HB 29 amends Wyoming's Hathaway scholarship program to increase scholarship awards and adjust fund management. It merges the reserve and expenditure accounts, increases the available balance in the expenditure account, and modifies investment rules to allow more flexible fund use. The key change increases the Hathaway opportunity scholarship to $840 per semester (based on enrollment hours) for qualifying students with a 2.50 high school GPA and 2015-2016 national percentile rank of 43 or higher on college entrance exams. These changes directly affect Wyoming students pursuing degrees or certificates at eligible institutions who meet the academic criteria. The bill also requires annual reporting of fund balances and transfers to the endowment fund.
This bill proposes amending Wyoming's constitution to clarify management of the Permanent Wyoming Mineral Trust Fund (PWMTF). It requires all earnings from fund investments to be transferred annually to a separate earnings fund (currently not specified in the constitution), rather than being deposited directly into the general fund. The amendment also mandates that any losses from investments or loans made from the fund's principal (corpus) must be replaced by the Legislature, ensuring the fund's principal remains intact. This directly affects how Wyoming manages mineral tax revenues - derived from coal, oil, and gas extraction - protecting the fund's long-term stability for future generations.
SF 56 amends Wyoming's lottery laws to allow the purchase of lottery tickets using virtual currency, as defined by state law. This directly affects lottery players who wish to use virtual currency and retailers who sell tickets. The bill specifically adds virtual currency as an approved payment method under existing regulations, while maintaining that all other sales must be for cash only (prohibiting checks, credit cards, etc.). The change took effect on July 1, 2022.
This bill proposes a constitutional amendment to provide a property tax exemption for Wyoming homeowners aged 65+ who have lived in their primary residence for at least 10 years. It would exempt 50% of the first $200,000 in home value from property taxes for qualifying seniors (or surviving spouses who previously qualified). Local governments would receive reimbursement from the state for revenue lost due to this exemption, and the legislature could adjust the $200,000 cap through future action. The exemption applies to property tax years starting January 1, 2023, and requires voter approval to become law.
HB 147 changes Wyoming's state budget process by requiring that recommended spending for each two-year budget cycle cannot exceed two-thirds of the state's actual revenue from the previous three fiscal years. This limits how much the state can spend based on verified past revenue, excluding certain funds like pension reserves and unencumbered balances. The bill directly affects state budget planners, the governor's office, and the legislature when developing annual budgets. It repeals older budget rules about fund transfers and stabilization accounts, effective July 1, 2023. The key change is a new revenue-based spending cap to prevent budgeting based on projected or hypothetical revenue increases.
This bill allows restaurants located in airports offering commercial air service to obtain resort retail liquor licenses, provided they seat at least 50 people. It specifically prohibits these airport restaurants from selling alcohol for off-premises consumption (like takeout). The law amends Wyoming's liquor licensing statutes to create this new category for airport restaurants and clarifies that existing rules for off-premises sales do not apply to them. The bill took effect on July 1, 2022.
This bill (SF 112) requires multiple Wyoming state agencies to submit regular reports to legislative committees about their operations and financial activities during the 2022-2024 period. It mandates the Governor’s Office to report quarterly on infrastructure grant spending, the State Treasurer’s Office to provide monthly financial updates and quarterly reconciliation reports, and the Corrections Department to detail funding use for mental health programs and alternative sanctions. The Tourism Board must also report on welcome center improvements. These reports aim to increase transparency around state fund usage and program outcomes for legislative oversight. The bill primarily affects state agencies managing public funds and programs, with reporting deadlines ranging from monthly to annual.
This constitutional amendment (HJ 6) clarifies how Wyoming's permanent common school fund - funded by land sale/lease proceeds - manages investment earnings. It requires all earnings (including investment gains, not just interest) to be deposited into a separate earnings fund, and mandates that the legislature must cover any investment losses to restore the fund's value. Unspent earnings must remain in this separate fund or be added to the permanent school fund, rather than being distributed annually. The bill directly affects Wyoming's public school funding system, ensuring all earnings exclusively support public schools as required by the state constitution.
Wyoming's SF 81 clarifies that the state owns all underground water within its boundaries, as established by the state constitution. The bill preserves existing water use rights for well owners (for irrigation, municipal, or industrial purposes) but requires registration of wells with the state engineer by specific deadlines. It mandates permits for new well construction after July 1, 2022, while allowing existing "exempt" wells to register before December 31, 1972. The bill is declaratory - clarifying current law without altering existing water rights or creating new restrictions.
HB 30 increases the maximum allowable cash reserves for Wyoming school districts from 15% to 30% of their base state education funding (the "foundation program amount") for fiscal years 2022-2026. School districts must separately report any reserves exceeding 30% and cannot use that excess for capital construction projects. However, funds designated for major building repairs and replacements are exempt from the capital construction restriction. This bill directly affects all public school districts in Wyoming receiving state education funding.
HB 37 transfers Wyoming's juvenile justice information system from the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation to the Department of Family Services. It requires the Department to standardize how juvenile justice data is collected, shared, and coordinated by creating uniform rules for data gathering, methodologies, and best practices across state and local agencies. The bill repeals outdated requirements for submitting certain juvenile justice information and updates confidentiality provisions to align with the new system. These changes aim to improve data consistency and accessibility for agencies handling juvenile justice cases.
HB 59 modifies Wyoming's worker's compensation system to address COVID-19 claims. It exempts certain employer claims (for injuries occurring January 1, 2020, through March 31, 2022, filed by December 30, 2020, or March 31, 2023) from affecting the employer's experience rating. Instead, the state division must estimate the claim's cost and deposit that amount into the worker's compensation fund using federal CARES Act funds or other available federal pandemic relief money. This change ensures employers don't face higher insurance rates for qualifying COVID-19 workplace injuries while utilizing federal resources.
