SF 152 creates a Wildfire Management Task Force to study wildfire impacts on state lands, local fire agencies, and communities. The task force, including legislative members, state officials, and industry representatives, must report by October 2025 with recommendations for future legislation. The bill also updates the state forester’s duties to include managing fire control programs on state lands, pre-positioning resources during high-risk periods, and setting standards for privately contracted fire services. It appropriates $50,000 total ($25,000 each for legislative and non-legislative members) to fund the task force, which will operate until December 31, 2026.
This is a symbolic joint resolution (HJ 3), not a binding law. It formally recognizes Wyoming's constitutional obligation to provide equal access to free public education for all students, including those in rural areas, and acknowledges the importance of small rural schools serving 102 students across 12 districts. The resolution makes no new funding or policy changes; it simply states the legislature's position and directs the Secretary of State to share it with the Department of Education for distribution to school districts. It does not require any action from schools or the state government.
HB 259 allocates $29.8 million in supplemental funding for 15 specific K-12 school projects across Wyoming school districts (like Sublette High School and Sheridan Elementary) to address facility needs during the 2024-2026 fiscal biennium. It also provides $1.8 million for unanticipated project costs and reappropriates $13.4 million from prior unspent funds to cover inflationary costs on existing projects without altering their original scope. Funds must be spent according to a schedule set by the school facilities commission, with monthly progress reports required for transparency. Any unspent funds after project completion revert to the public school foundation account, ensuring accountability for taxpayer dollars.
HB 83 creates a legal presumption that parents required to register as sex offenders (under Wyoming law) cannot have unsupervised visitation with children. It also requires courts to specifically consider any parent's sex-related conviction when determining child custody in divorce cases. The bill amends Wyoming statutes to add this factor to custody decisions and establishes the visitation presumption, effective July 1, 2025. This directly affects parents with sex offense convictions and family courts handling custody disputes.
This Wyoming bill prohibits foreign nationals from controlling or influencing groups collecting signatures for statewide ballot initiatives or referendums. It requires these groups to certify they receive no foreign funding, verify donors aren't foreign nationals, and maintain financial records for five years. Violations trigger civil penalties of up to twice the prohibited amount, with enforcement by the Secretary of State. The law directly affects organizations seeking to place statewide votes on the ballot.
SF 100 allows children under 16 who are victims of incest, sexual assault, human trafficking, or certain violent crimes to testify remotely in court to reduce emotional distress. The court must hold a hearing and find that in-person testimony would cause more than minimal distress before permitting remote testimony, which uses closed-circuit technology to let the child testify separately from the defendant and jury. The bill also requires courts to provide accommodations like breaks, a supportive adult present (not a witness), or a therapeutic dog to help the child feel comfortable during testimony. It ensures defendants maintain real-time communication with their attorney during the child’s testimony and may exclude the jury from the child’s testimony room if needed. The law takes effect July 1, 2025.
The Wyoming Religious Freedom Restoration Act (HB 207) protects individuals and religious organizations from government actions that interfere with their religious practices, unless the government proves it has a compelling reason and uses the least restrictive approach possible. It defines government interference as denying benefits, imposing penalties, excluding from programs, or blocking access to facilities, and requires strict justification for such actions. People affected by these government actions can challenge them in court to seek remedies like injunctions, compensation, or other relief. The law applies to all state and local laws, rules, and policies, effective July 1, 2025.
HB 192 requires Wyoming electric utilities (excluding city or town-owned systems) to create and submit detailed wildfire mitigation plans to the Public Service Commission. These plans must cover risk areas, infrastructure inspections, vegetation management, facility upgrades, de-energization procedures, community outreach, and cost estimates for regulated utilities. The Commission must review and approve plans within 120 days, and utilities must update plans every five years with annual compliance reports. The bill also allows regulated utilities to seek cost recovery for approved mitigation measures, though plan approval does not automatically grant this right.
Wyoming's SF 74 provides legal immunity from prosecution for two specific drug offenses - possession (W.S. 35-7-1031(c)) and use (W.S. 35-7-1039) - when a person reports or seeks medical help for a suspected overdose. To qualify, individuals must stay at the scene until help arrives, provide location details, cooperate with responders, and reasonably believe a drug overdose is occurring. The immunity applies only to the overdose event itself and limits eligibility to two incidents per person annually. This bill directly affects people experiencing overdoses and those reporting emergencies, aiming to encourage life-saving medical assistance without fear of criminal charges for minor drug offenses.
HB 94 removes a limit on the number of charter schools the Wyoming Charter School Authorizing Board can approve, effective March 15, 2025. Previously, the board could authorize no more than three (later amended to four) charter schools operated by entities other than school districts before July 1, 2026. The bill eliminates this cap, allowing the board to authorize any number of charter schools meeting statutory requirements. It directly affects the authorizing board and organizations seeking to establish new charter schools outside school district management.
HB 36 amends Wyoming's Hathaway scholarship program to clarify that "certificate" includes trade programs (like welder or commercial driver training). It requires students receiving the scholarship after July 1, 2025, to either work in Wyoming for one year or attend graduate school at the University of Wyoming for one year for every four academic semesters of scholarship funding. The bill also mandates the Wyoming Department of Education to adopt implementing rules by July 2025. This directly affects new scholarship recipients pursuing certificates or degrees at eligible Wyoming institutions. The changes take effect July 1, 2025, for new awards.
SF 127 requires the Wyoming legislature to approve "major agency rules" before they take effect. This affects state agencies creating significant regulations (like environmental or business rules) and the legislature, which must vote to approve or reject these rules within the next regular or special session after receiving them. The bill establishes a timeline for review, specifies that rules not approved become void, and allows the governor to temporarily bypass this for emergency rules (limited to 120 days). Key provisions include requiring agencies to provide impact analyses and ensuring rules cannot take effect without legislative approval, except for short-term emergencies.
