This bill (SF 147) expands Wyoming's protections for service and assistance animals by explicitly including animals currently in training under the legal definitions of these animals. It increases criminal penalties for injuring or killing such animals, making it a misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months in jail or a $5,000 fine. The law applies directly to individuals who harm or kill service animals (including those in training) or assistance animals, and affects all Wyoming residents and businesses serving people with disabilities. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2025.
HB 20 requires Wyoming school districts and charter schools leasing K-12 facilities to include specific funding for major building maintenance in lease agreements. The bill mandates that lease contracts separately identify and track funds dedicated solely to major maintenance, prohibiting their use for other purposes without approval. If a district leases space not counted toward its total square footage for maintenance calculations, the state will reimburse the district for lease payments - capped at the lesser of the total lease cost or the average cost per square foot for comparable public school facilities. This applies to all lease agreements involving district-owned facilities included in the state's facility database, effective July 1, 2025.
HB 18 modifies Wyoming's school funding formula to increase support for career and technical education (CTE) programs. It changes the calculation for CTE equipment and supplies funding to use "0.29 times FTE vocational CTE ADM" and sets a minimum per teacher amount of either $9,428.77 or $18,857.57 for equipment/supplies, whichever is greater. The bill appropriates $350,000 specifically for CTE supplies, equipment, and replacements for school districts, effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. This directly affects school districts offering CTE programs in grades 9-12 with vocational teachers certified for high school instruction. The changes adjust how funding is distributed under Wyoming's education resource block grant model without requiring full-time CTE teaching assignments.
HB 199, titled the "Wyoming Freedom Scholarship Act" (not "Steamboat Legacy," which appears to be a misreference), creates a state-funded scholarship program for K-12 students in Wyoming. It increases the maximum annual scholarship from $6,000 to $7,000 for students at or below 150% of the federal poverty level, with annual inflation adjustments, and funds it through a new "Wyoming Freedom Scholarship Program Account" using state education revenues. The bill eliminates mandatory certification for private schools and providers but adds voluntary registration, while prohibiting funding from local taxes. It directly affects low-income Wyoming families seeking to use scholarships for public, private, or online education options.
HB 72 requires public facilities in Wyoming, including schools, correctional facilities, and government buildings, to designate multi-occupancy changing rooms, restrooms, and sleeping quarters exclusively for males or females. It prohibits access to opposite-sex designated areas and allows individuals to sue public entities if they encounter someone of the opposite sex in a designated space, unless exceptions apply (like single-occupancy unisex rooms, medical emergencies, or cleaning staff). The bill defines "female" and "male" biologically and specifies that civil lawsuits must be filed within two years of a violation, with successful plaintiffs able to recover attorney fees. This directly affects public facility operators and users in shared spaces, aiming to enforce single-sex facility use through legal accountability.
Wyoming's SF 195 creates a small business emergency bridge loan program administered by the Department of Agriculture. It provides short-term, interest-free loans (up to $1.5 million) to Wyoming small businesses physically located in counties where the governor declares a natural disaster has occurred. Eligible businesses must have been operating before the disaster, have a 50% owner with a 550+ credit score, and use funds solely for disaster recovery like repairing damaged property or replacing equipment - not for expansion. Loans require repayment within three years and must be secured by insurance proceeds or business assets.
HB 300 imposes a 3.5% tax on electricity producers in Wyoming, effective January 1, 2026, based on their annual gross energy earnings from electricity generated within the state. It directly affects utility companies and power generators, while exempting electricity produced by the federal or state government and small personal use (under 500 kWh daily). Producers must report annual revenue by February 1 and pay the tax by the same deadline, with penalties of 5% per 30 days for late filing. The tax revenue will be collected by the Wyoming Department of Revenue and distributed per the bill’s provisions.
Wyoming's SF 9 bill updates rules for restoring voting rights and other civil rights lost due to felony convictions. It automatically restores voting rights for nonviolent felons who complete their sentences after January 1, 2010, without requiring an application, while those who completed sentences before that date still need to submit a written request. The bill clarifies that a new felony conviction voids any restoration certificate and defines "nonviolent felony" as all felonies not classified as violent under existing law. It also requires state agencies to notify the secretary of state and federal authorities when rights are restored.
This bill (SF 19) allows Wyoming's Industrial Siting Council to increase impact assistance payments to counties affected by industrial projects beyond current maximum percentages (2.25%, 2%, or 1.5% of project costs) if they document that existing rates are insufficient to cover identified impacts. The council must specify in its order why higher payments are needed and submit a report to legislative committees within 10 business days of approving an increase. These payments, distributed to counties and local governments, directly affect communities near new industrial facilities (like oil, gas, or manufacturing projects) with estimated construction costs over $350 million. The key mechanism sets a new 2.76% cap for projects under $850 million, requiring the council to justify increases using evidence of unmitigated impacts.
SF 89 repeals Wyoming's bed expansion limitations for hospitals and nursing care facilities, removing the requirement for state approval before adding beds. It modifies health facility regulations so the Department of Health can only review plans for health and life safety compliance, not bed count increases. The bill requires the Department of Health to report to the legislature by September 2029 on how the change affects facility construction and operations. This law takes effect July 1, 2025. (Bill SF 89, Certificate of Need Repeal-2)
Wyoming's SJ 5 is a state resolution requesting Congress to call a constitutional convention to propose term limits for U.S. Congress members. It seeks to limit representatives to a set number of terms in both the House and Senate, following Wyoming's joining of 21 other states that previously passed similar state-level term limit laws (overturned by the Supreme Court). The resolution specifies that any convention would be limited to this single topic, operate on a one-state-one-vote basis, and exclude changes to the Bill of Rights. As a procedural state application under Article V of the Constitution, it does not impose term limits itself but aims to initiate the constitutional amendment process.
SF 28 creates a dedicated endowment fund to support the University of Wyoming's Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program. The bill establishes an account funded by investment earnings from the endowment, which must be used annually for ROTC-specific purposes like military science courses, field training equipment, student recruitment, faculty support, and scholarships. It requires the university to report yearly on how funds are spent and prohibits reducing the ROTC budget based on these endowment distributions. The legislation directly affects UW's ROTC program by providing a structured funding mechanism for its operations.
