A Wyoming LGBTQ advocacy group is planning to challenge in court recently passed legislation that bans biological males from participating in girls’ sports in Wyoming.
Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray said Tuesday he believes four election finance complaints made about a mailer allegedly sent by state Rep. Cyrus Western last summer have merit. He’s forwarded them to Attorney General Bridget Hill.
Although some have complained about Mark Gordon’s non-confrontational style, the governor says he’s not swayed by state or national criticism. He says his record is enough.
On a conference call with reporters, U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis on Thursday said she agreed with the Wyoming Legislature for passing the transgender sports bill and the ‘Life is a Human Right Act’.
The Joint Management Council on Thursday identified topics legislative committees will be focused on before the next session. Combatting ESG or “woke capitalism” will be a main focus.
Vice President Kamala Harris bashed Gov. Mark Gordon and state lawmakers after Wyoming became the first state to ban the chemical abortion bill.
Powell Sen. Dan Laursen is out of Senate President Ogden Driskill’s doghouse and has been rewarded for good behavior by being placed on a committee. He was the only legislator, out of 93, not to be assigned to a standing committee last session.
Cyrus Western, R-Big Horn, was censured Saturday by the Sheridan County Republican Party for his alleged role in a political mailer that targeted local people and labeled them as “Wanted … for trying to tear our state apart.” The party also called for Western to resign; he says he won’t.
Some legislators were critical of Gov Gordon for taking the maximum amount of time legally and then letting bills become law without his signature like the transgender sports bill and an abortion bill, while others say weren’t bothered by Gordon’s lack of support.
Although Gov Mark Gordon and House Speaker Albert Sommers condemned bills that were influenced by outside sources, longtime former legislators told Cowboy State Daily that using or adapting legislation that has been successful in other states is nothing new.
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon touted his “strong pro-life record” after signing a ban on chemical abortions and allowing a broader abortion ban to become law without his signature, saying it invites lawsuits and is a poor substitute for a change to the state Constitution.
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Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon on Friday said banning biological males from competing in girls school sports is “draconian” and “discriminatory,” but allowed the bill to go into law without signing it.
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Gov. Mark Gordon vetoed a Chuck Gray-supported election security bill on Friday that would have banned members of the public from mailing absentee ballot request forms to voters. This was a practice used by former congresswoman Liz Cheney during her 2020 campaign.
Wyoming’s governor on Friday signed into law a bill, sponsored by Sen. Eric Barlow, restoring gun and other civil rights for non-violent felons five years after their sentences are complete.
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A Cowboy State Daily political analysis shows that although there were a few outliers, Wyoming lawmakers closer to the center of the aisle politically had the highest success rate for getting bills passed during this year’s legislative session.
Rep. Jeremy Haroldson said he will continue to introduce legislation to eliminate gun-free zones in Wyoming until he wins. Meanwhile, a Wyoming chapter of a anti-gun group vows to continue to fight it every time its introduced.
U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman on Wednesday defended calling out Wyoming lawmakers last month for not passing legislation that would prohibit gender-related surgeries in Wyoming. “It is absolutely something that should not be going on and I will double down on that when it comes to our children,” she said.
School choice advocates are rejoicing a charter-school friendly law change that has passed the Wyoming Legislature. The Wyoming Education Association, on the other hand, strongly opposed the bill.
Although it wasn’t an overwhelmingly successful legislative session for staunch conservatives, election security was one bright spot, which Secretary of State Chuck Gray made his presence well-heard in.
Texas and Florida both went around their legislatures to ban transgender treatments for kids through executive action, but Wyoming shows no signs of doing the same.
The successful bills to ban crossover voting and to prohibit any campaign from distributing official absentee ballot request forms were both drafted in response to former Rep. Liz Cheney’s campaign.
At a press conference on Tuesday morning, Gov. Mark Gordon wouldn’t say whether he will sign two abortion bills and a transgender sports ban bill into law.
From gender identity to health care and property taxes, Wyoming lawmakers plowed through high-profile issues in a 37-day session. Along the way, they considered nearly 500 bills fueled by more than 3,000 cups of Capitol coffee.
In a rare union, Wyoming House Democrats and the Freedom Caucus teamed up to kill a bill that would have allowed charging drug dealers whose customers die from overdose with manslaughter.
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State Rep. Steve Harshman, who has represented Casper for 20 years in the Legislature, takes a special interest in the history of the Wyoming Capitol as he has helped oversee many of its recent restoration projects.
There are two voices likely heard more than any other in the Wyoming Legislature, yet their names are rarely uttered on the two chamber floors. The two reading clerks announce the title and number of each bill assigned in the House and the Senate.
If approved, Wyoming would be the first state in the nation with a digital coin. That could set the Cowboy State up for a $9 billion payday, advocates say. But Gordon has already vetoed Wyoming’s stable token once before.
Maybe bipartisanship can work after all. Sen. Dan Dockstader, R-Afton, praised the efforts of Rep. Liz Storer, D-Jackson, for her “hard work and perseverance” to adapt his original tax reform bill to make it a more comprehensive solution. “We all worked together to make this happen,” he said.
One outfit in particular looked like Lloyd Christmas’ from the movie ‘Dumb and Dumber.’ But no one was filming a sequel in the Wyoming State Capitol, it was just something a freshman legislator called “Flashy Friday.”
In remarks to the Legislature on Friday, Gov Gordon criticized legislation that was modeled on bills already passed in other states. Rep. John Bear said Gordon’s remarks were “arrogant” and an excuse for “more conservative bills not passing.”
Things got testy after two Park County senators were successful in getting one of Gov Gordon’s appointees shot down. But after a successful campaigning effort, Gordon’s appointee got voted back in, much to the displeasure of the senators.
The 2024 Wyoming hunting season will be more expensive for some nonresidents. Gov. Gordon signed into law measures that will boost the special draw fees for some nonresident big game licenses as well as price hikes to hunt “Big 5” trophy game species.
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Sen. Bo Biteman said he doesn’t understand the reluctance among some legislators to support legislation that would prohibit Wyoming from supporting companies that actively oppose coal, oil, and gas.
The Wyoming Senate won out over the state House of Representatives and now will send to Gov. Mark Gordon’s desk a bill restoring nonviolent felons’ gun and other rights five years after they complete their sentence, rather than immediately as the House majority hoped.
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Wyomingites will soon be clear to chase mountain lions with hounds during the off-season, shoot coyotes through night vision scopes on public land, and ask for compensation for livestock killed by wolves anywhere in the state.
Although Gov Mark Gordon didn’t sign the crossover voting bill on Thursday, he didn’t veto it either. So it went into law without his signature. Stopping crossover voting was one of Chuck Gray’s top priorities.
A Wyoming bill banning biological males from girls’ school sports now is one step away from becoming law. Senate File 133 received final approval from the state Senate on Thursday.
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When U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman criticized members of the Legislature earlier this week, she did something that the congressional delegation never does — get involved in their business. Former Sen. Al Simpson called it “embarrassing.” Other former members said it was bad form.
Two abortion bills, one banning chemical abortion drugs and another that’s a targeted re-wording of last year’s ban on nearly all abortions, are headed to Gov. Mark Gordon’s desk.
Nonresidents will have to wait a full week before joining the hunt for shed antler, after Gov. Mark Gordon signed a bill into law that called for that delay. Gordon on Thursday also signed a bill that could give Wyoming a $10 million shooting complex.
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Senate President Ogden Driskill warned Cheyenne Republican Senator Anthony Bouchard in a letter Wednesday that he could face serious penalties, including expulsion from the Senate, if future ethics complaints against him are substantiated.
Lawmakers have been stymied when it comes to giving homeowners a break on property taxes amid double-digit tax rate increases. An unusual amendment, which replaces a still living bill with a bill that had been dead, may help change the situation going forward.
The Wyoming State House defeated a bill on Wednesday morning that would have prohibited employers from requiring their staff to implant microchips in their bodies.
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A lobbyist filed an ethics complaint over comments Sen. Anthony Bouchard made on his Facebook page. One of his comments said members of the Wyoming Medical Society should call themselves “Doctors For Grooming” for their support of allowing children to undergo gender change surgeries and treatments.
A bill that would provide around six times more postpartum Medicaid coverage to new mothers in Wyoming was approved in the Senate on Wednesday afternoon by a razor thin 16-14 vote. It now heads to the governor’s office to be signed into law.
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Though some feared the act could erode Second Amendment rights, the Wyoming House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that would restore gun rights to nonviolent felons immediately after they’ve served their sentences.
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It was a bloodbath for bills on Monday night as the Wyoming Legislature killed nearly a dozen bills. And legislators are blaming each other for the fatalities.
In an effort to sway fellow legislators against voting for the transgender sports ban, Rep. Trey Sherwood said in a pole-vaulting competition between Rep. Provenza (left) vs Rep. Mike Yin (right), she would bet on Provenza.
Advocates say committee amendments have gutted a bill that would have forced Wyoming Treasurer, Department of Revenue to accept mineral tax payments in gold.
Many conservative legislators abandoned state Sen. Dan Laursen’s, Convention of States bill on Monday. Many opponents said they feared a runaway convention that ends up stripping away Second Amendment rights.
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The Wyoming House of Representatives on Monday advanced legislation that would restore nonviolent felons’ gun and civil rights, but bill opponents worried about a provision that would take away those same rights under state law.
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The Wyoming Senate on Monday passed a measure to hike prices for many nonresident hunting tags.
That means getting first crack at an elk tag in Wyoming could soon cost nonresidents more than $1,200 and $6,000 for a moose tag.
A Green River woman filed a complaint with the Legislative Management Council Sunday after she said Cheyenne state Sen. Anthony Bouchard cursed at her over a dispute on his “Chloe’s Law” bill in a private text message on Saturday night.
The Wyoming House Freedom Caucus on Monday voted to end first-reading debate on bills just hours before the deadline, killing multiple bills with the decision, including Chloe’s Law, which child transgender treatments.
The state House approved its first reading of the Indian Child Welfare Act. Opponents argued that the law is racist against native children and causes them permanency problems. Proponents said it’s necessary to preserve sovereign interests of American Indian tribes.
House Bill 99 is the only bill for property tax reform to make it across the finish line in the 67th legislative session so far. That’s despite there being a huge financial surplus in the state and legislators saying it was a “top priority.”
U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman made state Rep. Landon Brown, R-Cheyenne, her target on Monday after he called her out for criticizing Wyoming House Speaker Albert Sommers.
A committee of Wyoming lawmakers on Monday advanced a bill that would prohibit biological males from participating in girls’ school sports in Wyoming.
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Opponents of a bill that would ban biological males from competing in girls’ public-school sports said they accept that their battle may be a losing one as the bill continues to steamroll forward.
The Wyoming House of Representatives on Monday approved the first reading of a bill outlawing chemical abortions. Senate File 109 would make it a misdemeanor to prescribe or dispense abortion drugs in Wyoming, except in cases of rape, incest, or severe health risks.
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Those who argued that a multi-million dollar shooting sports complex would be a big shot in the arm for Wyoming tourism are closer to getting their wishes, as a bill that could lay the groundwork for the facility is headed for Gov. Mark Gordon’s desk.
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Congresswoman Harriet Hageman on Saturday urged Speaker of the House Albert Sommers to take action on bills addressing gender identity, gender surgeries, and school vouchers. “This is about protecting our children. In Congress, I’m fighting for these very issues. I hope the Wyoming legislature will do the same,” she said.
State Sen. Bo Biteman lashed out at the House Appropriations Committee for substituting a bill rather than offering amendments. “Just vote it up or vote it down but to do this after hearing all the testimony and pull this on a fellow legislator, it’s not OK and it’s not how we do business around here.”
When Charlie Scott began his 45-year run in the Wyoming Legislature in 1979, Space Invaders was the most popular video game, “My Sharona” by The Knack was the number one song, and Christopher Reeve had his career breakout moment as the title good guy “Superman” in the year’s top box office draw.
A bill that will restrict voters from changing party affiliation to influence the results of other parties’ primary elections has reached its farthest point in the Wyoming Legislature. But Gov. Mark Gordon has so far been noncommittal on whether he’d sign, veto or let it pass unsigned.
Staunch conservatives have been trying every trick in the book to get past Wyoming House Speaker Albert Sommers, who is blocking some bills from being heard or assigned to a committee. None have worked so far.
Compensation for livestock animals killed by wolves has been available only to ranchers adjacent to Yellowstone National Park, but a bill sent to Gov. Mark Gordon’s desk would extend that across Wyoming.
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A joint conference committee of the Wyoming Legislature voted Friday to support increasing the per diem rate paid to state lawmakers and other officials citing concerns that people may be dissuaded from public service because they may fear it would be a financial drain.
After more than two hours of debate and a few tears shed, the House Education Committee has advanced a bill banning biological males from competing in girls’ school sports in Wyoming.
The Wyoming House of Representatives is considering a bill imposing a homicide charge on drug dealers whose customers die of fentanyl, heroin or methamphetamine overdose.
State Sen. Anthony Bouchard is outraged that his bill to forbid doctors from performing gender-change treatments on children has been subjugated to the bottom of the Speaker of the House’s drawer with a “do not pass” recommendation from the House Appropriations Committee.
The speaker of the House says he has stifled a few bills for very specific reasons. That includes Senate File 117 which would prohibit public schools from teaching young children about gender identity or sexual orientation.
A bill that would preempt local gun control measures that go against state standards in Wyoming would prevent a “patchwork” of regulations, such as Colorado has.
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Gov. Mark Gordon signed a raft of 2023 bills into law Thursday, including House Bill 65, which establishes two 988 suicide call centers that, at the time of the bill signing, has no funding.
A company setting up a private Fort Knox in Casper says it would help the state if Senate File 101 become law, allowing Wyoming to accept gold and silver to pay mineral taxes.
Resurrected after failing in a committee, an effort to get rid of crossover voting for Wyoming primary elections is close to landing on Gov. Mark Gordon’s desk. But that hasn’t stopped heated debate with supporters saying it protects the integrity of political parties and opponents claiming it’s outright “corruption.”
The House Revenue Committee altered and advanced Senate File 109, which would ban chemical abortions if it becomes law. And the Senate Ag Committee added rape and incest exemptions into House Bill 152.
As it grows in numbers, influence and organization, the Wyoming Freedom Caucus is advising its members daily how to vote on dozens of bills considered by the Wyoming Legislature. Some say that’s politics as usual, others that it’s created a lockstep faction that favors its platform over individual lawmakers.
A Wyoming state House committee voted to kill the much-debated “Chloe’s Law” on Wednesday, which would have banned transgender-related treatments for minors, but the House may still have an opportunity to hear it before the legislative session ends.
House Speaker Albert Sommers has sat on a bill for 25 days that would bar public school teachers in Wyoming from teaching gender identity and sexual orientation to children. An attempt to maneuver around the speaker failed by a vote of 34-27 on Wednesday.
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Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson, pushed through an amendment to a bill that would raise the per diem for state legislators. His amendment would make it so those who voted against it, would not get the per diem increase.
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Despite passionate testimony from nearly two dozen construction workers and plumbers, Wyoming state lawmakers advanced a bill Wednesday that would prohibit government entities from bidding union-specific projects.
Gov. Mark Gordon has vetoed legislation that would have prohibited wind farms owned by independent power producers from using eminent domain to build transmission lines through private property to connect to the power grid.
The latest edition of Wyoming’s Food Freedom Act allowing dairy farmers to sell products through a middleman sailed through both legislative chambers and barring a governor’s veto, will soon be law, though an amendment making sure people can cut the cheese at farmers markets failed.
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Passionate testimony provided by a pair of Cheyenne high school speech and debate students was the highlight of committee testimony Wednesday as lawmakers considered expanding Medicaid postpartum coverage.
Sen. Lynn Hutchings said she was ashamed to be a legislator Tuesday after some of her House colleagues overhauled one of her bills. Committee Chair Rep. Steve Harshman called it a “cheap shot.”
Southwest Wyoming could become the next hot destination for off-road vehicle enthusiasts thanks to a bill that cleared its final obstacle with the Wyoming Legislature on Tuesday.
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A bill that would allow predator hunters to use night vision scopes, infrared technology and other equipment to shoot coyotes on public land is headed to Gov. Mark Gordon’s desk.
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Showing nobody’s immune to a nationwide hiring squeeze, the Wyoming Legislature on Tuesday advanced a bill allowing state agency heads carte blanche in paying moving expenses for new hires.
A bill that will protect a site with unusually large ceremonial circles, next to one of the world’s oldest red ochre mines, managed to avoid a last-minute rewrite and passed the House with unanimous approval.
