This bill revises Wyoming's homeowner property tax exemption rules. It removes the requirement that homeowners must reside in their property for at least eight months each year to qualify for the exemption, effective for tax year 2026. The bill also adds an exception for active-duty military members: if their service prevents meeting the residency requirement, the property still qualifies if it's the legal domicile of the service member. This change directly affects Wyoming homeowners seeking the property tax exemption, simplifying eligibility for most residents while maintaining a military exception.
This bill changes Wyoming's voter identification requirements for in-person voting. It specifies that only photo IDs in their original, non-expired form are acceptable, removing school ID cards, Medicaid cards, and Medicare cards from approved options. The change applies to all voters casting ballots at polling places or absentee locations. The law takes effect immediately upon becoming law.
This bill amends Wyoming law to clarify that county central committees of political parties must include "duly elected party officials" who have been certified and recorded by the Secretary of State. It directly affects county central committees across Wyoming by expanding their membership to include these certified officials, alongside existing precinct committeemen and committeewomen elected in primary elections. The key provision specifies that party officials must be certified under existing statute (W.S. 22-4-120) to serve on committees. The change takes effect July 1, 2026.
HB 33 repeals Wyoming's Strategic Investments and Projects Account (SIPA), ending its use for state investments. The bill requires all remaining SIPA funds (except those for the Wyoming State Penitentiary Capital Construction Account) to be transferred to the state general fund by July 1, 2026. It preserves annual $10 million transfers from SIPA to the penitentiary account until 2038, while ending all other SIPA operations. The law takes effect July 1, 2026, with reporting requirements for the state auditor. This directly affects state treasury operations and the penitentiary's capital funding, but does not alter existing general fund budgeting.
HB 54 requires independent candidates for partisan offices in Wyoming to affirm they are unaffiliated with any major or minor political party. It increases the signature requirement for independent candidates from 2% to 5% of votes cast for Congress in the last election, and extends the filing deadline for petitions from 70 to 81 days before the primary election. The bill directly affects individuals seeking office as independent candidates for statewide, countywide, or district-level partisan positions. These changes apply to all independent candidates filing petitions under Wyoming law, effective immediately upon enactment.
HB 50 prohibits most people from delivering another voter's ballot to a county clerk, allowing only the voter themselves, immediate family members, or residential care facility employees (for up to five voters per election) to do so. Care facility employees must file a sworn affidavit with the county clerk for each ballot they deliver, and ballots delivered in violation of these rules will not be counted. Violating this law is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison or a $10,000 fine. The bill applies directly to voters who rely on others to submit ballots and to individuals or organizations attempting to collect or deliver multiple ballots.
HB 53 clarifies and formalizes the role of poll watchers in Wyoming elections. The bill requires political parties with candidates on the ballot to certify poll watchers (who must be registered county voters) before each election, limiting them to one per polling place per party unless the chief judge allows more. Poll watchers may observe voter turnout, registration, and vote counting but cannot challenge voters, disrupt operations, or identify how individuals voted. They must wear ID badges and are permitted to observe polling place setup before and shutdown after elections, including during absentee voting periods. The law ensures poll watchers can observe all election processes without interference while maintaining election integrity.
HB 48 requires Wyoming counties to use paper ballots and pens as the default method for marking ballots during in-person voting in all elections. This law directly affects all Wyoming counties and voters participating in in-person elections, replacing current default voting methods with paper ballots unless specific exceptions apply. The bill permits electronic ballot marking devices only for voters with disabilities, provided they meet federal accessibility standards under the Help America Vote Act, and explicitly prohibits these devices from becoming the default voting method. Existing election codes are amended to enforce this requirement, while maintaining accessibility options for voters with disabilities. The bill takes effect immediately upon becoming law.
HB 46 expands Wyoming's existing tax on electricity production from wind resources to also include electricity generated from solar and nuclear facilities. It repeals the separate tax on nuclear electricity and updates the tax rules to cover all three energy sources under a single framework. The tax applies to electricity produced from solar or nuclear resources starting January 1, 2027, and requires producers to report megawatt-hour output annually. This bill directly affects electricity producers using solar or nuclear power in Wyoming, changing how they report and pay taxes on their output.
Wyoming's HB 49 prohibits the use of drop boxes for returning absentee ballots. The bill amends election law to require voters to mail or hand-deliver ballots directly to county clerks, banning any receptacle designed to collect ballots (defined as "drop boxes"). County clerks, election staff, and voters are directly affected by this change, as improperly delivered ballots would be considered spoiled. The law takes effect immediately upon becoming law, eliminating an alternative ballot return method previously allowed in Wyoming.
HB 51 requires Wyoming county clerks to conduct a hand-count audit of ballots in one randomly selected precinct per county after each primary and general election. The Secretary of State randomly chooses the precincts, and county clerks must compare the hand count results to the electronic tabulation within one week of the election. The Secretary of State must adopt implementing rules by July 1, 2026, to define audit procedures and scope. This bill directly affects county election officials and the Secretary of State's office by adding a mandatory verification step to election results.
This Wyoming bill (SF 38) adds a 3% management fee to unspent funds collected by the Wyoming Beef Council. The fee, collected from the council's existing revenue, funds additional services provided directly to the council. It affects Wyoming beef producers who pay fees to the council, as the new fee applies to unobligated portions of those funds. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026.
