Sen. Tara Nethercott

Maddy summaryHB 164 requires Wyoming newspapers publishing legal notices (such as court filings or public hearings) to also post them online. Specifically, newspapers must publish these notices on a statewide digital repository (maintained by a newspaper organization representing most Wyoming papers) and on their own website, in a free, open location with no extra cost to the person publishing the notice. This applies to all legal notices currently required to be published in print, ensuring public access to these notices online without additional fees. The bill takes effect immediately upon becoming law.

Maddy summarySF 115 prevents insurance companies from restricting how dentists bill patients for dental services. It prohibits insurers from requiring dentists to combine separate procedures into one bill (bundling) or reclassify complex procedures as simpler, lower-cost ones (downcoding). The bill also allows dentists to bill patients directly for services not fully covered by insurance, provided they first inform patients about limited coverage, obtain written consent, and provide a copy of that consent to the insurer. These changes apply to all dental insurance contracts issued, renewed, or delivered in Wyoming on or after July 1, 2023.

Maddy summaryHB 132 creates a permanent Wyoming Housing Trust Fund using $15 million from the state general fund to address affordable housing shortages. The fund's principal is protected as a perpetual trust, with investment earnings credited to a separate earnings account. A legislative study (required by Section 2) will determine how to distribute these earnings to affordable housing projects. The bill takes effect July 1, 2023, and directly affects Wyoming residents facing housing affordability challenges.

Maddy summaryThis Wyoming bill (SF 64) amends a state law defining "manufacturer" for malt beverages. It specifies that certain regulations governing relationships between malt beverage distributors and manufacturers will not apply to small manufacturers producing fewer than 50,000 barrels annually. The change directly affects small craft breweries and malt beverage producers below this production threshold, exempting them from specific distributor-related rules under Wyoming law. The bill was introduced in 2022 but died in committee and never took effect.

Maddy summaryHB 176 limits the number of K-12 content standards Wyoming schools must teach, capping at four per subject for grades K-6 and eight per subject for grades 7-12. It allows school districts to use course completion (like passing a class) instead of standardized tests to measure student performance in some cases. The bill requires districts to report on their assessment systems and directs the state to propose reducing testing by August 2023, potentially using college entrance exams to meet federal requirements. This directly affects Wyoming public schools, teachers, and students by changing curriculum expectations and assessment methods.

Maddy summaryHB 211 limits who can return absentee ballots for others in Wyoming elections. It restricts designated returners to handling no more than two ballots per election, unless the ballots belong to immediate family members (defined as spouses, parents, siblings, children, or blood relatives living in the same household). The bill requires designated returners to notify the county clerk using a state-prescribed form. This directly affects voters who ask others to submit their absentee ballots, particularly those who might have used ballot harvesting services. The law takes effect July 1, 2023.

Maddy summaryHB 141 would have changed Wyoming's rules for voters changing political party affiliation. It would have allowed voters to file a written request to change their party affiliation at any time (except during prohibited periods), rather than requiring specific deadlines for primary or general elections. The bill amended sections of state law to clarify that voters must declare their party affiliation to receive a partisan ballot, with different filing deadlines depending on whether it was for a primary election or general election. These changes would have directly affected Wyoming voters seeking to switch party registration before elections. (Note: This bill died in committee and did not become law.)

Maddy summaryHB 130 creates a state grant program to fund county, city, and town law enforcement agencies in purchasing or training dogs to detect fentanyl. It allocates $4 million from the general fund for grants up to $300,000 per agency, with applications due by July 1, 2024. The Attorney General will administer the program, requiring agencies to apply and report on grant use by June 2025. The program expires December 31, 2024, with unspent funds reverting to the state.

Maddy summaryHB 91 creates a legal shield protecting Wyoming journalists from being forced to disclose news sources or information gathered in their professional work. It applies to all media (newspapers, TV, online outlets) covering public-interest topics like local events or community welfare. The law blocks courts from punishing journalists for refusing disclosure - no fines, jail, or contempt citations - except when there’s an imminent risk of death/harm or in specific defamation cases where the information is needed for the claim. Journalists can assert this protection without proving its validity upfront, but they must still meet the law’s criteria for coverage.

Maddy summaryHB 231 modifies Wyoming's public defender funding formula by removing federal funds from the calculation of the state public defender budget. This means the 85% state share (determined by the total budget) will no longer include federal funds that the state receives. As a result, counties will pay a larger portion of the state's required contribution toward public defender services. The bill takes effect immediately upon becoming law, altering how state and county funding responsibilities are determined.