Sen. Dan Dockstader

Maddy summaryWyoming's SF 156, the Medical Digital Innovation Sandbox Act, creates a time-limited testing environment for new medical digital tools like apps or software that help diagnose or monitor health conditions. It allows developers to temporarily bypass certain health licensing rules (covering 19 professions including doctors, nurses, and dentists) if they apply to the Department of Health and meet safety standards. To participate, applicants must pay a $500 fee, undergo criminal background checks, post a consumer protection bond, and submit detailed safety plans for review within 90 days. The sandbox does not exempt developers from criminal liability or civil claims, and the Department of Health can refer violations to law enforcement.

Maddy summaryWyoming's SF 111 authorizes community colleges to offer applied bachelor's degree programs (called "baccalaureate of applied science" degrees) for the first time. It requires the Community College Commission to approve all new such programs before they can receive state funding. The bill also updates the Hathaway scholarship program to cover these new degrees, allowing students to use scholarships for up to eight semesters to complete them while maintaining a 2.25 GPA. This directly affects community college students pursuing applied bachelor's degrees and the colleges offering them.

Maddy summaryThis bill exempts qualifying private schools from county zoning regulations in Wyoming. It specifically applies to private schools located on 35 or more contiguous acres with a capacity for at least 50 students, as defined in state law. County zoning rules can no longer restrict the location, use, or occupancy of such schools. The policy change took effect July 1, 2019, directly affecting only private schools meeting these two size and capacity requirements.

Maddy summaryWyoming's SF 150 creates a framework for the Department of Health to conduct "innovative studies" focused on reducing health care costs, enabling home-based long-term care, developing new health services, and expanding telehealth access. The bill establishes a dedicated $1 million health care innovation account (funded from the general fund), allows the department to bypass standard procurement rules and waive certain regulations for these studies, and defines "innovative study" as controlled trials or pilot programs (excluding pharmaceuticals). It requires annual reports to legislative committees on study progress and funding use. The bill directly affects the state health department and entities partnering with it to test new health care approaches.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows private buyers to purchase retiring Wyoming coal-fired power plants without becoming regulated public utilities, while requiring utilities to make good-faith efforts to sell such plants before retirement. It prevents utilities from recovering costs for replacement facilities unless the commission determines they attempted to sell the retiring plant and received no reasonable offers. The Public Service Commission must approve all sale agreements and evaluate offers based on cost savings, risk reduction, and public interest - not potential lost utility revenues. It directly affects Wyoming utilities owning retiring coal plants, potential private buyers, and the commission overseeing approvals.