On Monday, the Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Labor Health Committee will decide which big-picture topics the committee will tackle during the “interim session” over the next nine months, leading up to the 2026 legislative session.
Committee meetings during the “interim session” take place all over the state and provide excellent opportunities for members of the public to interact with lawmakers.
Oftentimes, committees produce legislation as a result of the “interim” process that address real problems our communities face.
One of the topics the Joint Labor Health Committee could consider is maternal healthcare. We need you to speak up to encourage the committee’s chairs to look into this very real issue and work toward solutions.
The lack of maternal healthcare is a huge problem for thousands of women in Wyoming who live in “maternity deserts,” and for our communities and the state as a whole.
Over the past several years, four rural Wyoming hospitals have closed their maternity wards, and huge swaths of the state have few or no OB-GYN healthcare providers.
Maternity care is just one of many topics the Joint Labor Health Committee could consider, and the committee chairs need to hear from folks like you that this is a priority. (Many of the other topics they could consider deal with hot-button national issues like vaccine skepticism that have little benefit for the people of Wyoming).
If you think the Legislature should make improving access to maternal care a priority in 2025, please contact the chairs of the Joint Labor Health Committee and let them know today.
Here’s how:
STEP 1: Think of what you want to say
Do you have a personal experience with accessing maternity care that you might share? Or are you simply a concerned citizen hoping to have better healthcare access in your community? Either is a valid perspective.
Take some time to think of what you might want to say. If you’d like to do some research on the issue, WyoFile published an excellent four-part series last year that can help.
Your direct ask should be: “Please consider maternal healthcare as a main priority of the Joint Labor Health Committee during the 2025 interim session.”
STEP 2: Reach out to the committee chairs
There are two chairs of the Joint Labor Health Committee—one from the House, and one from the Senate. They work together to make decisions.
Both the House and Senate Labor Health Committees will get together at noon on Monday, March 3, to discuss which topics to consider during the interim.
The committee chairs will lead the discussion and ultimately make the decision. Here are their names and contact info:
Senator Eric Barlow (Gilette) - email only
Representative Rachel Rodriguez-Williams (Cody) - email or text
Rachel.Rodriguez-Williams@wyoleg.gov
(307) 250-5008
HELPFUL TIPS
- Be polite. You will not help anything by insulting these lawmakers or being anything but respectful.
- If you really, really disagree with a lot of what either of these lawmakers does and feel tempted to talk about that in your message, stop, take a breath, and refer to the previous tip.
- Be brief and to the point. No one is going to read a novel.
- Your message should include three short parts:
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- Who you are (introduce yourself and identify as a Wyoming voter)
- What you want (“Please consider maternal healthcare as a priority during the Joint Labor Health Committee’s 2025 interim session)
- Why you want it (add a bit of your own perspective or research)
STEP 3: Share this page with your friends!
The more people who contact the Joint Labor Health Committee chairs and ask them to focus on maternal health, the better chance we have that the committee will take up the subject.
Then, during the interim, we can organize to let lawmakers know that they need to do more than just talk—Wyoming needs solutions to our dramatic shortage of maternal healthcare.