Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams

Maddy summaryThis bill lowers Wyoming's minimum age requirement for obtaining a concealed firearm permit from 21 to 18 years old. It amends Section 6-8-104(b)(ii) of the Wyoming Statutes to allow 18-year-olds to apply for permits, directly affecting young adults seeking concealed carry authorization. The bill repeals a conflicting provision (W.S. 6-8-104(j)) and takes effect July 1, 2024. It makes no changes to permit issuance procedures or other eligibility criteria beyond the age adjustment.

Maddy summaryHB 140 changes how the University of Wyoming's board of trustees is structured and selected. It increases the board from 12 to 19 members (14 voting trustees and 5 non-voting ex-officio members), requiring seven voting trustees to be elected by Wyoming voters instead of appointed by the governor. The bill establishes election rules for these seven elected trustees, including four-year terms, voting districts, and non-partisan ballot placement. This directly affects Wyoming voters who will elect trustees and the university's governance structure, replacing the current system where most trustees are appointed by the governor. The changes take effect after the 2024 general election.

Maddy summaryHB 78 requires websites publishing over one-third material harmful to minors to implement age verification for access, using government ID or transaction data. It prohibits retaining personally identifying age information after verification and bans websites from allowing minors to access such content without verification. Violations carry fines of up to $1,000 per day for non-compliance with age verification or data retention rules. The law applies to websites accessible in Wyoming and becomes effective July 1, 2024. It directly affects website operators hosting content meeting the defined "material harmful to minors" standard.

Maddy summaryWyoming HB 128, the Wyoming Freedom Scholarship Act, creates education savings accounts (ESAs) providing eligible students with $6,000 annually (adjusted for inflation) to cover qualified educational expenses. It directly affects Wyoming residents who are public school-eligible but haven’t graduated high school, allowing parents to use ESA funds for tuition at qualified schools (including private or online programs), textbooks, tutoring, technology, and other approved educational costs. The state treasurer administers the accounts, which are funded by state appropriations - not local tax revenues - and require parental agreements specifying eligible uses. The bill explicitly states qualified schools are not considered state or federal agents and establishes oversight mechanisms for the program.

Maddy summaryThis bill would repeal Wyoming's existing low-carbon energy standards for public utilities. It requires utilities to refund customers for rates collected under those repealed standards (with an exception for costs already spent on carbon capture technology before the bill's effective date). The Public Service Commission would establish rules to implement these changes. The bill directly affects all public utilities operating in Wyoming and their customers who paid the now-repealed rates.

Maddy summaryHB 50, titled "What is a Woman Act," defines "sex" for legal purposes as a person's biological sex at birth, requiring all state laws, rules, and regulations to use this definition. It mandates that "woman" and "female" refer exclusively to individuals born with female biology (XX chromosomes, reproductive system for ova), and "man" and "male" refer to individuals born with male biology (XY chromosomes, reproductive system for fertilization). The bill requires state agencies, schools, and public facilities to collect vital statistics identifying people as male or female based on birth sex and to maintain separate accommodations (e.g., restrooms, shelters, prisons) based on biological sex. It applies directly to Wyoming state agencies, schools, and public entities collecting data or managing facilities. The bill failed its introduction in the Wyoming House on February 15, 2024.

Maddy summaryHB 53 amends Wyoming law to clarify the process for declaring and managing public health emergencies. It requires the governor to immediately call the legislature into session within two days of declaring an emergency, allowing lawmakers to vote remotely via video/audio conference to either confirm the emergency or end it. The bill updates the definition of "public health emergency" to include epidemics, pandemics, or biological threats posing significant health risks, and specifies that healthcare provider exemptions (like out-of-state physical therapists or acupuncturists) during emergencies apply only to declarations after July 1, 2024. These changes directly affect the governor, legislature, and healthcare providers seeking temporary practice authorization during declared emergencies.

Maddy summaryHB 102 would allow school employees with valid concealed carry permits to carry firearms on school property if their district board adopts specific rules. School boards that choose not to adopt such rules must submit a written explanation to the state education department. The bill appropriates $100,000 for a statewide marketing campaign to promote this authority, with funds restricted to use from July 2024 through June 2026. The bill failed its introduction in the Wyoming House on February 14, 2024, with a vote of 35-26.

Maddy summaryHB 157 clarifies that Wyoming property tax valuations must consistently follow the state law definition of "fair market value" as specified in W.S. 39-11-101(a)(vi). The bill requires county assessors and the Department of Revenue to use appraisal methods aligned with this definition when annually valuing taxable property. It directly affects property taxpayers and local assessors by mandating uniform valuation practices under existing tax statutes. The bill, which failed committee passage in February 2024, takes effect July 1, 2024, if enacted.

Maddy summaryWyoming's HB 152, the "Life is a Human Right Act," prohibits most abortions by defining "abortion" as the intentional termination of an unborn baby's life from conception. It directly affects pregnant individuals and medical providers in Wyoming by banning abortion except when a physician uses reasonable medical judgment to prevent the death of the pregnant woman, address a serious risk to her life or a life-sustaining organ, or treat an ectopic pregnancy. The bill explicitly excludes contraception from the prohibition and defines "unborn baby" as a living human from fertilization through birth. This law creates criminal penalties for violations and amends existing abortion-related statutes.