State legislature continues to review and advance bills
As the 2025 Wyoming Legislative General Session approaches its midpoint, state lawmakers are diligently reviewing a wide range of House Bills (HB) and Senate Files (SF), but are mindful time is running out.
A total of 93 HBs and two House Joint Resolutions (HJ) were not brought forward for introduction, resulting in their expiration as the looming Senate deadline was observed last week, and the House’s deadline was Feb. 3.
Among the bills that died were HB0099, which would have allowed public land corner crossing and HJ0006, which would amend the Wyoming Constitution to provide for the election of judges and to repeal conflicting constitutional provisions concerning the selection and retention of judges.
SFs which did not make the cut during the third reading include SF0003, separating mule deer and white-tailed deer hunting seasons and SF0021, banning cellphones in schools.
Bills still pending include HB0005, which would regulate fishing outfitters and guides and the registration of fishing boats; SF0064, Wyoming’s opposition to mandatory electronic identification devices for livestock and SF0121, designing a license plate to recognize rodeo as the official sport of Wyoming.
All legislative bills remain alive but must pass their third and final reading from their house of origin on or before Feb. 12.
State spending
On Feb. 4, two bills – HB0270 and HB0271 – which aim to reduce state spending and cut millions of dollars in educational funding each fiscal year, were passed by the House and will now move to the Senate for consideration.
HB0270 reduces the state’s spending from the Wyoming Permanent Mineral Trust Fund from five percent to 4.5 percent of a five-year rolling average market value, and it also proposes cuts to the Common School Account.
“Folks, we don’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem,” states Rep. John Bear (R-H03) during the third and final reading of the bills. “I really have a lot of faith in this body that we are going to keep our spending under control, and we’ll be able to withstand this $28 million reduction in education funding per year.”
However, Rep. Steve Harshman (R-H37) warned lawmakers multiple times during the meeting this legislation would “pull the rug out” from kindergarten through 12th grade school districts.
He argues the loss in revenue from these bills is equivalent to funding an entire small school district, such as Laramie County School District #2.
Harshman proposed multiple amendments to reduce the spending outlined in Bear’s legislation, but all of them failed.
State elected position
The House Judiciary Committee approved HB0102 on Feb. 5 by a vote of six to three, which would make the Wyoming attorney general an elected position.
Supporters of the bill have criticized current Attorney General Bridget Hill for either delaying the filing of lawsuits or for not filing enough of them.
Currently, Wyoming is one of only seven states that do not elect their attorney general, as the position is appointed and reports directly to the governor.
HB0102 was introduced by Rep. Scott Heiner (R-H37) and would not go into effect until the 2026 election if passed.
Under the bill, the attorney general would also serve at the pleasure of the legislature and Supreme Court, as well as the governor.
Currently, the attorney general works for the governor only, a status which has existed throughout Wyoming’s statehood.
Ballot harvesting
A series of bills aimed at changing the way Wyoming conducts elections is gaining traction in the state legislature.
One notable bill, sponsored by Rep. Steve Johnson (R-H08), is the prohibition of ballot harvesting.
This bill easily passed through the House committee on Feb. 5 and will be further debated in the Senate.
The ballot harvesting prohibition bans the practice of collecting ballots to deliver to the clerk, which is known as ballot harvesting.
This bill is part of a broader initiative supported by Secretary of State Chuck Gray to enhance the security of Wyoming’s elections and improve election integrity.
Additionally, an amendment passed by the House Appropriations Committee permits employees of residential care facilities to deliver ballots for qualified voters residing within those facilities to the clerk.
This includes employees from nursing homes, assisted living facilities, adult family homes and community-based residential facilities.
To deliver the absentee ballot, the employee must file an affidavit with the county clerk using a form provided by the Secretary of State’s Office.
All affidavits must be submitted to the Secretary of State within 30 days after the election.
To stay up to date on happenings in the Wyoming Legislature, visit wyoleg.gov.
Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
