Sen. Bob Ide

Maddy summaryHB 108 prohibits payment processors (like banks and credit card networks) from using special merchant codes to categorize firearm or ammunition retailers differently from general merchandise or sporting goods stores. It requires these businesses to be classified under standard retail codes, preventing financial institutions from treating them as high-risk. Violations carry a misdemeanor penalty of $1,000 per violation. The law directly affects firearm retailers and payment processors, taking effect July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 215 would require all Wyoming elections to use paper ballots instead of electronic voting systems, directly affecting voters, election officials, and counties conducting elections. The bill mandates hand counting of paper ballots, bans electronic pollbooks and internet-connected tabulating equipment, and repeals existing provisions allowing electronic voting machines. Key mechanisms include requiring paper ballots formatted for manual tabulation, specifying hand-counting procedures, and establishing penalties for non-compliance. The bill also revises post-election audit processes and election observer protocols. (Note: The bill died in committee on March 3, 2025, and has not become law.)

Maddy summaryWyoming's SF 184 would require all elections to use paper ballots with manual hand counting, banning electronic voting machines and electronic pollbooks. It repeals existing provisions allowing electronic systems and mandates specific procedures for hand-counting ballots, post-election audits, and election observer access. The bill directly affects counties, election officials, and voters by changing how ballots are processed and counted. This bill died in committee in March 2025 and did not become law.

Maddy summaryWyoming's HB 177 creates a new legislative committee called the "federal review joint and standing committee" to monitor federal actions. The committee, composed of 5 Senate and 9 House members appointed by March 31 after each election, reviews all federal laws, regulations, and executive orders to assess whether they infringe on Wyoming's sovereignty or exceed federal constitutional limits. It must report findings and recommend legislative responses, such as new bills or resolutions, to address perceived constitutional conflicts. The committee’s work ends if the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is repealed, with the bill taking effect immediately upon passage.

Maddy summaryHB 109 suspends hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses for two years for individuals convicted of trespassing on private land while attempting to hunt, fish, or trap wildlife. It directly affects hunters and anglers who enter private property without permission for these activities. The bill amends Wyoming law to impose this license suspension in addition to standard misdemeanor penalties for trespassing violations. The Game and Fish Commission must create implementing rules, and the law takes effect on July 1, 2025, except for rulemaking provisions that apply immediately upon enactment.

Maddy summarySF 161 would change how Wyoming taxes residential property by establishing a default rule that a property’s tax assessment should match its purchase price (acquisition value) when it was last bought. This applies directly to residential property owners, as their tax bills would typically be based on the original sale price unless challenged. The bill requires county assessors to use the acquisition date as the starting point for determining fair market value, with a "rebuttable presumption" allowing adjustments only if evidence shows the purchase price was inaccurate. It also clarifies confidentiality rules for sworn statements used in the valuation process. The bill died in committee in March 2025 and was never enacted.

Maddy summaryWyoming's SF 60 revises how sales and use tax revenues are distributed to counties and local governments. It reduces the percentage of sales tax going to the state general fund from 69% to 65%, increases annual county payments from $20,000 to $40,000 (for pre-2004 amounts), and adjusts the share of out-of-state vendor taxes distributed to local areas from 29.5% to 35%. These changes apply to taxes collected on or after July 1, 2025, and affect all Wyoming counties and local municipalities receiving tax distributions based on population and sales data. The bill updates existing distribution formulas without altering the overall structure of tax allocation.

Maddy summaryThis Wyoming bill (SF 118) allows landowners who hold hunting licenses for elk, deer, antelope, or turkey to sell those licenses to others, subject to specific rules. Landowners cannot sell to immediate family, and buyers must follow all standard hunting license rules. The bill also exempts these sold licenses from a separate landowner coupon fee. The Game and Fish Department must create rules for the sale process, and the changes take effect July 1, 2025. It directly affects landowners with hunting licenses and potential buyers seeking access to these licenses.

Maddy summaryHB 208 prohibits anyone from intentionally injecting chemicals or substances into Wyoming's atmosphere to alter weather, temperature, or sunlight intensity. It directly affects government entities, researchers, or private companies conducting such atmospheric experiments within the state. Key provisions require the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality to test air quality at affected sites (using methods like transmission electron microscopy) and protect individuals who report suspected violations in good faith. The bill also clarifies that existing publicly disclosed contracts are unaffected. This legislation aims to address concerns about unproven health and environmental risks from geoengineering activities.

Maddy summaryWyoming's SF 180 limits supplemental budget requests by the governor and state agencies to five specific situations: revenue shortfalls based on official estimates, funding for natural or human disasters, public welfare emergencies requiring additional funds beyond existing allocations, adjustments to savings accounts, and necessary staffing changes. The bill restricts all other supplemental funding requests, ensuring they align strictly with these defined categories. This change directly affects how state agencies and the governor propose budget adjustments outside the regular annual process. The law takes effect July 1, 2025, and repeals a prior provision about alternative budget preparation.