Rep. Ken Pendergraft

Maddy summaryWyoming's SF 134 requires sellers of vacant or subdivided land (under 140 acres) to provide written disclosure to prospective buyers about farm and ranch operations within one mile of the property. The disclosure notice explains that normal agricultural activities - like noise, odors, machinery use, and pesticide application - may occur at any time and are protected under Wyoming's Right to Farm law (11-44-101-104). It clarifies buyers cannot seek legal remedies for these standard practices if conducted properly. The bill directly affects rural homebuyers and sellers in areas near active farms, with the requirement taking effect July 1, 2023.

Maddy summaryHB 104 allows Wyoming hunters to use artificial light technologies - including thermal or infrared imaging - for night hunting of predatory animals (like coyotes or wolves) on both private and public land. It directly affects landowners (with written permission), residents managing property, and hunters on public land. The bill requires the Game and Fish Commission to create specific rules governing the permitted technology and hunting methods. The changes take effect July 1, 2023, with rulemaking provisions active immediately upon enactment.

Maddy summaryHB 279 requires voters to present acceptable identification when applying for an absentee ballot in person at a county election office. It directly affects voters seeking absentee ballots through in-person applications, not mail-in or election-day voting. The bill amends election laws to specify that voters must provide ID meeting the definition in Wyoming Statute 22-1-102(a)(xxxix)(B) for this process. The requirement became effective July 1, 2023. This change modifies the application procedure but does not alter requirements for mail-in ballots or in-person voting at polling places.

Maddy summaryHB 57 updates Wyoming's legal definitions to align with federal standards for "armed forces" and "uniformed services." It explicitly includes the Space Force, Coast Guard, National Guard components, and federal health service corps in these definitions across multiple state laws. This change ensures state employees who are members of uniformed services (like National Guard members or military reservists) continue to qualify for existing benefits and protections under state programs, without altering those benefits themselves. The bill focuses solely on standardizing terminology to match federal law.

Maddy summaryHB 160 allows Wyoming veterans with a "veteran designation" on their driver's license to use it as proof of service instead of the military form DD 214. This directly affects Wyoming veterans who have the designation on their license when interacting with local government entities (like city offices or county services). The bill requires these entities to accept the designated driver's license as valid proof, though they may still request the DD 214 if additional documentation is needed. The law took effect on July 1, 2023.

Maddy summaryHB 70 modifies Wyoming's legal definition of a "home-based educational program" under W.S. 21-4-101(a)(v). It specifies that such a program must be provided by a parent, legal guardian, or their designated person to a single child, and explicitly excludes programs serving more than one family unit. The bill takes effect July 1, 2023, and does not create new requirements or funding but clarifies what qualifies as a home-based program for regulatory purposes. This directly affects parents or guardians providing home education to their own child, excluding multi-family educational arrangements from this definition.

Maddy summarySF 124, a proposed Wyoming bill, restricts foreign governments and businesses from purchasing or owning agricultural land in the state. It prohibits new foreign ownership after July 1, 2023, requires existing foreign-owned land to be registered with the secretary of state, and mandates selling or converting the land within two years if ownership becomes foreign. Violations could trigger daily civil penalties up to $5,000. The bill directly affects foreign-owned companies, governments, or their agents seeking to hold Wyoming farmland, with exceptions for land owned as of July 1, 2023.

Maddy summaryHB 143 prohibits the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) from having jurisdiction in Wyoming. It explicitly states that requirements, mandates, or guidance from these organizations - such as mask, vaccine, or testing rules - cannot be enforced in the state or used to justify such mandates. The law takes effect July 1, 2023, and directly affects Wyoming residents and state/local authorities by blocking the use of federal or international health directives for public health enforcement. The bill creates a new statutory provision (W.S. 35-4-1001) to nullify CDC and WHO mandates within Wyoming's borders.

Maddy summaryHB 197, the "Defend the Guard Act," would have prohibited the Wyoming National Guard from being deployed into active duty combat unless the U.S. Congress officially declared war or took specific constitutional action under Article I, Section 8, Clause 15. It defines "active duty combat" as participation in armed conflicts, hazardous services related to conflicts abroad, or duties involving "instrumentality of war." The bill allows domestic deployments under Title 32 for civil authority missions within the U.S. but blocks combat deployments without explicit congressional authorization. The bill died in committee in February 2023 and did not become law.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes how Wyoming calculates the maximum duration of unemployment benefits. It bases the maximum benefit period (ranging from 12 to 23 weeks) on the state's average unemployment rate: 12 weeks if the rate is 5% or lower, plus one additional week for every 0.5% above 5%, capped at 23 weeks if the rate reaches 10.5% or higher. The change applies only to unemployment claims filed on or after July 1, 2023. It directly affects Wyoming residents who qualify for unemployment insurance by adjusting how long they can receive benefits based on statewide job market conditions.