Sen. Taft Love

Maddy summaryHB 180 requires cities and towns in Wyoming to address surface water runoff systems established before April 1, 2026. By July 1, 2027, these systems must either be reorganized into a drainage utility (with voter approval) or operated using only city funds without user fees after April 1, 2026. If cities fail to comply by the deadline, they must refund all fees collected before April 1, 2026 to users by September 1, 2027. The bill also allows fees for other services (like water or trash) but prohibits new fees for runoff systems after 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 163 limits the state's annual costs that can be charged against Wyoming's Beef Council to 3% of fees collected by the council that aren't already required by state or federal law. This directly affects the Beef Council (which collects industry fees) and state agencies like the Department of Administration and Information that manage these funds. The bill's key provision sets a hard cap on administrative fees, ensuring the council retains more of its collected revenue. The law will take effect on July 1, 2026, and does not alter how the council spends its funds.

Maddy summaryHB 161 requires Wyoming's health, insurance, and administration departments to conduct a study on health insurance markets, focusing on options that could lower costs for vulnerable groups like small businesses, rural residents, and early retirees. The study will examine three specific mechanisms: whether non-state residents could join the state employees' insurance plan (paying full costs), feasibility of a state reinsurance program to stabilize premiums, and strategies used by other low-population states. Crucially, the study is strictly advisory - no new programs, subsidies, or mandates will be created, and it explicitly prohibits expanding Medicaid or public assistance. The $250,000 study must be completed by October 2026, with findings reported to the legislature.

Maddy summaryHB 77 repeals Wyoming's current zoning protest process (W.S. 15-1-603), ending a mechanism that allowed residents or property owners to challenge zoning decisions through formal petitions. The bill directly affects residents, developers, and local governments in cities and towns by removing this specific appeal method for new zoning actions starting July 1, 2026. However, it preserves the validity of any protests filed under the repealed law before July 1, 2026, ensuring ongoing cases aren't disrupted. The law is procedural, with no new requirements or funding impacts, simply eliminating an existing administrative process.

Maddy summaryThis bill exempts certain retail electricity sales from regulation by Wyoming's Public Service Commission. It allows non-regulated entities, electric cooperatives, and municipal utilities to sell electricity to specific customers without being classified as public utilities. The exemption applies to single customers within a utility's service area, up to four customers with a combined load of at least five megawatts, or up to four customers who cannot get service from the existing utility after a six-month response period or one-year service timeline. The changes take effect on July 1, 2026, and apply only to new contracts and agreements made on or after that date.

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 summaryThis Wyoming bill (SF 38) adds a 3% management fee to unspent funds collected by the Wyoming Beef Council. The fee, collected from the council's existing revenue, funds additional services provided directly to the council. It affects Wyoming beef producers who pay fees to the council, as the new fee applies to unobligated portions of those funds. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026.