2015 General Session
63rd
Legislature
HOUSE BILLS
SUPPORT
HB0015
Restoration of voting rights by
department of corrections.
Sponsored by: Joint Judiciary
Interim Committee
AN ACT
relating to criminal procedure; amending and conforming provisions relating to
restoration of voting rights to felons; and providing for an effective date.
We support complete
restoration of voting rights for felons in order to continue rehabilitation and
bring them into their communities as full citizens. This bill provides
restoration for those convicted of non-violent felony or felonies for an
individual who has completed all of sentence including probation or parole.
SUPPORT
HB0018
Drone Protection Act.
Sponsored by: Joint Judiciary
Interim Committee
AN ACT relating to drones;
specifying requirements for use of drones by law enforcement agencies; limiting
use of information obtained with a drone
by governmental entities; requiring
reports; and providing for an effective date.
This bill protects
citizens privacy rights by requiring a warrant issued under probable cause for
any use of law enforcement or government agency surveillance.
HB0026
Solemnization
of marriage.
Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Barlow and Baker and Senator(s) Dockstader
AN ACT
relating to domestic relations; providing that religious officials shall not be
required to perform a marriage ceremony; and providing for an effective date.
This bill is not necessary as the First Amendment of
the U.S. Constitution provides this protection.
THIS BILL DIED IN
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE.
OPPOSE
HB0028
Investigative subpoenas.
Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Zwonitzer, Dv., Brown and Pownall and Senator(s) Hicks
AN ACT
relating to criminal procedure; providing for the issuance of investigative
subpoenas for internet fraud; providing for confidentiality; providing
definitions; and providing for an effective date.
SUPPORT
HB0029
Marihuana
possession.
Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Byrd
AN ACT
relating to marihuana possession; amending penalties for marihuana possession
as specified; and providing for an effective date.
The ACLU has
supported decriminalization of all drugs since the 1970’s.
A great place to start is House Bill 29, which would remove
criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana. This proposal
would impose a civil, not criminal, penalty with a fine of up to $100 for a
first or second offense. Reducing penalties for low-level marijuana possession
would prevent thousands of people from becoming ensnared in the criminal
justice system. Convictions for possessing even small amounts of marijuana
can follow people throughout their lives. There are substantial long-term
consequences to these charges, including potentially being disqualified from
student financial-aid eligibility, loss of employment, veteran’s benefits, and
incarceration. What we have now is a situation where the punishment simply
doesn't reflect the conduct.
A recent survey conducted by the University of Wyoming found that
62 percent of Wyomingites surveyed believe the penalty for marijuana possession
should not include jail time. Decriminalization policies keep people out
of jail and would eliminate many of the collateral consequences that flow from
marijuana arrests, thereby reducing the gross number of people entering the
criminal justice system.
Decriminalization also makes fiscal sense. According to the Bureau
of Justice and the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Wyoming spent $9.1
million enforcing marijuana laws in 2010. That year, Wyoming made 2,254 total
arrests for marijuana; 93 percent of those were for possession of a small
amount, not for the manufacture or sale of marijuana.
THIS BILL DIED IN COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE.
SUPPORT
HB0032
Hemp extract regulation.
Sponsored by: Representative(s)
McKim, Barlow, Blake, Gay and Kroeker
AN ACT relating to public
health; allowing supervised medical use of hemp extract; providing an exemption
from prosecution for possession or use
of hemp extract; providing for doctor
supervision; creating a registration
program as specified; authorizing a fee for registration; providing definitions; and providing for an
effective date.
We would support this bill but feel that a broader medical provisions
bill or complete decriminalization would be preferable.
SUPPORT
HB0038
PAC-campaign
limits and funding.
Sponsored by:
Joint Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Interim Committee
AN ACT
relating to elections; repealing Wyoming's political action committee campaign
contribution limits; allowing organizations to bear PAC related costs as
specified; and providing for an effective date.
This change would bring
Wyoming into compliance with recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions.
SUPPORT
HB0039
Aggregate
campaign contribution limits-repeal.
Sponsored by:
Joint Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Interim Committee
AN ACT
relating to elections; repealing Wyoming's aggregate campaign contribution limit; and providing for
an effective date.
This change would bring
Wyoming into compliance with recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions.
HB0049
Confidentiality
of participants involved in execution.
Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Walters and Senator(s) Burns
AN ACT relating to criminal
procedure; providing confidentiality for the identity of persons or entities
involved in administering an execution; and providing for an effective date.
The ACLU does not
support the death penalty and will strongly support any effort to abolish the
penalty.
OPPOSE
HB0083
Religious Freedom Restoration
Act.
Sponsored by: Representative(s)
Winters and Steinmetz and Senator(s) Dockstader
AN ACT relating to religious
freedom; creating a Religious Freedom Restoration Act; providing definitions;
limiting specified governmental actions that burden religious freedom as specified; authorizing claims and
defenses against governmental action
that burden religious freedom as
specified; providing for severability of the act; and providing for an effective date.
An extremely broad poorly
written bill that is most probably unconstitutional.
HB0090
Student religious liberties.
Sponsored by: Representative(s)
Kroeker, Baker, Edmunds, Gay, Halverson, Jaggi, Jennings, Loucks, McKim,
Miller, Piiparinen, Reeder, Steinmetz and Winters and Senator(s) Dockstader
AN ACT relating to education;
providing for voluntary student expression of religious expression in
public schools; specifying requirements
for school districts; and providing for
an effective date.
The sections in the bill that provide for religious expression are not
necessary as religious expression as outlined in the bill is already protected by
the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. There are many forums for the
expression of religious speech both inside and outside of the public schools
without making school events a forum for religious debate.
HB0091
HOUSE BILL NO.
HB0091
Restoring
constitutional governance act.
Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Kroeker, Baker, Halverson, Hunt, Jennings, Lindholm, Loucks,
McKim and Miller and Senator(s) Case
AN ACT
relating to criminal law; prohibiting enforcement of federal law as specified; providing
legislative declaration that Wyoming is
not a battlefield; providing definitions;
providing penalties; and providing for an effective date.
HB0094
Parental rights.
Sponsored by: Representative(s)
Jennings, Allen, Berger, Blackburn, Clem, Edmunds, Edwards, Gay, Halverson,
Jaggi, Kroeker, Lindholm, Miller, Piiparinen, Steinmetz and Winters and
Senator(s) Christensen, Dockstader and Meier
AN ACT relating to parents;
providing for a parental right to direct
the upbringing, education and care of a child;
providing applicability as specified; and providing for an effective date.
Another unnecessary bill as
this right is conveyed by both the Wyoming and the U.S. Constitution.
SUPPORT
HB0097
Death penalty
repeal.
Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Connolly, Baker, Halverson, Miller and Pelkey and Senator(s)
Craft
AN ACT
relating to crimes and offenses and criminal procedure; repealing the death
penalty; repealing procedures related to
imposition and execution of death
sentences; conforming provisions; providing applicability; and providing for an effective date.
The ACLU
strongly supports the abolition of the death penalty; the penalty is not a deterrent,
is administered by a flawed justice system, is expensive and is banned in all
western nations except the U.S.
THIS BILL DIED IN COMMITTEE.
SUPPORT
HB0119
Death with
dignity.
Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Zwonitzer, Dn. and Connolly
AN ACT
relating to public health; providing that a capable 1 patient with a terminal
disease may request prescription of 2 self-administered medication for the
purpose of hastening 3 death; providing that patients have a right to
information 4 as specified; specifying duties and responsibilities of 5
physicians as specified; specifying waiting periods and 6 residency
requirements; specifying the effect of the act on 7 insurance policies;
providing immunities for participation 8 in the act; specifying limitations;
providing definitions; 9 granting rulemaking authority; and providing for an 10
effective date.
HB0121
Constitutional
convention limitations.
Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Laursen, Lindholm, Miller and Winters and Senator(s) Bebout,
Driskill, Hicks, Peterson and Wasserburger
AN ACT
relating to administration of government; specifying limitations on delegates to an Article V
convention; providing definitions; and
providing for an effective date.
SUPPORT
HB0123
Juvenile
records-expungement.
Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Throne, Esquibel, K. and Halverson and Senator(s) Burns and
Craft
AN ACT
relating to juveniles; providing for expungement of juvenile records as
specified; providing prosecutorial discretion to petition to postpone
expungement; providing conforming amendments; and providing for an effective
date.
SUPPORT
HB0125
Law enforcement citation quotas-prohibition.
Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Pelkey, Baker, Byrd, Edmonds, Esquibel, K., Halverson,
Kroeker and Krone and Senator(s) Rothfuss
AN ACT
relating to regulation of traffic on highways; prohibiting the use of citation
quotas by law enforcement for traffic violations; and providing for an effective
date.
OPPOSE
HB0131
Change in
party affiliation.
Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Blackburn, Edmonds and Wilson and Senator(s) Driskill and
Meier
AN ACT
relating to elections; amending a provision related to changes in party
affiliation as specified; and providing for an effective date.
Another
attempt at ensuring that no one other than Republicans can actually participate
in the democratic process by prohibiting individuals from changing their party
affiliation during a primary.
OPPOSE
HB132
Juvenile confidentiality in court proceedings.
Sponsored by: Representative(s)
Throne and Halverson and Senator(s) Burns and Craft
AN ACT relating to children;
providing for confidentiality of municipal and circuit court records for cases involving
a juvenile; providing an exception; and providing for an effective date.
This is a very
well-meaning bill but what it will accomplish is to protect the courts from any
meaningful oversight by outside observers.
As a result of the legislatures refusal to make meaningful change in the
juvenile system we continue to have these attempts to improve the system that
end up with unintended consequences.
SUPPORT
HB134
Seized property.
Sponsored by: Representative(s)
Miller, Blackburn, Blake, Clem, Halverson, Jaggi, Kasperik, Kroeker,
Piiparinen, Schwartz and Winters and Senator(s) Coe
AN ACT relating to seized
property; specifying that proceeds from
the sale of forfeited property shall be
deposited in the crime victims compensation account; repealing conflicting provisions; and
providing for an effective date.
A good bill
that removes any incentive for law enforcement to make unethical stops in order
to confiscate personal property.
A good bill that removes
any incentive for law enforcement to make unethical stops in order to
confiscate personal property. Washington Post article outlines Federal
concerns: (Wyoming law currently allows for civil asset forfeiture by law
enforcement.)
OPPOSE
HB0156
Abortion–ultrasound
information.
Sponsored by: Representative(s)
Reeder, Gay, Halverson, Jaggi, Jennings, Kroeker, Loucks and Steinmetz and
Senator(s) Dockstader, Meier, Peterson and Ross
AN ACT relating to public
health and safety; requiring physicians
to provide patients with specified information
before certain nonemergency abortion procedures; providing and amending definitions; and providing for
an effective date.
§ This
bill is an unwarranted intrusion into medical
care.
§ This
bill imposes delays and threats to women’s access to medical services.
§ Waiting
periods burden all women seeking care but are especially difficult for
low-income women, rural women, working women without sick leave, and battered
women.
§
This bill
inserts the term "unborn child" repeatedly into the Wyoming
Statutes. Use of this term reflects a religious
viewpoint. Doctors should not be
required to use this term rather than the medically accurate term
"embryo" or "fetus".
SUPPORT
HB0164
Student data privacy.
Sponsored by: Representative(s)
Steinmetz, Hunt and Reeder and Senator(s) Anderson, J.D. (SD02)
AN ACT relating to public education; requiring consent prior to sharing of personally identifiable
student information; requiring
reporting; and providing for an
effective date.
OPPOSE
HB0186
Human
trafficking-forfeiture of property.
Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Connolly, Berger, Halverson, Kroeker, Krone and Northrup and
Senator(s) Burns, Craft and Rothfuss
AN ACT relating to human trafficking;
providing for forfeiture and seizure of specified property; specifying the
procedures for forfeiture and seizure of property; providing exceptions;
specifying distribution of proceeds from forfeited property; and providing for
an effective date.
OPPOSE
HB0187
Marihuana
impact study.
Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Krone and Northrup
AN ACT relating to controlled
substances; providing for a1 study of marihuana impacts as specified; requiring
a report; providing an appropriation; and providing for an effective date.
SUPPORT
HB0230
Compensation
for exoneration based on DNA.
Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Pelkey, Baker, Clem and Lindholm and Senator(s) Esquibel, F.
AN ACT
relating to criminal procedure; authorizing
compensation for persons exonerated based on DNA testing and found factually innocent; specifying
conditions, requirements and limitations
on authorized compensation; retaining
governmental immunity as specified; conforming
provisions; providing for stay of order of expungement as specified; providing an appropriation; and
providing for an effective date.
OPPOSE
HB0232
Open meetings.
Sponsored by: Representative(s)
Nicholas, B. and Senator(s) Nicholas, P. and Perkins
AN ACT relating to public meetings;
authorizing a governing body to take action upon confidential information
during an executive session; and
providing for an effective date.
The current law provides that discussion of confidential information
may be taken in executive session but that any action taken must be done in a
public session. There is no reason to
allow officials to take actions in a secret session; it is the duty and
responsibility of the public to practice over site over public officials and this
demands transparency.
SENATE BILLS
OPPOSE
SF0012
Trespassing to
collect data.
Sponsored by:
Joint Judiciary Interim Committee
AN ACT
relating to crimes and offenses; creating the crimes of trespassing to
unlawfully collect resource data and unlawful collection of resource data;
limiting use of unlawfully collected data; providing for expungement; providing definitions; and providing for an
effective date.
This bill would protect agribusiness and landowners against
whistleblowers of any kind including journalists looking to shine a public eye
on their wrongdoing including animal abuse and polluting of public land and
streams. These are very bad bills that,
when passed in other states have brought court battles as a result of their
suppression of freedom of speech and broad applicability. Private property rights are already protected
from trespassers this is a law to protect property owners against pubic
knowledge of misconduct.
SF0013
Method of
execution-1.
Sponsored by:
Joint Judiciary Interim Committee
AN ACT
relating to criminal procedure; amending the method of execution of a death
sentence; and providing for an effective date.
This bill would provide for the use of a firing squad to carry
out executions.
SUPPORT
SF0014
Asset
forfeiture-2.
Sponsored by:
Joint Judiciary Interim Committee
AN ACT
relating to the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act; amending and expanding
procedures and requirements for forfeiting and seizing property; providing
definitions; conforming provisions; and providing for an effective date.
This bill is
an important bill to protect private property from seizure by law enforcement
without criminal conviction or court oversight.
SUPPORT
SF0018
Expungement of misdemeanors.
Sponsored by: Senator(s) Case
and Burns and Representative(s) Greear and Zwonitzer, Dn.
AN ACT relating to criminal
procedure; providing for the expungement
of records of conviction of misdemeanors as
specified; and providing for an effective date.
SUPPORT
SF0036
Personal
identifying information-definitions.
Sponsored by:
Joint Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Interim Committee
AN ACT
relating to crimes and offenses and consumer protection; amending definitions
relating to personal identifying information; and providing for an effective
date.
Expands the definitions of personal identifiers and provides
privacy protection.
SUPPORT
SF0037
State
protection of data privacy.
Sponsored by:
Joint Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Interim Committee
AN ACT
relating to administration of government; specifying powers and duties of the department of
enterprise technology services over data
privacy; specifying that department data
privacy policies and standards shall be the
minimum privacy requirements adhered to by state agencies; and providing for an effective date.
Broadens privacy protections.
SUPPORT
SF0038
Controlled substances-first offense for
possession.
Sponsored by:
Senator(s) Case and Representative(s) Kroeker
AN ACT
relating to controlled substances; providing for deferred prosecution for the first offense of
using or being under the influence of a controlled substance; and providing for
an effective date.
SUPPORT
SF0041
Employee
online privacy.
Sponsored by:
Joint Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Interim Committee
AN ACT
relating to labor and employment; prohibiting an employer from requesting or requiring access
to a personal internet account of an
employee or prospective employee;
prohibiting an employer from taking adverse action against an employee or prospective employee for
failing to disclose information to
access a personal internet account; providing
exceptions; prohibiting waiver of rights;
providing for civil penalties; providing a civil cause of action; providing a definition; and providing
for an effective date.
SUPPORT
SF0045
Digital information privacy task force-reappropriation.
Sponsored by: Joint Corporations, Elections & Political
Subdivisions Interim Committee
AN ACT relating to the
administration of government and
privacy; specifying staffing for the digital information privacy task force; designating a committee
to receive task force report;
reappropriating money; and providing for an
effective date.
SF0049
Initiative and
referendum-revisions.
Sponsored by: Joint
Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Interim Committee
AN ACT relating to initiatives
and referendums; repealing prior initiative and referendum provisions;
creating separate initiative and
referendum provisions; revising
initiative and referendum procedures and language; removing restrictions on circulator qualifications and
pay as specified; and providing for an
effective date.
SUPPORT
SF0050
Tribal liaisons.
Sponsored by: Select Committee
on Tribal Relations
AN ACT relating to
administration of the government; amending provisions relating to tribal
liaisons; repealing and conforming provisions; providing an appropriation; and
providing for an effective date.
The tribal liaison
position is an important position to ensure that the State of Wyoming and the
tribes have a working relationship that is beneficial to both parties.
SUPPORT
SF0052
Elections-vote centers and
electronic pollbooks.
AN ACT relating to elections;
authorizing the use of electronic pollbooks; authorizing the use of vote
centers; establishing a procedure for changing polling locations; providing definitions; making conforming
amendments; repealing certification of
pollbooks by election judges; and
providing for an effective date.
SUPPORT
SF0054
Election Code-revisions.
Sponsored by: Joint
Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Interim Committee
AN ACT relating to elections;
providing definitions; clarifying and amending campaign reporting requirements;
amending term limit provisions to comply with decisions of the Wyoming supreme court; conforming
language to prior statutory changes;
limiting distribution of the election
code; requiring oaths as specified; amending notice of appointment provisions; amending time limits
applicable to the acceptance of nominations;
amending time limits for the delivery of absentee ballots; amending absentee
ballot formatting; altering obligations
to initial ballots; acknowledging a
canvassing board's ability to validate 11 noninitialed ballots; amending
provisions related to write-in candidates; making grammatical changes;
specifying the official who prints names
on ballots; and providing for an
effective date.
Sponsored by: Joint
Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Interim Committee
SF68
Property rights ombudsman.
Sponsored by: Senator(s) Hicks,
Anderson, J.D. (SD02), Driskill and Emerich and Representative(s) Brown, Hunt,
McKim, Sommers and Winters
AN ACT relating to the office
of state lands and investments; creating
the office of private lands and energy
ombudsman; providing duties for the office;
providing rulemaking authority; authorizing a position; providing an appropriation; and providing for
an effective date.
OPPOSE
SF0080
Trespassing to
collect data-civil cause of action.
Sponsored by:
Senator(s) Hicks, Christensen, Driskill and Kinskey and Representative(s)
Baker, Halverson and Miller
AN ACT
relating to trade and commerce; providing a civil cause of action for trespassing to unlawfully
collect resource data; limiting the use
of unlawfully collected data; providing
definitions; and providing for an effective
date.
This bill would allow private landowners to sue
whistleblowers, environmentalists, journalists, researchers for uncovering
illegal activity on their property or in their business. This would be on top of the criminal charges
that could be under SF12.
SUPPORT
SF0083
Parole board authority.
Sponsored by: Senator(s)
Esquibel, F. and Representative(s) Byrd and Zwonitzer, Dn.
AN ACT relating to criminal
procedure; providing for an inmate to petition for a commutation of sentence on
an annual basis; and providing for an effective date.
SUPPORT
SF0115
Discrimination.
Sponsored by:
Senator(s) Rothfuss, Burns, Christensen, Coe, Nicholas, P., Pappas, Von Flatern
and Wasserburger and Representative(s) Brown, Connolly, Lockhart, Madden,
Paxton, Petroff and Zwonitzer, Dn.
AN ACT
relating to discrimination; prohibiting discrimination based on sexual
orientation or gender identity as specified; providing an exception; and
providing for an effective date.
SUPPORT
SF0132
Wyoming Fair
Housing Act.
Sponsored by:
Senator(s) Scott and Representative(s) Stubson and Walters
AN ACT
relating to housing discrimination; defining
prohibited practices; providing for conciliation and hearings; providing penalties; and providing
for an effective date.
SF0139
Open and
revised elections.
Sponsored by:
Senator(s) Rothfuss and Scott and Representative(s) Petroff and Zwonitzer, Dn.
AN ACT
relating to elections; providing for primary
elections allowing any voter to vote for any candidate; amending definitions relating to
qualifications of political parties;
eliminating election of precinct
committeemen and committeewomen at primary elections; providing for advancement to the general
election; providing for filling of
vacancies in nomination; making conforming amendments; requiring planning
regarding ranked choice voting as
specified; and providing for an effective
date. 0
OPPOSE
SJ001
Right of
privacy-constitutional amendment.
Sponsored by:
Joint Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Interim Committee
A JOINT RESOLUTION proposing to
amend the Wyoming Constitution by creating a new section providing that the
right of individual privacy is essential to the well-being of a free society
and shall not be infringed without the showing of a compelling state interest.
Without a
constitutionally protected right of access this could be used to block citizens
right to public documents.
From Montana Constitution:
Section 8. RIGHT
OF PARTICIPATION. The public has the right to expect
governmental
agencies to afford such reasonable opportunity for citizen participation in the
operation
of the agencies prior to the final decision as may be provided by law.
Section
9. RIGHT TO KNOW. No person shall be deprived of the right to examine
documents
or to observe the deliberations of all public bodies or agencies of state
government and
its
subdivisions, except in cases in which the demand of individual privacy clearly
exceeds the
merits
of public disclosure.
Section
10. RIGHT OF PRIVACY. The right of individual privacy is essential to the
well-being of a free society and
shall not be infringed without the showing of a compelling state
interest.
SJ0004
Constitutional
convention.
Sponsored by:
Senator(s) Peterson and Representative(s) Winters
A JOINT
RESOLUTION requesting Congress to call a convention to amend the United States
Constitution as specified.
SUPPORT
SJ0007
Resolution
declaring Chicano history week.
Sponsored by:
Senator(s) Esquibel, F.
A JOINT
RESOLUTION to declare February 2 through 8, 2015, as Chicano History Week in
the state of Wyoming.
