Government & Politics
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Wyoming Senate Sides With Governor Over Tribe, Advances Tribal Hunt Bill
Though members of multiple tribes oppose it, the state Senate on Thursday advanced a bill giving Gov. Mark Gordon authority to establish hunting agreements with tribes whose treaties contain special hunting rights.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 17, 2023
Legislature Signs Off On $1.8 Billion Budget Package, Including $1.4 Billion In Savings
Having experienced plenty of rainy days in recent years, Wyoming legislators are saving for when the states economy storms again, socking away $1.4 billion into savings in the 2023 supplemental budget, which passed the Legislature on Thursday.
Leo WolfsonFebruary 17, 2023
Resurrected Bill To End Crossover Voting Still Alive, Advances To Senate Floor
Voters changing parties on primary election day closer to being history as Wyoming lawmakers on Thursday advanced a bill to end the practice. House Bill 103 had been dead until it was resurrected through a rarely used rule.
Leo WolfsonFebruary 17, 2023
Lawmakers Argue Over Committee Assignment For Child Sex Change Bill
Some Wyoming lawmakers Thursday challenged state House leadership over which committee should hear Chloe's Law, which would prevent doctors from performing or prescribing transgender-related treatments for kids.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 17, 2023
Sen. Affie Ellis Brings Dirt From Sutton Archaeological Site To Wyoming Capitol
House lawmakers continued to advance a bill that would fence a special archaeological site in Wyoming adjacent to the Powers II red ochre mine. The site has large ceremonial circles that could prove significant in understanding the states earliest inhabitants.
Renée JeanFebruary 17, 2023
Bill Would Honor Former Gov. Who Fought McCarthyism, Wanted To Kick Japanese Americans Out Of Wyoming
Despite a less-than-ideal track record in the eyes of history, state Sen. Cale Case says Lester Hunt deserves official recognition for a career of public service as a former Wyoming secretary of state, governor and U.S. senator.
Leo WolfsonFebruary 16, 2023
Wyoming Lawmakers Spar Over Child Marriage, Scolded By Senate President
The Wyoming Senate on Thursday resoundingly passed a bill banning marriages for children 15 and younger after an argument about whether the bill's sponsor would be willing to change it to allow anyone younger than 18 to marry with permission of both a judge and a parent.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 16, 2023
Drug Court Oversight, Money For Coal Lawsuits Among First Bills To Get Gordon’s Signature
The first bills to work through the Wyoming Legislature this session were signed by Gov. Mark Gordon on Wednesday in a ceremony at the Capitol in Cheyenne.
Leo WolfsonFebruary 16, 2023
Wyoming Bighorn Ram Hunts Will Remain ‘Once-In-A-Lifetime’ Opportunity
Hunters who are lucky enough to draw a tag for a Rocky Mountain bighorn ram in Wyoming, but are unsuccessful in shooting one, will die never getting that chance again. A bill that would have allowed hunters to qualify for tags again died on Wednesday.
Mark HeinzFebruary 16, 2023
After Stripped Of Funding, Expiration Date Put On Wyoming Suicide Call Centers Bill
A bill originally intended to support Wyomings suicide call centers in perpetuity with a dedicated trust fund has been amended to do almost the opposite.
Leo WolfsonFebruary 15, 2023
Lawmakers Advance Law To Keep Indian Children Out Of Non-Native Foster Homes
The House Appropriations Committee has advanced a bill continuing a hotly disputed federal law designed to keep Indian children out of non-native foster and guardian homes, whether the children live on Indian reservations or not.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 15, 2023
Harriet Hageman Endorses Trump For President In 2024
Congresswoman Harriet Hageman on Wednesday announced she is endorsing former President Donald Trump in his 2024 presidential campaign.
Leo WolfsonFebruary 15, 2023
Bill Allowing Wyoming Dairy Farmers To Sell Milk At Stores Passes Committee
While some dairy farmers in Wyoming are running a black market selling milk through third parties, a bill that would make those sales legal has cleared a state House committee.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 15, 2023
Lawmakers Reject Legislation That Would Outlaw School Spankings In Wyoming
The Wyoming House of Representatives has rejected a bill that would have removed legal protections for school staffers who spank kids, saying the bill is vague in defining what constitutes corporal punishment.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 15, 2023
Gordon To Sign First Bills Of 2023 Legislative Session Into Law On Wednesday
Now in the second month of the Wyoming Legislature's 2023 session, Gov. Mark Gordon is expected Wednesday to sign the first three bills that have so far made it to his desk.
Leo WolfsonFebruary 15, 2023
Back From The Dead: Wyoming Senate Resurrects Effort To Stop Crossover Voting
A bill that would make it illegal for voters to change party affiliation after candidates announce theyre running for office had been killed by the Wyoming Legislature. But the state Senate revived it Tuesday.
Leo WolfsonFebruary 15, 2023
Posting Bogus ‘No Trespassing’ Signs Could Cost $10,000 First Time, $50,000 For Repeats
A bill that would make it a crime to post no trespassing signs on public land calls for fines of $10,000 for a first offense, $50,000 for more moves forward. Another bill that would have given game wardens broader authority to ticket trespassers has died.
Mark HeinzFebruary 14, 2023
Hundreds Evacuated Overnight After Fire In UW Dorm Room, No Serious Injuries
There were hundreds evacuated but no deaths or serious injuries after a one-room fire in a University of Wyoming dormitory early Tuesday.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 14, 2023
Wyoming Safe From Super Gonorrhea Strain – So Far
A strain of drug-resistant gonorrhea found in Massachusetts hasnt made its way to Wyoming yet. In fact, state health officials say Cowboy State gonorrhea cases were down in 2022.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 14, 2023
Wyoming Tribe Opposes Off-Reservation Hunting Bill, Committee Approves It Anyway
A Senate Committee passed a bill that would give Gov. Mark Gordon authority to establish off-reservation hunting agreements with certain tribes despite claims that the bill would undermine tribal sovereignty.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 14, 2023
Gay Straight Alliance Students Lobby Against Trans Bills At Wyoming Capitol
High school students from around Wyoming were at the Wyoming Capitol in Cheyenne trying to sway opinions on legislation dealing with LGBTQ issues, saying theres not much equality in The Equality State these days.
Leo WolfsonFebruary 14, 2023
Bill To Pay Wyoming Lawmakers More For Travel, Food Advances
Senate File 61, which would give state lawmakers their first per diem raise since 2005, moves forward with a 6-3 vote from the House Revenue Committee on Tuesday.
Leo WolfsonFebruary 14, 2023
Bill Would Have Driver’s Licenses Going Retro With Black-And-White Photos
Wyoming is using a new and more secure technology for its drivers licenses, but that technology so far does not play well with color. To allow black-and-white photos on them requires the Wyoming Legislature to act.
Renée JeanFebruary 14, 2023
Wyoming Married Off Hundreds Of Children In The 1970s And ’80s, Data Show
More than 600 minors got married each year in the late 1970s, and now that number is about 16 per year, according to Wyoming Department of Health data dispatched to help lawmakers discern the need for a bill outlawing marriages for younger teens.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 14, 2023