This bill designates the portion of U.S. Highway 20 in Wyoming - from the Montana border to the Nebraska border - as the "Wyoming Medal of Honor Highway." It directs the Wyoming Department of Transportation to install and maintain markers displaying three versions of the Medal of Honor along this highway segment, honoring the state's 17 Medal of Honor recipients who served in conflicts from the Civil War to Vietnam. The resolution specifically recognizes Wyoming residents connected to these recipients, including those from Casper, Cheyenne, and other cities. Veterans' groups have offered to fund the markers, and the bill requires the DOT to accept such contributions. The measure is ceremonial, with no new funding or policy changes, solely serving to memorialize military valor.
Wyoming's SF 38 limits probation terms for certain offenders to a maximum of 42 months, applying to felony convictions (excluding violent crimes like murder or sexual assault) and first-time drug offenses under specific statutes. The bill caps probation duration at 42 months for most cases, though judges may extend it beyond this limit for "good cause" after considering public safety and rehabilitation goals. It directly affects individuals sentenced under Wyoming statutes 7-13-301, 7-13-302, and 35-7-1037, including those convicted of non-violent felonies or first-time possession of controlled substances. The law took effect July 1, 2019, replacing prior rules that allowed longer probation terms for some offenses.
This bill requires Wyoming circuit courts to maintain separate bank accounts for different types of court funds. Specifically, it mandates that fines, penalties, and court costs cannot be deposited into the same account as money from civil cases. Interest earned on fines/penalties must be sent monthly to the county public school fund, while interest on other deposits goes quarterly to the state victim's compensation fund. The law took effect July 1, 2019, and applies to all circuit courts managing court-generated revenue.
SF 110 repeals the legislative management audit committee, select committees, and legislatively created task forces in Wyoming. It removes reporting requirements for these bodies and adjusts appointment procedures for other legislative councils and commissions. This bill directly affects the Wyoming Legislature by eliminating existing committee structures and streamlining how members are appointed to remaining advisory bodies.
SF 39 would have required Wyoming's legislature to approve any changes to interstate water compacts before they take effect. This bill directly affects Wyoming's state government and its water management decisions, as it would have prevented the state from binding itself to new or altered water agreements without legislative consent. Key provisions include mandating legislative approval for amendments to interstate water compacts (excluding court rulings) and requiring the Attorney General to report such actions to the legislature. The bill, introduced in 2019 but never passed, aimed to ensure state lawmakers had a formal role in major water policy decisions involving neighboring states.
This bill (SF 126) updates Wyoming's licensing rules for addictions professionals, including certified addictions practitioners and licensed addictions therapists. It requires a bachelor's degree in a relevant field (like psychology or criminal justice) or equivalent education, specifies supervised clinical experience hours (4,000 for associate degree holders), and allows applicants to use exams from national organizations like NADAC or ICC. Crucially, it creates a new pathway for out-of-state license holders to obtain Wyoming licensure without retaking exams if they hold a valid license in another state with "substantially similar" practice scope for at least two years. The bill also sets standards for clinical supervisors and mandates the licensing board to adopt implementing rules by October 2019.
Wyoming's SF 68 prohibits misrepresenting non-meat products as "meat" in labeling, advertising, or sales. It requires retailers and wholesalers to clearly label products not derived from harvested livestock or poultry as "imitation food" and foreign meat as "imported" with country of origin. The bill defines "meat" as specific edible muscle parts (excluding lips, snout, or ears) and applies to businesses selling meat or meat-like products. It became effective July 1, 2019, and mandates the Department of Agriculture to create labeling rules.
This bill proposes a constitutional amendment to remove the current 4% debt limit on municipal sewer projects in Wyoming. It would allow the legislature to establish new debt limits for sewer systems through regular law instead of the fixed constitutional cap. The amendment directly affects cities and towns seeking to fund sewer infrastructure, as it would provide greater flexibility in financing these projects. If approved by voters, it would change how municipalities can borrow for sewage systems under state law.
HB 216 creates the Wyoming Children's Income Account, which uses investment earnings from the existing Wyoming Children's Trust Fund to fund specific programs. The income account finances grants to nonprofits and public organizations for prevention programs, educational seminars, and program evaluations. It also mandates a one-time transfer of unspent trust fund income and federal contributions to the income account by June 30, 2020, and appropriates $270,000 (from 2016-2018 investment earnings) for grants through June 2020. Funds must be used strictly for authorized purposes, with unspent amounts reverting to the account by July 1, 2020.
HB 66 imposes a new 5% statewide tax on lodging services (such as hotels and short-term rentals) in Wyoming. The tax is split: 3% goes to a newly created Wyoming Tourism Account for tourism board operations, while 2% is distributed monthly to counties based on where the tax was collected. Counties receiving the 2% share must distribute it to cities/towns that impose local lodging taxes (up to 2% under existing law) or retain it for tourism purposes if no local tax exists. The bill also revises how local lodging taxes (up to 4% countywide) interact with this new state tax.
Wyoming's HB 310 creates a state endowment fund and a task force to study how to make two years of community college or University of Wyoming education as free as possible for Wyoming residents. The task force will examine models like Tennessee Promise, review existing scholarship programs, and determine funding needs to cover tuition and mandatory fees for two years of undergraduate study. The program would be funded by earnings from the endowment, which must reach $400 million before implementation. It aims to provide free education regardless of academic achievement for entry, though it may consider academic standards for continued enrollment.
Wyoming's SF 146 requires state departments to study the potential costs and benefits of expanding Medicaid, directly affecting state agencies (insurance, family services, health, and library) and future policy decisions. The study must analyze enrollment demographics, provider reimbursement impacts (including hospitals and physicians), administrative costs, income cliffs in welfare programs, and compare findings to previous studies and Oregon's Medicaid expansion experience. It mandates specific cost breakdowns showing federal vs. state expenses under different federal match scenarios (90% vs. 50% for benefits) and includes health status impact analysis based on academic literature. The bill does not expand Medicaid but provides a framework for evaluating such a change.
