Bills moving through Legislature

This past week in the Wyoming Legislature has seen the transition of bills from one house to the other as Senate Files begin hitting the floor in the House.

One house bill, HB0169, has moved on to the senate for approval. The Life Time Fishing Licenses for permanently disabled persons was passed on all three readings in the house before moving to the senate.

A bill that would require the reporting of any gunshot wounds or stab wounds failed in the house on its third reading.

Representative John Winter said the effort to streamline the renewal process of livestock brands is nearly a reality. HB0134 passed through the house and now waits for approval in the senate.

Wyoming’s farmers are always on the lookout for a good, money making crop and HB071, the Hemp and Cannabidiol Regulation bill may be the answer they’re looking for.

The bill would allow farmers to grow hemp, recognized as a legally grown agricultural product through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This bill would define hemp as an agricultural crop in Wyoming and would allow them to legally grow, process and marklet hemp and hemp products.

Hemp has been used for decades in a variety of ways such as dietary supplements, skin products, arthritic applications and for clothing and accessories. It grows easily and there is a definite market for it that would benefit the Big Horn Basin’s growers.

HB0106 was written to eliminate last minute changes to party affiliation to change the outcome of scheduled elections.

Within the bill it states a person may “change party affiliation not less than 14 days before the primary or at the polls the day of the election.”

This has passed the house and has now moved to the senate for introduction.

An additional bill regarding elections is HJ0008, a joint resolution urging Congress to propose a constitutional amendment ensuring free and fair elections. Winter said the bill passed the house and was introduced in the senate where it now sits with the Senate Corporations Committee.

According to Winter, it took two full days to go through all the amendments, but HB0001, General Government Appropriations, has been approved in the house and introduced to the senate, where it is on the docket for the Joint Conference Appropriations Committee.

One bill that we need to keep an eye on is SF0116, State Parks-Vendor Contracts.

The bill has passed out of the Travel committee and will be discussed in more detail before moving into the General File.

It calls for creating rules about the contracts for vendors in state parks that would build uniform and effective administration of the state’s outdoor recreation areas and facilities. It will put a list of rules in place on bidding, leases, contracts and fees, creating uniform guidelines for all vendors.

Not everything that passes through the hallowed halls of the legislature is so serious.

Take SF0050 for example, State Amphibian.

This bill would declare the blotched tiger salamander as the state amphibian for Wyoming.

“Students from Pathfinder High School in Lander requested Senator Cale Case to assist them in bringing this bill for consideration by the legislature,” Winter said. “The school has done extensive research on this salamander and found it is the most logical one for consideration.

“Its range of existence is all of Wyoming and very limited range outside of the state. They did a great job in their research.”

The senate also passed SJ0003, Wyoming’s Women Suffrage Day. The bill is to commemorate 2019 as the year to celebrate the 150th year of the passage of women’s suffrage.

Attempts were made to contact Senator Wyatt Agar but he could not be reached at press time.