Indian Child Welfare Act task force.

SF 078 – Requires the Department of Workforce Services to provide information to high school students on apprenticeship and on-the-job training programs.

SF 176 – Allows two or more existing solid waste disposal districts to consolidate.

SF 041 – Limits the allowable locations for skill-based amusement games to truck stops, smoke shops or places permitted to sell liquor or malt beverages.