Rep. Laurie Bratten

Maddy summaryHB 329 modifies Wyoming law to give the Office of Homeland Security discretion over whether to cooperate with other states' and federal homeland security agencies (previously required). It mandates that Wyoming's Division of Criminal Investigation must cooperate with the Office of Homeland Security. The bill also authorizes the Office to receive criminal identification and intelligence information from law enforcement for security purposes. These changes directly affect Wyoming's homeland security office, law enforcement agencies, and their coordination with state and federal partners. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 167 requires Wyoming municipalities, counties, school districts, and special districts to post their proposed and adopted budgets on their websites by specific deadlines (June 1 for proposed budgets, 30 days after adoption for final budgets). It mandates that adopted budgets include a detailed report of the previous fiscal year's revenues and expenditures. Non-compliant entities face consequences including withheld funding, public notices of potential dissolution, and mandatory cost assessments for non-compliance. The bill applies to all qualifying local government entities and aims to increase financial transparency through standardized online reporting.

Maddy summaryHB 158 requires Wyoming's legislature to install an electronic voting system in both chambers of the state capitol. It appropriates $250,000 from the general fund specifically for planning, purchasing, and installing devices at each legislator's desk to cast votes electronically, with systems required to display results in chambers and online. The bill mandates security measures to ensure votes are cast by individual legislators and specifies that any additional system functions must fit within the budget. The funds must be spent by June 30, 2026, and unspent money reverts to the state. This bill directly affects Wyoming legislators and their voting process, with no policy changes beyond modernizing the voting mechanism.

Maddy summaryHB 185 requires Wyoming's Legislative Service Office to provide live video broadcasts of specific public legislative meetings, including committee sessions like the joint appropriations committee, and make recordings available on the legislature's website. This applies to meetings staffed by the Legislative Service Office but excludes executive sessions and situations where broadcasting isn't reasonably possible. The bill clarifies that video recordings won't replace official written minutes and won't delay meetings or invalidate actions if broadcasting fails. It takes effect July 1, 2025.