Government & Politics
News
Bill Making It Easier To Throw Axes, Rope Chickens While Drinking Alcohol In Wyoming Almost Law
A bill that would make expand the number of liquor licenses available to include businesses which offer axe-throwing and chicken-roping has passed the House and Senate and is just one step away from hitting Gov. Gordon's desk.
Leo WolfsonFebruary 11, 2023
Oops! Wyo State Rep Apologizes After Saying “Don’t Get Your Panties In A Wad” on House Floor
Legislative proceedings on Friday stopped right after Rep. Pendergraft said people were "getting their panties in a wad" over a bill changing the Wyoming driver's license. The gallery groaned and Pendergraft offered an immediate apology.
Jimmy OrrFebruary 10, 2023
Wyoming Drone Pilot Says Angry Resident Threatened To Turn Dogs On Him
One commercial drone pilot who testified against an intrusive drone bill on Friday said an angry Green River citizen told him his drone was "pissing her dogs off" and she warned him to land the drone or she would turn the dogs loose on him.
Mark HeinzFebruary 10, 2023
Wyoming Senate Takes Rare Mid-Session Day Off Friday
With the state Senate ahead of the House in considering proposed legislation, the body took a day off Friday. State Sen. Charles Scott said this is the first time that's happened in the 44 years that he has served in the Legislature.
Leo WolfsonFebruary 10, 2023
Shoshone Tribe Seeks Alcohol License For Casino, Would Be Only One On Reservation
Though the Wind River Indian Reservation has been "dry" for decades, the Eastern Shoshone Tribe is attempting to gain a liquor license. It would be the only one on the reservation.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 10, 2023
Wyoming Republican Party ‘Alerts’ Members Against Child Marriage Bill
The Wyoming GOP dispatched an outside analysis condemning House Bill 7, which would ban all marriages for children younger than 16; the analysis argued that children who get pregnant should be allowed to marry with a judge's permission.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 10, 2023
Wyoming House Speaker Makes Emotional Plea For Elderly Fraud Victims
While debating a proposed law that would let banks intervene if they suspect elderly or disabled customers are being scammed, House Speaker Rep. Albert Sommers was tearful in relating the story of a vulnerable Wyomingite who was forced to live in dog poop while family members spent that person's money on drugs.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 10, 2023
Wyoming Senate OKs $1.2 Million For Pro-Coal Litigation
$1.2 million to sue Washington state in defense of Wyoming coal interests has gone unspent, so the governor wants to expand how else it can be used to support the industry.
February 10, 2023
Fake ‘No Trespassing’ Sign Bill One Step Closer To Law After Committee Approval
A bill that would make false no trespassing signs tantamount to hunter harassment took a key step forward Thursday with a Wyoming legislative committee voting unanimously to forward it to the full Senate
Mark HeinzFebruary 10, 2023
Chuck Gray’s Crossover Voting Bill Gets Shot Down By Committee
The last bill still alive in the Wyoming Legislature that would have eliminated crossover voting failed Thursday in a Senate committee, dashing the chances of Secretary of State Chuck Gray to make good on one of his main campaign promises.
Leo WolfsonFebruary 09, 2023
Bill Banning Teens Younger Than 16 To Marry Passes Unanimously Through Senate Committee
Despite its rocky travels through the Wyoming House of Representatives, a bill forbidding people ages 15 and younger to marry unanimously passed its first state Senate committee meeting.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 09, 2023
Wyoming State Rep. Says No Truth To Ethics Complaint
State Rep. Jon Conrad said of an ethics complaint against him that there is nothing to the complaint and it is politically motivated.
Leo WolfsonFebruary 09, 2023
Wyoming House Passes Extension Of Medicaid Postpartum Coverage To 1 Year
A bill extending postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to a year in Wyoming passed through the state House of Representatives on Wednesday by a 34-28 vote. It will now go to the Senate.
Leo WolfsonFebruary 09, 2023
House Kills Effort To Exempt Wyoming From CDC COVID-19 Regs
A bill that would have prevented Wyoming from following World Health Organization and Centers For Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for COVID-19 restrictions died on a close 32-29 vote on the House floor Wednesday afternoon.
Leo WolfsonFebruary 08, 2023
Without Commercial Exemption, Wyoming Drone Trespass Bill Won’t Pass, Critics say
An exemption for business and commercial drone use must be written into a bill proposing to make trespassing by drone a criminal offense or it will never get off the ground, lobbyists told Wyoming lawmakers Wednesday.
Mark HeinzFebruary 08, 2023
Wyoming Ban On Child Sex-Change Surgeries Passes Senate 26-5; Concern Over Court Challenges, However
While a measure that would stop transgender-related treatments for kids, including sex changes, has sailed through the Wyoming Senate with ease, there are concerns that court challenges could arise.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 08, 2023
Drones A Very Real Threat To Power Substations And Other Critical Infrastructure
Power substations have become a favorite target of vandals, thieves and terrorists. Most of these have been ground-based attacks, but drones also are becoming a more and more popular way to disrupt critical infrastructure.
February 08, 2023
Wyoming A Step Closer To Banning Transgender Girls In School Sports With Definitive 28-3 Senate Vote
By a resounding 28 - 3 margin, legislation that would ban transgender girls from competing in female sports passed the Wyoming Senate on Wednesday.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 08, 2023
Bill Would Give Wyoming Doctors Free Pass To Prescribe Alternative Drugs For COVID
Legislation that would make it legal for a doctor to prescribe off-label medications like hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin has passed through the Wyoming House on Wednesday.
Leo WolfsonFebruary 08, 2023
Wyoming Should Stand With ‘Sister State’ Taiwan, Says Sen. President Ogden Driskill
From Wyoming beef to whisky, Taiwan is a burgeoning export market for Cowboy State products. A bill moving through the 2023 Legislature calls for Wyoming to make a stand of solidarity with Taiwan as tension with China grow more strained.
Leo WolfsonFebruary 08, 2023
Wyoming Senate Kills $5 Million Border Wall Funding After Heated Debate
The Wyoming Senate killed a bill that would have given $5 million to Southern border states to help fight the immigration crisis, but not before a frustrated sponsor Sen. Larry Hicks told his colleagues that failing to do our part could open the door for another 9/11.
Leo WolfsonFebruary 08, 2023
Bill Would Require Conservation Stamp To Hunt Wyoming Shed Antlers
Describing looking for shed antlers as adult Easter egg hunts, a Montana man said bills before the Wyoming Legislature could ruin his familys yearly shed hunting trips to Jackson.
Mark HeinzFebruary 08, 2023
Chuck Gray’s Declared Open Season On Election Equipment; Lawmakers May Have Hit Their Limit
A Senate committee Tuesday torpedoed a pair of amendments Secretary of State Chuck Gray crafted that would have given his office authority over county clerks to question and remove election equipment.
Leo WolfsonFebruary 07, 2023
Conservative Think Tank Sends Wyoming Teachers Textbook Challenging ‘Climate Crisis’ Narrative
A conservative think tank sent out copies of a new textbook on climate change this week to teachers in Wyoming. It is raising alarm among those who want children taught that the planet is becoming uninhabitable as a result of climate change.
February 07, 2023