February 25, 2025
Governor Gordon signed the following bills yesterday.
HEA0001 HB0025 Vehicle accident reporting-amendments.
HEA0002 HB0027 Disabled parking windshield placards-revisions.
HEA0003 HB0092 Wyoming livestock board-memorandums of understanding.
HEA0004 HB0014 Solid waste municipal cease and transfer funding.
HEA0005 HB0022 Water and wastewater operator-emergency response.
HEA0006 HB0030 Driver's licenses and IDs-revisions.
HEA0007 HB0041 Environmental quality-irrevocable letters of credit.
HEA0008 HB0061 State land lease preference amendments.
HEA0009 HB0069 Foreign adversary ownership or control of business entities.
HEA0010 HB0073 Recreation safety-rock climbing.
HEA0011 HB0075 Coal severance tax rate.
HEA0012 HB0082 Provider enrollment-standards.
HEA0013 HB0004 Snowmobile registration and user fees.
HEA0014 HB0023 Surrender driver's license-repeal.
HEA0015 HB0045 Removing otters as protected animals.
HEA0016 HB0054 Chancery court judges-district and circuit court assistance.
HEA0017 HB0086 Public property and buildings-amendments.
HEA0018 HB0166 State auditor payment transparency.
HEA0019 HB0214 Local government payments-electronic payments.
HEA0020 HB0040 Sales and use tax revisions.
HEA0021 HB0017 Career technical education equipment grants amendments.
HEA0022 HB0132 Annual permits for specified commercial loads.
HEJR0001 HJ0001 Amending Wyoming's act of admission for earnings.
HEA0023 HB0038 Ad valorem taxation-payment and credit of penalties.
SEA0001 SF0015 Oil and gas conservation commission-regulation of pits.
SEA0002 SF0016 Industrial siting-tribal notification.
SEA0003 SF0020 Oil and gas bonding-options and bonding pools.
SEA0004 SF0023 Handicap placards-health care providers' approval.
SEA0005 SF0025 Electronic lien and title system.
SEA0006 SF0149 Wildlife conservation license plates-amendments.
SEA0007 SF0042 Resort hotel liquor licenses.
SEA0008 SF0049 Tangible personal property-index and depreciation.
SEA0009 SF0013 Reading assessment and intervention amendments.
SEA0010 SF0078 Distribution of unsolicited absentee ballot request forms.
SEA0011 SF0080 Abandonment of water rights-limitations.
SEA0012 SF0131 Charter school leasing.
SEA0014 SF0073 Charter school funding-amendments.
SEA0015 SF0081 Tax exemption-property owned by the state.
SEA0017 SF0088 2025 large project funding.
SEA0018 SF0063 State lands-fencing-2.
SEA0019 SF0048 Business property exemption.
SJ0001 SJ0003 Commemorating Nellie Tayloe Ross.
The Governor allowed the following bills to go into law without his signature. Click on the bill for a link to the Governor’s letter:
SEA0013 SF0096 Wyoming Gold Act
This is a really goofball bill out of the far right, of couse..
SEA0016 SF0120 Wyoming PRIME act.
SEA0020 SF0006 Residential property-removal of unlawful occupant.
The following have made their way to his deak:
House Bill 172 allowing for the lawful concealed carry of a firearm in any meeting of a governmental entity, including the legislature and committee meetings; any public school, public college or university athletic event that does not sell alcohol; any public elementary or secondary school facility; and any public college or university facility. passed the legislature, but will need reconciliation. The Senate added three amendments including changes stipulating that concealed carry is prohibited in public airports locations where federal laws apply and that people cannot carry a concealed weapon into any elementary or secondary school facility if the person is enrolled as a student at any elementary or secondary school.
That last one is a particularly good, and amusing, amendment. The original bill would have allowed 18 year old students to pack heat at school
What could go wrong?
On this bill:
Wyoming students stage die-in outside governor’s office: CHEYENNE—Humming “Amazing Grace” and lying on the floor outside Gov. Mark Gordon’s office, a group of University of Wyoming students hoped to send the
This Governor should veto this, but it would be overridden, so my guess is he'll let it pass without his signature.
The bill barring issuance of out of state driver's licenses issued to illegal aliens passed as well, even though it is completely unconstitutional.
The amended bill creates exceptions for employees of the United States government operating a government owned or leased by the government on official business; nonresidents with a valid license in their immediate possession issued by the licensing authority in their place of residence; nonresidents on active duty in the armed forces of the United States with a valid license issued by their state of residence; and nonresident full-time students at the University of Wyoming, any Wyoming community college, any school licensed in this state offering post-secondary education or at a parochial, church or religious school with a valid license issued by their state of residence.
All of which leads to the conclusion that the amended bill actually does nothing. That's a good thing, but this was one of the five and dime WFC bills, and in the end, while they'll claim victory, it just does nothing much.
House Bill 46, “Homeschool Freedom Act,” passed the legislature in an effort to keep the education of children at home as secret as possible so that nobody knowns how darned ignorant the home schooled squeakers really are being kept.
This bill is bad, and should be vetoed. Frankly, I'm at the point where I don't approve of homeschooling at all.
The Senate Education Committee rejected a proposal Monday that would have required University of Wyoming trustees be elected instead of appointed, which would have brought, in the eyes of its proponents, right wing populist to the university (before the law of unintended consequences kicked in. . . ). It deserved to die.
The House Education Committee passed by a 6-3 vote a bill that calls on Congress to call a convention of states. The bill will next move to the House for final consideration, where it probably will passs.
A convention of the states, by the time it happens, would likely repeal the 2nd Amendment and limit the oval office to one six term, with the occupant pretty much politically castrated.
February 26, 2025
Governor Gordon Signs First Bills of 2025 Legislative Session
CHEYENNE, WYO – Governor Mark Gordon signed the first bills of the 2025 Legislative session at the Capitol today.
The first bill to be signed by the Governor was Senate File 20, Oil and gas bonding-options and bonding pools, a bill that provides important support for producers in Wyoming’s core oil and gas industry. Sponsored by the Joint Minerals, Business and Economic Development committee, the bill benefits Wyoming’s energy industry and provides additional support for small oil and gas operators. The bill was developed in response to excessive bonding requirements implemented during the Biden administration that would have been devastating to many Wyoming oil and gas producers. The bill establishes an account to allow small operators to cover the costs of bonding and eventually the costs of plugging dry or abandoned wells.
“Wyoming has always had a leadership position on these issues,” Governor Gordon said, thanking industry partners and the Legislature for working on the issue. “This is a wonderful bill.”
The Governor also signed House Bill 75 - coal severance tax rate. The bill reduces the coal severance tax rate from 6.5 to 6 percent, bringing it in line with oil and gas severance tax rates. Also signed today was House Bill 54 - Chancery court judges-district and circuit court assistance, which can help address heavy caseloads in Wyoming’s District and Circuit courts by allowing Wyoming’s Chancery Court judge to hear cases in those courts.
The Governor signed the following bills today:
Enrolled Act Bill # Bill Title
HEA0001 HB0025 Vehicle accident reporting-amendments.
HEA0002 HB0027 Disabled parking windshield placards-revisions.
HEA0003 HB0092 Wyoming livestock board-memorandums of understanding.
HEA0004 HB0014 Solid waste municipal cease and transfer funding.
HEA0005 HB0022 Water and wastewater operator-emergency response.
HEA0006 HB0030 Driver's licenses and IDs-revisions.
HEA0007 HB0041 Environmental quality-irrevocable letters of credit.
HEA0008 HB0061 State land lease preference amendments.
HEA0009 HB0069 Foreign adversary ownership or control of business entities.
HEA0010 HB0073 Recreation safety-rock climbing.
HEA0011 HB0075 Coal severance tax rate.
HEA0012 HB0082 Provider enrollment-standards.
HEA0013 HB0004 Snowmobile registration and user fees.
HEA0014 HB0023 Surrender driver's license-repeal.
HEA0015 HB0045 Removing otters as protected animals.
HEA0016 HB0054 Chancery court judges-district and circuit court assistance.
HEA0017 HB0086 Public property and buildings-amendments.
HEA0018 HB0166 State auditor payment transparency.
HEA0019 HB0214 Local government payments-electronic payments.
HEA0020 HB0040 Sales and use tax revisions.
HEA0021 HB0017 Career technical education equipment grants amendments.
HEA0022 HB0132 Annual permits for specified commercial loads.
HEJR0001 HJ0001 Amending Wyoming's act of admission for earnings.
HEA0023 HB0038 Ad valorem taxation-payment and credit of penalties.
SEA0001 SF0015 Oil and gas conservation commission-regulation of pits.
SEA0002 SF0016 Industrial siting-tribal notification.
SEA0003 SF0020 Oil and gas bonding-options and bonding pools.
SEA0004 SF0023 Handicap placards-health care providers' approval.
SEA0005 SF0025 Electronic lien and title system.
SEA0006 SF0149 Wildlife conservation license plates-amendments.
SEA0007 SF0042 Resort hotel liquor licenses.
SEA0008 SF0049 Tangible personal property-index and depreciation.
SEA0009 SF0013 Reading assessment and intervention amendments.
SEA0010 SF0078 Distribution of unsolicited absentee ballot request forms.
SEA0011 SF0080 Abandonment of water rights-limitations.
SEA0012 SF0131 Charter school leasing.
SEA0014 SF0073 Charter school funding-amendments.
SEA0015 SF0081 Tax exemption-property owned by the state.
SEA0017 SF0088 2025 large project funding.
SEA0018 SF0063 State lands-fencing-2.
SEA0019 SF0048 Business property exemption.
SJ0001 SJ0003 Commemorating Nellie Tayloe Ross.
The Governor allowed the following bills to go into law without his signature. Click on the bill for a link to the Governor’s letter:
SEA0013 SF0096 Wyoming Gold Act
SEA0016 SF0120 Wyoming PRIME act.
SEA0020 SF0006 Residential property-removal of unlawful occupant.
February 27, 2025
The Senate will not be passing a supplementary budget, the first time anyone can recall this occurring.
Supplemental budgets have been done since 1975. The fact that it couldn't be done shows that something went awry, even though its unclear what. It even came as a surprise WFC figure John Bear, who bizarrely noted that the House would now have to work harder to make sure things were funded, which coming from the government dislikely WFC is a pretty odd comment. Bear also stated that "However, I do believe in the sovereignty in our God, he saw all this beforehand, so I’m not terribly surprised.”, which is also sort of a peculiar comment but an insight to Bear's thinking, and likely that of other WFC members, and almost reminiscent of the "Allah wills it (In sha' Allah,إن شاء الله)" view of Islam.
New WFC Natrona County Rep Jamie Lien and Casper Mayor Pacheco sparred over the legislature's property tax bill which will gut municipal revenue like a fish.
The bill to make School Board races partisan so that voters could avoid thinking bout candidates and automatically just vote for declared Republicans died in the House.
March 1, 2025
And another week has passed.
HB 172, the free fire zone bill, um, the bill repealing gun free school zones, went into law without the Governor's signature. He noted that he would have been inclined to veto it, but the veto would have been overridden. He was right in his views all the way around.
The current tell of the tape:
A new law just passed restricting abortion caused the State's only abortion abattoir to file suit:
Abortion clinic files lawsuit to block new Wyoming laws: Wellspring Health Access in Casper — the only in-clinic abortion facility in Wyoming — asked a judge to block new laws it claims are trying to force its closure.
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