The Wyoming Legislature chose democracy over the demands of the state's ultra-dominant party.

Lawmakers defeat a slew of proposals to limit Wyoming voting rights—2019 Legislative recap

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High drama, backroom tactics, zombie bills, and thwarted agendas all accompanied failed efforts to chip away at voting rights in Wyoming.
Wyoming lawmakers continue to be stuck in a "reefer madness" state of mind.

Wyoming legislators make no movement toward commonsense cannabis reform—2019 Legislative recap

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Three proposals, dealing with medical cannabis and sentencing reform, lived short lives this session before dying at the hands of short-sighted lawmakers.
Lawmakers struggle to understand that zero new revenues is the wrong answer.

Lawmakers fail to figure out new revenues for Wyoming public school funding, but avoid further cuts—2019 Legislative recap

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After three consecutive years of deep cuts to the Wyoming public education budget, the Legislature relented this session. But without stable sources of revenue, more school cuts are likely on the way.
An LGBTQ pride-themed flag designed by the Wyoming Art Party flies during a celebration. Groups throughout Wyoming continue to pursue nondiscrimination policy changes despite legislative setbacks.

The Wyoming Legislature defeated an LGBTQ workplace nondiscrimination bill. But the issue is as alive as ever. — 2019 Legislative recap

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A proposal to ban workplace discrimination died at the same time a Senator’s anti-LGBTQ remarks brought national attention to Wyoming. Meanwhile, homophobic incidents continue to demonstrate the need for nondiscrimination policy.
Lawmakers put a bullet in each and every tax bill that came before them.

Wyoming Legislature shoots down “big box” corporate income tax and all other revenue-generating bills — 2019 Legislative recap

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You got a tax bill? The Legislature has a bullet. Along with the “big box” tax, lawmakers killed proposals to “modernize” Wyoming’s sales tax structure, tax tourism to promote the tourism industry, increase cigarette taxes, and every other tax-related bill this year.

Wyoming Legislature does nothing to address the “State of Insecurity” low-income folks face — 2019 Legislative recap

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Efforts to raise Wyoming’s minimum wage, provide tax relief to very poor elderly and disabled people, and help fund food pantries all died this session.
Foster and his zany school bill crew. From rear: Sen. Mike Gierau, former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis, Sen. Eli Bebout, Stephen Friess, Foster Friess

Foster Friess’ Magic School Bill rides into the law books — 2019 Legislative recap

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Gov. Mark Gordon allowed the bill to become law today without signing it. The debate over what Gordon called “flawed” legislation pitted “school choice” advocates against defenders of local control.
Under the new law, doctors face punishment for failing to report detailed information about abortions and the women who receive them.

Wyoming’s new abortion reporting law will help anti-choice activists harass doctors and women — 2019 Legislative recap

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It was the third law passed in three years in Wyoming to attack women’s reproductive rights. Prior to 2017, an anti-abortion law had not passed here in nearly 30 years. Three other anti-choice bills proposed in 2019 were defeated.
Reps. Jared Olsen, Tyler Lindholm, and Brian Boner were right-leaning advocates and co-sponsors of the death penalty repeal bill.

Young conservatives led the most successful push in Wyoming’s history to end capital punishment — 2019 Legislative recap

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Capital punishment is expensive, violates the sanctity of life, gives government too much power, and has grave consequences when it’s misapplied. For these and other reasons—put forth mainly by young conservatives—the Wyoming Legislature came very close to ending the death penalty this year.
The Legislature huffed and puffed and, in the end, maintained the status quo.

Wyoming Legislature rejects all Medicaid-related bills, good, bad, and otherwise — 2019 Legislative recap

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Proposals to expand Medicaid, to study Medicaid expansion, and to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients all died this session.