HB 257 requires Wyoming's Medicaid program to cover clubhouse-based psychosocial rehabilitation services, which are community programs run by members with staff support to help people with mental health conditions rebuild social connections, find housing, and gain employment skills. It directly affects Medicaid beneficiaries with mental health needs and certified clubhouse providers who can now receive state reimbursement. The bill mandates the Department of Health to include these services in Medicaid, enter contracts with providers (within funding limits), and report annually to the legislature on program outcomes. This policy change expands Medicaid coverage to specifically include these community-based support services, as defined in the bill.
HB 157 allows biological grandparents who have acted as parents (in loco parentis) to petition a court for termination of a child's parents' rights. To qualify, grandparents must have lived with the child without parents for at least one year, assumed full parental responsibilities (including financial support and care), and demonstrated that parents failed to contribute financially or maintain contact for a year. The court must find parents unfit based on specific criteria, such as continuous failure to support the child or engage in parental duties, and must determine termination is in the child's best interests. This bill modifies Wyoming's termination process to explicitly grant standing to qualifying grandparents, requiring them to state their intent to adopt in the petition.
HB 149 creates a property tax credit for individuals who purchase and improve abandoned buildings in Wyoming cities or towns. It allows owners to claim a tax credit equal to their documented costs for rehabilitating designated abandoned properties, such as removing or repairing deteriorating structures. To qualify, owners must get city/town approval for expenses directly tied to the building and submit them to the state revenue department within five years of purchase. The credit is limited to actual improvement costs, cannot exceed the property's tax liability, and must be used within 10 years of eligibility. This policy directly affects property owners and local governments seeking to revitalize vacant, deteriorating buildings.
HB 282 expands Wyoming's definition of "tobacco products" to explicitly include electronic cigarettes, vapor materials, and related accessories, requiring all such products to comply with existing tobacco regulations. It strengthens enforcement by allowing courts to issue 180-day sales bans against retailers (including online sellers) who repeatedly violate minor sales prohibitions. The bill also increases cigarette excise tax rates, raising the tax from $0.006 to $0.011 per cigarette for certain types. These changes directly affect retailers (both physical and online), minors (through enhanced age restrictions), and consumers (via higher product costs).
HB 23 amends Wyoming's education accountability system to refine how schools are rated and supported. It requires schools to receive a performance rating based on student test scores and other metrics, with districts able to request a 15-day review if they believe the rating was calculated incorrectly. The bill mandates the state board to establish clear performance targets for all schools (including alternative schools), develop a multi-tiered support system to help struggling schools improve, and annually report system results to lawmakers. These changes directly affect Wyoming public schools, school districts, and the state board of education, focusing on transparency and targeted assistance rather than new funding or curriculum changes.
HB 70 authorizes Wyoming's Secretary of State to develop and implement a blockchain-based commercial filing system for business-related documents by December 31, 2020. The system would replace current filing methods for documents required under Wyoming statutes (including business registrations, annual reports, and certain financial filings) and must include secure technology, an application programming interface, and robust security measures. The bill appropriates $1 million from the general fund for implementation and requires the Secretary to study potential filing fees, reporting findings to the legislature by August 2020. This directly affects businesses, registered agents, and attorneys who submit filings with the Secretary of State.
HB 86 simplifies probate for property passed through family lines by creating a "summary distribution" process. It allows heirs or beneficiaries to directly claim property inherited through previous family members' estates without full court oversight, using a new definition of "distributee." The bill sets limits on creditor claims against distributed property and requires court decrees to be recorded as proof of ownership. This applies to property distribution cases filed after July 1, 2019, streamlining the process for qualifying heirs.
HB 94 prevents construction contracts in Wyoming from including clauses that require one party to cover the other for the contractor's own negligence or intentional mistakes. It allows contracts to require specific insurance (like project protection coverage) but voids provisions shifting liability for the contractor's own actions. This affects contractors and property owners signing construction agreements, making certain liability clauses unenforceable. The law took effect July 1, 2019, for new or renewed contracts.
HB 246 expands Wyoming's existing volunteer firefighter and EMT pension account to include volunteer search and rescue personnel. It adds specific definitions for "county search and rescue organization" (requiring bylaws, 50% meeting/operation attendance) and "volunteer search and rescue person" (individuals engaged in county-led operations). The bill modifies contribution rules, directing 70% of fire insurance premium taxes to fund this expanded pension account. This change directly affects volunteer search and rescue members in counties meeting the new organizational requirements, providing them access to retirement benefits previously available only to volunteer firefighters and EMTs.
HB 84 requires Wyoming state agencies to conduct biennial evaluations of employee compensation to measure and promote pay equity between male and female employees. It mandates pay adjustments to address disparities identified in these evaluations and adds specific requirements for state-funded training programs to include procedures ensuring pay equity in their hiring plans. Businesses receiving certain state funding, such as through the "kickstart:Wyoming" program, must report annual wage differentials between men and women for each job category and efforts to reduce gaps. The bill directly affects state employees, state-funded training programs, and businesses participating in state economic development initiatives.
HB 28 regulates when and where people can collect shed antlers and big game animal horns on public lands west of Wyoming's Continental Divide. It restricts collection to the period between January 1 and May 1 each year, aiming to minimize disturbance to big game populations. The law directly affects individuals who gather these items during that window on public lands in the specified region. The key provision amends the Game and Fish Commission's authority to enforce this seasonal restriction, effective July 1, 2019.
HB 109 amends Wyoming law to increase the required service period for students in the University of Wyoming's advanced psychiatric nurse practitioner program. It extends the maximum work obligation from two to three years in Wyoming for each academic year of financial support received, with payments capped at $10,000 per semester or $2,500 per summer session. Students must sign agreements committing to this service period as a condition of receiving state-funded tuition support. The bill applies only to new agreements signed on or after July 1, 2019.
