Rep. Roy Edwards

Maddy summaryWyoming's HB 191 allows residents to request a medical alert designation on their driver's license or state ID card, indicating they have a medical condition requiring special attention during emergencies. The bill does not require disclosure of specific medical details - only a standardized alert marker will appear on the card. It affects all Wyoming drivers and ID cardholders who choose to request this designation during application or renewal. The law amends licensing procedures to include a checkbox for this request and provides mechanisms to add or remove the alert on replacement cards. This is a procedural change that went into effect July 1, 2019.

Maddy summaryHB 183 repeals restrictions that previously banned concealed weapons in certain public spaces, allowing permit holders to carry concealed firearms in government meetings, the legislature, and most public schools (with exceptions for specific school district policies under existing law). It establishes that only the Wyoming state legislature can regulate firearms, weapons, and ammunition, preempting local governments from creating their own firearm restrictions. The bill explicitly preserves private property owners' rights to ban firearms on their land and maintains existing prohibitions in courtrooms. This directly affects concealed carry permit holders, local governments seeking to regulate firearms, and school districts managing firearm policies on school property.

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 summaryThis bill amends Wyoming election code to clarify procedures for voters changing political party affiliation. It allows voters to change their party affiliation at the polls on election day (for general elections) or when requesting an absentee ballot, in addition to the existing 14-day advance filing requirement before primaries. The change must be noted on the poll list by election judges, but voters cannot switch parties between two weeks before absentee voting begins and primary election day. It directly affects Wyoming voters seeking to alter their party affiliation before casting a ballot. The bill took effect July 1, 2019.

Maddy summarySF 119 requires the Wyoming state auditor to publicly post detailed vendor payment information on two websites: the state auditor's official site and the Wyoming public finance website. The bill mandates that all payments made to vendors for goods or services - showing the date, vendor name, amount, and description - must be posted within 30 days of payment, covering the current year and the previous five years. This applies to all state agencies and directly affects public access to government spending data. The requirement took effect on July 1, 2019, for all payments made after that date.

Maddy summaryHB 147 changes Wyoming law to make foreign language instruction for kindergarten through second grade optional for school districts, rather than mandatory. School districts may choose to offer such programs, but if they do, they must follow state board standards for instruction. This bill directly affects all Wyoming public school districts serving K-2 students. It became effective July 1, 2019, after passing the Education Committee unanimously.

Maddy summaryWyoming's HB 140 requires physicians to wait 48 hours after informing a patient before performing most nonemergency abortions after fetal viability (when the fetus can survive outside the womb). This law directly affects patients seeking abortions and the physicians who perform them. The key provision mandates this waiting period unless a medical emergency poses a substantial threat to the patient's life or health, as determined by a physician. The bill amends Wyoming Statute 35-6-102 and took effect July 1, 2019.

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 127 raises income thresholds for Wyoming's tax refund program for elderly and disabled residents. It increases the income limit for single individuals (65+ or totally disabled) from $13,500 to $17,500 annually, and for married couples (with one spouse 65+ or disabled) from $22,000 to $28,500. The refund amount for singles is $800 (reduced if income exceeds $10,000), and for married couples it is $900 (reduced if income exceeds $16,000). The bill appropriates $2.5 million to fund these refunds, effective July 1, 2019.

2019/Summaries/HB0073.pdf