Sen. Eric Barlow

Maddy summaryHB 27 ensures that when land is annexed by a city or town, counties continue handling pending building permits and land use applications until those applications are officially approved or denied. After a decision is made, jurisdiction automatically transfers to the annexing city or town. The bill prohibits counties from arbitrarily denying such applications solely to force this transfer. It applies to all pending applications filed on or after July 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all pesticide labels sold in Wyoming to match the health and safety warnings registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), eliminating state-specific variations. It directly affects pesticide sellers and distributors in Wyoming by mandating uniform labeling aligned with federal standards. Key provisions include overriding previous local labeling requirements and ensuring labels don’t differ in material ways from EPA-registered versions. The law does not change Wyoming’s authority to regulate pesticide use, distribution, or sale under existing statutes, and takes effect July 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 81, the "Less is More Plate Act," would have removed the requirement for Wyoming vehicle owners to display a license plate on the front of their vehicles, while keeping the rear plate requirement. This bill directly affected all drivers who currently display front plates under Wyoming law (W.S. 31-2-205(a)(i)). The key provision repealed front plate mandates in multiple sections of the vehicle code, including those governing registration and display rules. The bill failed to pass in the Wyoming House (38-23) in February 2026 and never became law.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Wyoming public school districts to provide age-appropriate, evidence-based suicide prevention education to all students. It mandates that schools use programs consistent with existing state materials and training standards outlined in related statutes. The requirement applies to all K-12 public schools and takes effect on July 1, 2026. The legislation directly affects students and school districts by establishing a new mandatory educational component focused on suicide prevention.

Maddy summarySF 167 requires chiropractic license applicants in Wyoming to submit fingerprints for criminal background checks during initial licensure. It also mandates current chiropractic licensees under investigation or disciplinary action to provide fingerprints upon written request from the Board of Chiropractic Examiners. The bill updates licensing statutes to authorize the board to obtain criminal history records for both new applications and ongoing disciplinary cases. These provisions take effect July 1, 2025, with the board required to issue implementing rules by that date. The law directly affects chiropractic professionals seeking or holding licenses in Wyoming.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Wyoming's Court Supervised Treatment Program Act to expand treatment options for individuals involved in the justice system. It changes "substance abuse" to "substance use" throughout the law, adds mental health treatment to program offerings, and allows programs to accept participants from any jurisdiction within Wyoming. The bill also permits public defenders to join treatment teams and represent participants, while updating definitions to clarify terms like "dual diagnosis" (co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders). These changes aim to improve access to integrated treatment and reduce incarceration for people with substance use disorders and mental health needs.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Wyoming's state treasurer and retirement board to make all investment decisions based solely on financial factors ("pecuniary factors") that maximize returns while managing risk. It prohibits considering environmental, social, governance, political, or ideological interests - explicitly stating such factors "have crippled, corrupted, disadvantaged, subverted, damaged or otherwise harmed" Wyoming's financial well-being. The law mandates that investment entities (like the retirement board) avoid "nonpecuniary diversions," vet vendors to ensure compliance, and may use proxy voting or divestment to enforce financial focus. It directly affects how state retirement funds and other public investments are managed, ensuring decisions prioritize financial outcomes over external policy goals.

Maddy summaryHB 279 clarifies the order in which multiple property tax exemptions apply to a single property in Wyoming. It requires the Department of Revenue to apply exemptions sequentially: percentage-based exemptions (like senior citizen discounts) must be applied from smallest to largest percentage, while non-percentage exemptions (like homestead exclusions) come after. This affects property owners who qualify for more than one exemption, ensuring consistent application without conflicting reductions. The bill does not change existing exemptions but mandates a specific, transparent process for their combined use. It takes effect immediately upon becoming law.

Maddy summarySF 108 updates Wyoming's Recreation Safety Act to include "agritourism" as a covered recreational activity. It defines agritourism as farm or ranch-based tours, hands-on experiences, and hospitality services related to agricultural production, harvesting, or cultural resources. This change requires agritourism operators to comply with the same safety standards as other recreational providers under the law. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySF 152 creates a Wildfire Management Task Force to study wildfire impacts on state lands, local fire agencies, and communities. The task force, including legislative members, state officials, and industry representatives, must report by October 2025 with recommendations for future legislation. The bill also updates the state forester’s duties to include managing fire control programs on state lands, pre-positioning resources during high-risk periods, and setting standards for privately contracted fire services. It appropriates $50,000 total ($25,000 each for legislative and non-legislative members) to fund the task force, which will operate until December 31, 2026.