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“Fetal personhood” bill dies in the Senate, while an abortion reporting bill advances
The proposals were both sold as bills that have nothing to do with the abortion debate. This line of argument worked well for one bill, and not so well for the other.
House leadership buries workplace LGBTQ nondiscrimination bill, killing it
Since it died as the result of a procedural deadline, the proposal to protect LGBTQ workers in Wyoming received neither a hearing nor a vote in the House.
House advances bill to increase Wyoming’s tobacco taxes
Supporters said that higher tobacco taxes discourage kids from starting to smoke, and that non-smokers end up paying for smokers’ healthcare costs.
Bills to expand Medicaid and raise the minimum wage die in the House
Both proposals were watered-down versions of previous years’ bills. But lawmakers stood firm in allowing no policies that would improve the lives of Wyoming’s working poor.
House bill would increase state minimum wage to $8.50 per hour
The proposal received the blessing of the Wyoming Restaurant and Lodging Association, even before the committee removed a provision from it that would have slowly raised the wage even more over the next few years.
A bill that would give zygotes the rights of humans passes Senate committee
Senate File 128 is what’s called a “fetal personhood” bill—a cookie-cutter proposal from the anti-abortion camp that increases the legal rights of fetuses—while attorneys say the bill removes protections from pregnant women.
LGBTQ workplace nondiscrimination bill passes House committee
The proposal is narrowly tailored to only prevent job-related discrimination. This is an effort to bypass opposition that has killed similar—but more wide-ranging—bills each of the past five years.
A Medicaid expansion bill with work requirements passes House committee
Similar measures have failed for each of the past six years, depriving Wyoming of hundreds of millions of dollars and denying low-income residents access to healthcare.
Three anti-abortion bills are moving through the Wyoming Legislature
The proposals would create “waiting periods” before a woman can receive an abortion, penalize doctors for not reporting the procedure in detail, and give human rights to clumps of fetal tissue.
Senate Committee chaired by Eli Bebout advances an oil tax break that would benefit Eli Bebout
Spoiler alert: The bill is also co-sponsored by Eli Bebout. Who says a Wyoming State Legislator can’t get a little something for himself?
A bill to repeal the death penalty is alive in the Wyoming State House
A solid majority of House representatives voted on first reading for HB-145, which would remove capital punishment from Wyoming law. It seems likely that the measure will advance to the Senate.
As lawmakers shoot down bills to ban “crossover voting” in Wyoming primaries, more and more keep coming
After seeing their sacred cow die twice, Senate leadership pushed a replacement bill through the friendlier Agriculture Committee, and a similar bill advanced in the House.
Anti-“freeloader” hysteria drives a bipartisan push for Medicaid work requirements
Wyoming women who have children and who work low-paying, unstable jobs would be most at risk of losing access to healthcare under two proposed bills.
After Wyoming’s neighbors expand Medicaid at the ballot box, state Senate suddenly decides to “study” the issue
Sen. Charles Scott, who has led the fight against Medicaid expansion in Wyoming for years, is sponsoring the measure to provide “up-to-date” information.
House committee approves bill to legalize CBD and spur Wyoming hemp farming
A 9-0 committee vote gives the bill momentum as it moves to the full House for debate. But questions remain whether the Legislature is ready to accept CBD and whether it will provide funding for hemp farming infrastructure.