HB 63 requires pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in Wyoming to stop blocking pharmacies from sharing prescription cost details with patients or offering cheaper drug alternatives. The law directly affects pharmacies and pharmacists, who can now freely disclose cost differences between a patient's insurance coverage and out-of-pocket prices, and suggest more affordable options when available. PBMs cannot penalize or restrict these disclosures through contracts. The bill took effect on July 1, 2019, aiming to increase transparency in prescription drug costs without changing drug pricing itself.
HB 53 creates a standardized system for managing probation and parole supervision in Wyoming. It requires the Department of Corrections to establish graduated responses to both positive behavior (incentives) and violations (sanctions), using validated risk assessments. Key provisions include crediting time spent in custody for violations toward the original sentence, authorizing sanctions like community service or short-term jail stays (up to 90 days), and mandating cognitive-behavioral programming for certain sanctions. The law directly affects probationers, parolees, and conditional releasees, while also requiring training for correctional staff, judges, and attorneys on the new system.
This bill requires multiple employer welfare arrangements (MEWAs) operating in Wyoming to obtain an annual license from the state insurance department and pay a $500 fee. MEWAs are arrangements where two or more employers pool resources to provide benefits like health insurance to their employees. The bill applies most provisions of Wyoming's Small Employer Health Insurance Availability Act to these arrangements, while clarifying that certain specific rules do not apply. It also gives the insurance commissioner authority to suspend or revoke licenses for violations.
SF 45 amends Wyoming's Emergency Administration of Opiate Antagonist Act by adding two key definitions. It defines "Entity" to include employers whose workers (like first responders or public service staff) may encounter opioid overdose situations, and defines "Opioid" as opium-like compounds binding to opioid receptors. This clarifies who is covered under the existing law allowing emergency administration of naloxone (a medication to reverse overdoses) during suspected opioid overdoses. The bill takes effect July 1, 2019, and does not create new requirements but refines the legal framework for current emergency protocols.
Wyoming's SF 129 eliminates several existing education reporting requirements for school districts, tribal councils, and the state superintendent. Specifically, it removes mandates for annual reports on statewide technology plans, school quality assessments, preschool program evaluations, tribal education expenditures, special education spending, and curriculum waivers. The bill directly affects school districts, tribal education programs, and state education officials who previously had to submit these detailed reports. This change reduces administrative burdens by removing these specific data collection and reporting obligations. The bill focuses on streamlining compliance rather than altering educational standards or funding.
This bill allows businesses with retail liquor licenses in Wyoming to purchase alcohol directly from other retail liquor licensees for resale, up to a maximum of nine liters per day. It affects retail liquor stores that want to buy alcohol from other retail locations (instead of only from the state-run division) to resell. The key requirement is that sellers must record each purchase with the buyer's name, signature, date, and time, and keep these records for one year for potential state inspection. The law took effect on July 1, 2019.
Wyoming's SF 85, the Medicaid Fraud Control Act, creates a dedicated fraud unit within the Attorney General's office to investigate and prosecute Medicaid fraud, waste, and abuse. The unit gains full access to all Medicaid records held by providers (such as hospitals and clinics) and can prosecute individuals who submit false claims or conceal material facts. It establishes criminal penalties: misdemeanor fines up to $750 or 6 months in jail for claims under $1,000, and felony penalties up to 10 years in prison or $10,000 fines for claims $1,000 or more. Providers must certify the accuracy of all Medicaid applications, reports, and invoices under penalty of perjury. This directly affects Medicaid providers, the Attorney General's office, and anyone submitting Medicaid claims.
Wyoming's legislature passed a joint resolution (SJ 10) requesting Congress to change how federal lands are managed. It asks Congress to recognize Wyoming's input in decisions about using public lands for multiple purposes - including mining, recreation, and forest management - while ensuring environmental health. The resolution directs Wyoming state agencies to actively participate in federal land planning and provide comments on federal policies affecting land use. This is a procedural request, not a law, aiming to increase state influence over federal land management.
Wyoming's SF 140 allows federally licensed distillers to operate one additional sales location ("satellite") separate from their main manufacturing site, subject to local approval. Distillers selling alcohol not obtained through the state's Division of Alcoholic Beverages must pay the state a monthly assessment based on the profit they would have generated if they bought from the Division. The bill clarifies that local authorities can issue these permits (with possible $100 fees) and requires compliance with existing licensing rules, operating hours, and building regulations. It does not change Wyoming's rule that the Division remains the exclusive wholesale distributor of alcoholic beverages. This directly affects licensed distillers seeking to expand retail sales within the state.
Wyoming's SF 41 allows each county to create a dedicated "county fair endowment fund" managed by the county commissioners. The fund can receive grants, gifts, donations, or bequests (including those with specific restrictions) and must be invested by the county treasurer, with interest retained in the fund. County commissioners (or a fairgrounds board they authorize) may use these endowment funds to build or improve fairgrounds facilities, buy land for fairs, purchase equipment, or operate county fairs. The bill takes effect immediately upon becoming law.
This Wyoming bill (SF 127) changes penalties for fleeing police by elevating certain cases to a felony. It makes fleeing a felony if the driver causes bodily injury, damages property over $5,000, or violates another specific traffic law (W.S. 31-5-229). Drivers convicted under these aggravated circumstances face up to 10 years in prison or a $10,000 fine, instead of the previous misdemeanor penalties (up to 6 months or $750). The law directly affects drivers who flee police and cause serious harm or significant property damage. It took effect on July 1, 2019.
Wyoming's SF 77 authorizes $1.29 million in funding from the Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Income Account for five specific conservation and restoration projects approved in 2019. The bill funds projects including three conservation easements (protecting over 4,500 acres for wildlife habitats like sage grouse and migration corridors) and two river restoration efforts (repairing infrastructure to maintain water flow and wetlands). Key provisions require Wyoming to be a third-party beneficiary in all conservation easements and specify that funds are only for projects already approved. The bill does not create new funding mechanisms but allocates existing trust funds to these pre-vetted projects, with appropriations totaling $260,000-$388,000 per project.
