Wyoming's HB 33 requires mining operators using explosives in noncoal surface mining operations to create detailed blasting plans and maintain public records. It mandates that operators log blast locations, explosive amounts, drill patterns, and safety measures for three years, and comply with fire code standards for explosive use. This applies directly to all operators conducting blasting in surface mining (including small-scale operations under 15 acres), requiring them to submit annual reports if explosives are used. The law also specifies that blasting must be performed by trained personnel and designed to prevent injury, property damage, or water resource impacts.
Wyoming's HB 35 limits the state's environmental rulemaking by requiring the Environmental Quality Council to create rules no stricter than federal standards, unless the department specifically justifies a need for stricter rules in writing. The bill directs the department to review existing environmental rules by July 2024 to align with this requirement and report findings to a legislative committee. It directly affects state environmental regulations governing air, water, land, and waste management, which apply to businesses and communities across Wyoming. The law takes effect July 1, 2024, and prohibits new rules exceeding federal requirements without documented justification.
HB 15 sets a two-year time limit for health insurers to seek reimbursement from healthcare providers for overpaid claims. Insurers cannot request repayment for non-fraudulent overpayments more than two years after the claim was paid. This law directly affects insurers and healthcare providers by limiting when insurers can recover overpayments. The policy applies to overpayments made on or after July 1, 2024, with no recovery allowed after the two-year period unless fraud occurred.
HB 12 repeals Wyoming's 1971 Dairy Marketing Act (specifically W.S. 11-36-101 through 11-36-110), removing an existing law that governed dairy marketing regulations. The repeal takes effect on July 1, 2024. This bill directly affects dairy producers and marketers in Wyoming by eliminating the specific regulatory framework established by the 1971 law. It is a procedural repeal with no new provisions or policy changes.
Wyoming's HB 14, the "Ensuring Transparency in Prior Authorization Act," requires health insurers and contracted utilization review entities (like HMOs and PPOs) to make prior authorization requirements clearly accessible online and provide written notice 60 days before changes. It mandates that insurers disclose these requirements to healthcare providers within 24 hours of request and prohibits new restrictions without updating their website first. The bill defines key terms like "urgent health care service" (including mental health care) and "adverse determination" to clarify when coverage is denied based on medical necessity. This directly affects patients, healthcare providers, and insurers by standardizing how prior authorization decisions are communicated and implemented.
This Wyoming bill (SF 21) requires public utilities to share electricity cost changes with customers through approved cost-tracking mechanisms. It directly affects electric utilities and their customers by mandating that any cost-tracking method approved by the Public Service Commission must include shared cost responsibility. The key provision amends utility rate regulations to ensure that when utilities recover electricity cost fluctuations between regular rate reviews, both the utility and customers share those costs. The bill takes effect July 1, 2024, and does not change current rate-setting processes but adds this cost-sharing requirement to new mechanisms.
This bill allows retired firefighters in Wyoming to be rehired by their departments while continuing to receive their retirement benefits. It amends state pension laws to align with the Wyoming Retirement Act's provisions for rehiring retired members. The policy directly affects retired firefighters seeking to return to active duty without losing their retirement income. The bill takes effect July 1, 2024.
This bill updates Wyoming's official land surveying system by modernizing the "Wyoming Plane Coordinate System" to align with current national geodetic standards. It requires all land descriptions using this system to include specific metadata (like survey date and accuracy data), use standardized coordinate formats (e.g., easting/northing in feet or meters), and reference the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS). The changes affect surveyors, county recorders, and anyone preparing land deeds or boundary descriptions in Wyoming, ensuring consistency with updated federal surveying practices. It repeals outdated coordinate standards and clarifies how to handle land crossing coordinate zones.
This bill allows Wyoming's governor to formally accept jurisdiction over specific military lands previously ceded to the federal government. It directly affects state authorities by enabling them to take back control of criminal, civil, or juvenile jurisdiction over military reservations like Fort Francis E. Warren, Cheyenne's powder depot, and other federal military sites, if offered by the federal government. The key mechanism requires the governor to provide written acceptance, which becomes effective upon filing with the secretary of state. The bill does not change existing state rights reserved in prior law. (Note: This is a procedural bill focused on enabling state control, not creating new policy.)
SF 96 appropriates over $4.3 million for water planning and infrastructure studies across Wyoming. It funds specific Level I reconnaissance and Level II feasibility studies for new water development projects (like Glendo Water Master Plan) and rehabilitation efforts (such as Cody Canal repairs), primarily benefiting local irrigation districts and counties. Key provisions allow unspent funds to be reallocated between projects with committee approval and require all unobligated funds to revert to water accounts by July 1, 2026. The bill mandates reports to the legislature on each study before the 2025 session.
Wyoming's SF 127, the Wyoming Stable Token Act, creates a state-issued digital currency called "Wyoming stable tokens," backed 1:1 by U.S. dollars held in a state trust account. The bill establishes a Wyoming Stable Token Commission (governed by the governor, auditor, treasurer, and appointed experts) to oversee the tokens' issuance, management, and redemption. Key provisions require all funds from token sales to be invested solely in U.S. Treasury bills and held in trust to support immediate redemption at face value. The act directly affects token holders (who can redeem tokens for $1 USD) and financial institutions approved by the commission to manage the tokens.
Wyoming's SF 80 mandates that hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, and other 24-hour care facilities must allow visitation for patients. It requires facilities to permit visitors while permitting reasonable restrictions (like visitor limits, timing, or safety equipment) and to provide written visitation policies to patients or their representatives. The law explicitly excludes patients involuntarily detained under certain legal codes or individuals incarcerated by the state. Facilities must visibly post current visitation rules and allow patients to designate or block visitors. The bill takes effect July 1, 2023.
