Sen. Ed Cooper

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Wyoming to issue separate hunting licenses and establish distinct hunting seasons for mule deer and whitetail deer. It directly affects hunters of both species, including residents and nonresidents who purchase licenses, by mandating separate management under state wildlife regulations. The key mechanism involves amending existing laws to create new rules for license issuance, season scheduling, and preference point systems specific to each deer type. This change aims to improve wildlife management by allowing targeted conservation efforts for each species, without altering license fees or quotas.

Maddy summarySF 92 prohibits adult sex offenders required to register under Wyoming law for offenses involving minor victims from applying for or accepting employment or volunteer positions involving direct interaction with minors (either as co-workers or when providing services to unaccompanied minors). Offenders may seek court relief through a petition requiring proof they pose no substantial risk of reoffending, with a hearing and prosecutor notification. Violations are punishable as misdemeanors with up to six months in jail or a $750 fine. The law applies to positions beginning July 1, 2024, and does not affect existing positions.

Maddy summaryThis Wyoming bill (SF 63) creates a property tax exemption for single-family homes. It exempts homeowners from paying tax on any increase in their home's assessed value that exceeds 5% over the previous year's value. The exemption does not apply if the home was recently renovated, added to, or purchased within the last year. Tax assessment notices must now include details about this exemption and how it affects the homeowner's tax bill. The exemption applies starting with the 2024 tax year.

Maddy summaryHB 185 exempts qualifying oil and gas producers from specific severance taxes when using enhanced recovery techniques with Wyoming-sourced carbon dioxide. It provides a 50% exemption on one tax portion and a 100% exemption on another tax portion for production meeting strict criteria, including use of carbon capture technology and Wyoming-origin CO2. Producers must apply for the exemption, and the state must report annual revenue impacts to legislative committees. The exemption expires on July 1, 2032, applying only to production completed before that date. This directly affects oil and gas companies using enhanced recovery methods with in-state CO2.

Maddy summaryHB 200 imposes a new excise tax on electricity generation within Wyoming, collected by electric utilities from customers based on the "purchaser sales price" (the full price paid for electricity, including fees and taxes). It specifically repeals existing taxes on wind and nuclear energy generation while creating new tax rules for all other electricity sources. The bill requires utilities to collect and remit the tax, with detailed provisions for tax calculation points (e.g., at transmission interconnection or customer meters) and strict confidentiality protections for tax data. This directly affects Wyoming's electric public utilities and their customers who pay for electricity.

Maddy summaryHB 181 eliminates coroners' authority to conduct inquests for deaths, shifting responsibility for death investigations to county health officers and accident inspectors. It revises statutes related to death reports (W.S. 7-4-201), postmortem examinations (W.S. 7-4-209), and fatal accident investigations (W.S. 30-2-212) to remove coroner involvement. Counties will no longer handle inquest costs through coroners, instead using health officer procedures for cause-of-death certification. The changes take effect July 1, 2024, impacting how death investigations are conducted across Wyoming.

Maddy summarySF 104 amends Wyoming law to change how wind and solar energy facilities on state lands are permitted. It requires county commissioners to obtain written consent from grazing and agricultural leaseholders before approving such facilities, especially when projects are near residential structures (within specific distance limits). The bill mandates that leaseholders be notified about proposed projects and allows them to participate as formal parties in the permitting process. Additionally, it updates definitions to include leaseholders as "affected landowners" and sets clear setback requirements for facilities near homes.

Maddy summaryThis bill repeals Wyoming's temporary tax exemption for electricity produced from wind energy, ending a moratorium that previously exempted wind power from a production tax. Starting July 1, 2024, all wind-generated electricity in Wyoming - including power produced before the repeal that qualified for the old exemption - will be subject to the tax. The bill directly affects wind energy producers by requiring them to pay the tax on their electricity output. It makes no changes to existing tax rates but removes the specific exemption that had applied to wind energy since 2020. (Note: The bill failed to advance in the legislature on February 16, 2024.)

Maddy summaryWyoming's HB 151 prohibits financial institutions from discriminating against firearm retailers by using or requiring special payment codes (like those for firearm sales) to distinguish them from other businesses. It bans financial institutions from keeping records of firearm purchases or owners, or disclosing payment information tied to these codes unless required by law. The bill also prevents banks from refusing payment transactions solely based on a firearm merchant code. Violations could lead to civil penalties up to $10,000 per incident, enforced through the Attorney General's office. The law takes effect July 1, 2024.

Maddy summaryHB 208 proposes a severance tax on hydrogen production in Wyoming, directly affecting companies extracting hydrogen from groundwater. The bill imposes a 3% tax on hydrogen from by-product water (as defined in existing law) and a 6% tax on all other hydrogen production, collected annually based on fair market value. It incorporates existing natural gas tax administration procedures for collection, enforcement, and distribution of revenues. The tax would apply to all hydrogen production in Wyoming starting July 1, 2024, if enacted. Note: The bill failed introduction on February 14, 2024, and did not advance.