Wyoming’s 2023 Legislative Session – Bills to Watch
Written by Andrew-Rossi on January 10, 2023
Dozens of House Bills and Senate Files are making their way through the Wyoming House and Senate as the 67th Wyoming Legislature convenes for another year of legislating.
The 67th Wyoming Legislature will convene for the 2023 General Session on Tuesday at Noon. The Wyoming Senate and House of Representatives will hold opening ceremonies as their first order of business, and new members of the Legislature and legislative leadership will be sworn in at this time. Then, after a brief recess Tuesday afternoon, the bodies will begin introducing legislation in their respective chambers.
The Joint Session of the Wyoming Senate and House of Representatives will take place in the House Chamber on Wednesday at 10 a.m. At that time, Gov. Mark Gordon will deliver his State of the State message to the Legislature, followed by the State of the Judiciary message, delivered by Wyoming Supreme Court Chief Kate M. Fox.
There are over 100 House Bills and 89 Senate Files on the legislative agenda. If these bills can make it through their respective committees, they will go to the House or Senate floor for a vote.
Here a selection of bills and files currently circulating through the Wyoming Legislature:
House Bill 04 – Temporarily extending Medicaid medical assistance to qualifying pregnant women for twelve (12) months postpartum.
House Bill 07 – Amending the minimum marriageable age, specifying that marriages involving persons under the age of sixteen (16) are void.
House Bill 40 – Authorizing counties and municipalities to establish airport districts.
House Bill 43 – Striking the requirement to willfully fail to observe a road closure notification necessary to be guilty of the criminal offense and increasing the fine for failing to obey road closure notifications.
House Bill 66 – Prohibiting discrimination and publishing or advertising based on a person’s vaccination, face covering, or medical testing status and establishing a criminal penalty.
House Bill 69 – Amending permissible purposes and uses of a previous appropriation for commencing and prosecuting lawsuits against states relating to coal exportation and coal-fired electric generation facilities. This bill was presented by Park County’s District 19 representative Dan Laursen.
House Bill 92 – Creating the Wyoming film production rebates program; authorizing monetary rebates for qualified productions
House Joint Resolution 02 – A JOINT RESOLUTION providing for the assessment of residential real property as a separate property class for taxation and authorizing subclasses related to residential real property.
Senate File 20 – Striking the requirement for the photograph on the driver’s license and identification card to be in color.
Senate File 33 – Defining “aircraft” for purposes of the prohibition on the use of aircraft for hunting and other purposes as specified.
Senate File 42 – Specifying a maximum tax on cigars and providing that the tax on a premium cigar is due following the cigar sale.
Senate File 50 – Authorizing charter schools as local education agencies to receive and apply for federal and state grants.
Senate File 56 – Expanding the prohibition for entering private property without permission for hunting purposes and prohibiting traveling through private property.
Senate File 79 – Requiring health care providers to develop plans of safe care for infants and requiring hospitals to report to the Department of Family Services.
