Rep. Steve Harshman

Maddy summaryHB 36 amends Wyoming's Hathaway scholarship program to clarify that "certificate" includes trade programs (like welder or commercial driver training). It requires students receiving the scholarship after July 1, 2025, to either work in Wyoming for one year or attend graduate school at the University of Wyoming for one year for every four academic semesters of scholarship funding. The bill also mandates the Wyoming Department of Education to adopt implementing rules by July 2025. This directly affects new scholarship recipients pursuing certificates or degrees at eligible Wyoming institutions. The changes take effect July 1, 2025, for new awards.

Maddy summaryHB 121, the "Hospital Price Transparency Act," requires Wyoming hospitals to publicly list detailed pricing for all services and items they provide. Specifically, hospitals must display a machine-readable online list showing standard charges - including gross charges, negotiated rates with insurers, and discounted cash prices - for every service, plus a simplified consumer-friendly list for common "shoppable" services like routine procedures. This applies to all licensed Wyoming hospitals and must be posted on their websites free of charge, without requiring login or personal information. The law also prohibits debt collection actions against patients from facilities that fail to comply and directs the Department of Health to monitor enforcement.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides a property tax exemption for surviving parents of veterans who died while serving honorably in a war, conflict, or specified period (a "gold star veteran"), if there is no surviving spouse. To qualify, surviving parents must be Wyoming residents for at least three years and file a sworn claim with their county assessor by the fourth Monday in May, covering property they own or hold in a trust for their benefit. Divorced parents living separately may each claim the exemption in their respective counties. The Department of Revenue must create implementing rules, and the exemption takes effect July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis 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.

Maddy summaryHB 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.

Maddy summarySF 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)

Maddy summarySF 90 requires Wyoming public school districts to adopt policies by the 2025-2026 school year allowing "patriotic organizations" (defined as youth groups under 21 with educational purposes promoting patriotism, like 4-H or specific federally listed groups) to participate in schools. The policy must permit organization representatives to speak to students during school hours about their activities, distribute materials, and display information - subject to parental notification and consent for student participation. School districts must allow displays outside school hours without unreasonable restrictions but are not required to provide equal access to non-patriotic groups. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 106 creates a "Monument to America Development and Oversight Task Force" in Wyoming to plan a large-scale monument commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The task force, composed of state officials, tribal liaisons, and former leaders, must develop monument specifications (similar to Mount Rushmore), select a location on school trust lands for long-term benefit to public schools, and submit recommendations by July 4, 2026. The bill appropriates $40,000 for non-legislative members and $40,000 for legislative members to cover expenses through June 30, 2027, with the task force terminating after that date. This bill directly affects Wyoming's state government, school trust lands, and taxpayers through the allocated funding.

Maddy summaryHB 260 establishes a grant program to help Wyoming cities and towns cover costs linked to specific criminal activities. It provides up to $5 million in initial funding (for fiscal year 2025-26) to qualifying local governments that meet criteria like increased jail costs from higher incarceration rates, reported violent crimes using national data systems, fentanyl-related cases, or prosecutions against nonresidents. Grants are limited to 10 jurisdictions annually, must be used solely for documented criminal activity costs, and require annual reports on fund usage. The program requires cities/towns to use national incident reporting systems to qualify and mandates the attorney general to administer applications and oversee spending.

Maddy summaryHB 236 makes specific county elected offices nonpartisan in Wyoming, directly affecting voters and candidates for positions like county clerk, treasurer, assessor, coroner, sheriff, and district attorney. The bill requires these offices to be nominated and elected through nonpartisan primaries (instead of partisan primaries), standardizes their ballot order, and modifies vacancy procedures. It amends existing statutes to clarify that these roles must be nonpartisan and specifies that candidates for these offices will appear together on ballots without party labels. The law applies to all counties, changing how these local officials are elected and listed on ballots.