Legislature eyes long list of bills

With the deadline now passed for new bills to be introduced during this year's budget session, the Wyoming Legislature has its agenda set for the next few weeks.

The majority of the focus, of course, will be on the budget itself, which passed first reading by the House Committee of the Whole on February 16 and saw legislators undergo a marathon session on Monday that included the introduction of 80 amendments in the House, only 33 of which were adopted, and 59 in the Senate on second reading, of which 24 were adopted.

However, while nearly 100 bills failed to receive introduction before the deadline on Friday, the Legislature will have plenty to chew on over the coming days.

Of all topics, property tax has received the most individual attention, with a wide range of suggestions still on the floor to provide relief for homeowners.

Bills that have been introduced and will be referred to the various committees for consideration include:

Property Tax

• An exemption for any portion of the assessed value of a single-family residence above the previous year's assessed value plus 5% (HB-045 and SF-063).

• A homestead exemption that would exempt a certain amount of a property from taxation, increasing with the owner's age (HB-052).

• A bill that sets the taxable value of residential property as 8.3% (HB-103).

• A property tax exemption for the first $200,000 of fair market value of homes in 2024 and the first $1 million each year thereafter, to be paid for through an additional 2% sales tax (HB-203).

• An exemption for all "tangible personal property" (SF-068).

• An exemption for real property in the "all other property" class (SF-119).

• An exemption for the first $300,000 of fair market value of a primary home (SF-121).

• An exemption on any fair market value in excess of 3% of the prior year's value (SF-126).

• A property tax exemption proposal for long-time homeowners who are over the age of 65 and have paid property tax in Wyoming for more than 30 years (HB-003).

• An amendment to the qualifications for the Property Tax Refund Program for household income to be below 175% of the median for that person's county of residence or the state (HB-004).

• A cap preventing property tax from increasing more than the rate of inflation (HB-018).

• A bill that places administration of the property tax deferral program with the Wyoming Department of Revenue, rather than county commissioners (HB-134).

Judiciary and Law Enforcement

• An increase in the number of judges within the Sixth Judicial District from three to four (SF-053).

• Development of a new cold case database (HB-029).

• A pilot program for forensic genetic genealogical DNA analyses and searches within the Division of Criminal Investigation for purposes such as identifying human remains (HB-059).

• Repeal of gun free zones, such as governmental meetings and schools (HB-125).

• Authorization for parents and guardians to enter into binding settlements on behalf of their children (HB-131).

• The requirement for someone who knowingly disseminated obscene material to a minor to register as a sex offender (SF-031).

• A bill that allows a person who has had his firearm rights restored following conviction of a felony to obtain a concealed carry permit (SF-073).

• A bill specifying that driver's licenses issued by other jurisdictions to unauthorized aliens are invalid (SF-120).

• Permission for a child's parents to change their name without giving public notice (SF-123).

• A prohibition on Red Flag gun seizure (SF-109).

Natural Resources

• Funding for landfill closures, including $1.5 million for the Town of Moorcroft.

• The Natural Resource Protection Act, which states that arbitrarily restricting federal lands from public use is contrary to the principles of multiple use and sustained yield (HB-036).

• The introduction of separate hunting seasons for mule and whitetail deer (SF-111).

• Creation of the Wyoming Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Trust Account Board (HB-067).

• A bill providing for the sale of homemade meat products (SF-103).

• A bill allowing drivers over the age of 18 to receive a hazardous materials endorsement on their commercial driver's license (HB-008).

Elections

• A requirement that a person must have resided in Wyoming for at least 30 days before they are allowed to vote, except for presidential offices (HB-038).

• Clarification of the deadline for school district trustees to take their oath of office (HB-040).

• A prohibition on the use of private funds to conduct elections (HB-042).

• Authorization for county clerks to seek to have "frivolous filings" rejected or notated (HB-089).

• Clarification that a person appointed to a vacancy for a special district governing body shall serve until the office is filled at the next regular election (SF-026).

• A prohibition on distributing unsolicited absentee ballot application forms (SF-097).

Education

• Requirements for school districts to provide parents with information regarding students and reinforcement of the rights of guardians to make decisions about their children (SF-009).

• Creation of Education Savings Accounts, which can be established by any Wyoming student to be used for educational purposes (HB-166).

• A requirement for volunteers in K-12 schools to undergo a background check (HB-175).

• Authorization for charter schools to act as local education agencies to apply for grants (SF-061).

• Requiring the school year to begin after Labor Day and recess before Memorial Day (SF-082).

• A proposal to transfer responsibility for constructing school facilities to school districts (SJ-005).

Health

• Creation of the Mental Health and Vulnerable Adult Task Force (HB-169).

• An appropriation of $40 million for the 988 suicide hotline (HB-186).

• "Chloe's Law", prohibiting gender transition and reassignment procedures on children (SF-099).

• Authorization for special license plates to increase suicide awareness and prevention (HB-144).

Governance

• An appropriation of $146.25 million for local government distributions (HB-070).

• Bills that prohibit non-resident aliens and foreign businesses or governments from owning agricultural land in Wyoming (HB-168) or critical infrastructure (SF-102), or "foreign adversaries" that pose a threat to national security from owning property (SJ-002).

• Permission for the Secretary of State to charge a fee of up to $5000 to expedite filing of documents (HB-079).

• Removal of the minimum fiscal training requirement for public officers (HB-081).

• Several bills related to how the Public Service Commission administers public utilities, such as to engage in long-range planning for public utility resource plans and perform a study into the liabilities already incurred for decommissioning of coal-fired electric generation facilities.

• Permission for county treasurers to provide electronic vehicle registration certificates (HB-023).

• An act preventing the state and its political subdivisions from compelling employees to refer to other employees using their preferred pronouns (SF-094).

• A bill removing federal involvement in the Wyoming State Guard (SF-106).

• Authorization for emergency service volunteers to participate in the state's group insurance plan (SF-008).