Rep. Eric Barlow

Maddy summaryHB 155 allows courts in Wyoming to create reintegration plans when parents petition to end a guardianship they previously lost. It directly affects parents seeking to regain custody of their children after a court determined them unfit, requiring courts to prioritize the child's best interests while presuming fit parents deserve custody. Key provisions let courts mandate graduated visitation, require parenting classes (with costs adjusted for the parent's ability to pay), or impose other specific conditions to safely return the child to the parent. The law applies to termination petitions filed on or after July 1, 2019, and was enacted without opposition.

Maddy summaryHB 87 modifies civil procedure in Wyoming by allowing healthcare providers to use the amount they agreed to accept (after discounts or forgiven debt) as proof of the fair cost of services in lawsuits. It directly affects patients, providers, and insurers involved in civil cases where healthcare costs are disputed. The law specifies that evidence of this agreed-upon payment amount becomes admissible to establish reasonable value, replacing previous methods of valuing services. This applies to all civil cases filed on or after July 1, 2019. The bill does not change healthcare costs or insurance rules but changes how those costs are proven in court.

Maddy summaryHB 234 would allow individuals convicted of marijuana-related felonies before July 1, 2019, to petition courts to reduce those convictions to misdemeanors if they completed time served equal to the new misdemeanor maximum. It directly affects people with past felony convictions for marijuana possession, use, or related offenses under Wyoming law. The bill creates a streamlined court process requiring no hearing for eligible petitions, and would restore civil rights lost due to those past felony convictions. It does not change current marijuana laws or penalties for future offenses, only addressing retroactive relief for pre-2019 convictions.

Maddy summaryHB 42 amends Wyoming's hunting license laws to establish a preference point system for resident and nonresident hunters seeking big game licenses (like moose, bighorn sheep, or elk). It allows the Game and Fish Commission to award points based on years of unsuccessful applications and adds a new provision (subsection j) granting one point to resident youth or first-time residents who complete a state-approved hunter safety course. The bill also authorizes nonresidents to pay a nonrefundable fee (up to $75 per species) to accumulate preference points for future license drawings. These changes apply specifically to licenses issued through preference point systems, not random drawings, and affect all hunters applying for limited-quota species in Wyoming.

Maddy summaryHB 208 allows surface owners (landowners) to object if oil and gas operators fail to negotiate in good faith for access to their land. If a surface owner objects in writing within 30 days, the state commission must hold a hearing to determine if negotiations were proper, and may require the operator to restart talks. Until the dispute is resolved - through the commission's decision or court appeal - the operator cannot access the land or conduct surface-disturbing activities. The bill directly affects landowners and oil/gas operators in Wyoming, creating a formal process to address negotiation disputes before operations begin.

Maddy summaryHB 157 allows biological grandparents who have acted as parents (in loco parentis) to petition a court for termination of a child's parents' rights. To qualify, grandparents must have lived with the child without parents for at least one year, assumed full parental responsibilities (including financial support and care), and demonstrated that parents failed to contribute financially or maintain contact for a year. The court must find parents unfit based on specific criteria, such as continuous failure to support the child or engage in parental duties, and must determine termination is in the child's best interests. This bill modifies Wyoming's termination process to explicitly grant standing to qualifying grandparents, requiring them to state their intent to adopt in the petition.

Maddy summaryHB 109 amends Wyoming law to increase the required service period for students in the University of Wyoming's advanced psychiatric nurse practitioner program. It extends the maximum work obligation from two to three years in Wyoming for each academic year of financial support received, with payments capped at $10,000 per semester or $2,500 per summer session. Students must sign agreements committing to this service period as a condition of receiving state-funded tuition support. The bill applies only to new agreements signed on or after July 1, 2019.

Maddy summaryHB 90 allows current Wyoming community college police officers to choose between two retirement plans. It amends the law to include them under the "law enforcement officer" definition, enabling them to switch to the law enforcement retirement plan starting July 1, 2019. Officers had until April 30, 2019, to elect this change in writing to the Wyoming Retirement Board, with no option to reverse the decision. Service credit from prior retirement plans would not count toward the new law enforcement plan.

Maddy summaryHB 220 creates a new income tax on businesses operating in Wyoming, requiring them to pay tax based on their income earned within the state. It uses a three-factor formula (property, payroll, and sales) to calculate how much tax a business owes, especially for companies operating across multiple states. The Wyoming Department of Revenue will administer the tax, with strict confidentiality rules protecting business tax returns. This bill directly affects businesses with operations in Wyoming, including out-of-state companies conducting business there.

Maddy summaryHB 76, the Wyoming Beer Freedom Act, allows microbreweries to obtain permits for 24-hour alcohol service. It amends licensing laws to permit microbreweries to hold both a microbrewery permit and a separate 24-hour malt beverage permit simultaneously. This directly affects small breweries seeking extended operating hours without losing other license types. The law, effective July 1, 2019, modifies existing statutes to enable this dual permitting structure.