From Artemis:
Our amazing Democratic legislators are working tirelessly for their constituents and towards building a better future for Wyoming. The week will be very busy with today, Monday, Feb. 26, being the last day for third readings on all bills in the house of their origin. The remaining part of this coming week will be dedicated to each house working on the other chamber’s budget and legislation. Keep watch on Wyoming Democratic Party’s social media accounts for updates on bills as important deadlines will be coming up soon!

Good news about good bills: 

HB 1 and SF 1 - General government appropriation bills have passed both houses and are now in the opposite chamber for amending and consideration. After passage, the bills will be sent for conference reconciliation to ensure both pieces of legislation are identical. Our legislators have been able to preserve a lot of great aspects about the budget. A fantastic third-reading amendment by Rep. Chestek was adopted into the House budget. The amendment added $1.5 million to the Department of Family Services, in order to qualify for $4.8 million in federal money to fund the Summer EBT program to feed school children who are food insecure. If the Senate concurs with this amendment and not line-itemed vetoed by Gov. Gordon, the funds would be made available in Summer 2025.

SF 4 and SF 8 - Rehiring retired firefighters-continued retirement benefits and Health insurance for volunteer emergency responders, respectively, are two great bills benefiting Wyoming communities. SF 4 will allow retired professional firefighters to join volunteer firefighter companies without revoking their pensions and retirement benefits. SF 4 has passed the House Labor Committee and is now sent to the House floor for consideration. SF 8 establishes health insurance for eligible volunteer emergency responders; the bill remains introduced in the House, so please contact your legislator and let them know that you support SF 8 and wish to see it passed!  

SF 57  - Wyoming adult hearing aid program which is proudly supported by our Democratic caucus has passed its Senate committees and has passed its first stage on the Senate floor. The bill establishes a program for hearing impaired adult Wyomingites in need of hearing aids, who cannot find any other means of getting coverage, to have hearing aids through the Wyoming Department of Health.

Bad news about good bills: 

HB 1 and SF 1 - General government appropriation bills despite having elements that can be a force for good, they have unfortunately been opened to shenanigans by certain members of the Republican majority. Many of these amendments specifically target higher education and minorities. Though most of the awful House amendments proposed have died, there was a second-reading amendment by Rep. Penn which passed. The amendment banned the University of Wyoming family medical residency practice from offering trans healthcare to anyone. Unfortunately, many harmful amendments were allowed to pass in the Senate. Two third-reading amendments by Senator Steinmetz passed which prohibited all funding for the gender and women's studies program and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. These amendments cruelly attack and undermine higher education and harm Wyoming’s economic future in attracting more talented young people in coming to the state. It will be essential to contact your House representative to tell them that you do not support those amendments in the budget! 

HB 186 - 988 hotline appropriation has unfortunately died in the House as it was not considered for House Committee of the Whole. The bill would’ve appropriated $40 million to the 988 hotline trust fund to ensure that the hotline has enough adequate funding to support mental health crisis intervention and suicide prevention. 

Bad news about bad bills: 

HB 148 - Regulation of surgical abortions has unfortunately passed its third reading in the House by a vote of 53-9, our House Democratic legislators gave fierce opposition to the bill. The bill would make it impossible for health professionals and clinics to give reproductive healthcare to women in desperate need of it. It will be crucial to contact your Senator that you oppose HB 148 and it may be necessary to contact Governor Gordon’s office to demand that he vetoes HB 148 should it ever arrive on his desk. 

HB 125 and SF 109 - Repeal gun free zones and preemption amendments and Prohibit Red Flag Gun Seizure Act respectively, have unfortunately passed their respective committee and their respective chamber’s committee of the whole. The bills now move to a second and then third reading. HB 125 seeks to repeal all gun free zones in all public facilities and properties in the state, including but not limited to government buildings, public schools, and higher education facilities. Every locality and school district has a right to ensure the safety of their citizens and children without the threat of gun violence.  SF 109 would prohibit the courts and law enforcement from being able to seize firearms from mentally unstable individuals or individuals who may likely use a gun to harm themselves or others, especially in domestic violence situations. It is important to let your Representative and Senator know that you oppose laws that can harm our Wyoming communities! 

SF 99 and SF 130 -  Chloe’s law-children gender change prohibition and The equality state not equity state bills have been introduced and referred to the Senate Labor and Senate Revenue committees, respectively. SF 99 is an anti-LGBTQ bill which prohibits, among many things, hormone blockers and HRT for transgender children, despite the consent of their parents/parental guardians and well-trained medical professionals. SF 130 seeks to ban all governmental entities, especially Wyoming’s higher education system, from implementing anything considered “diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)” initiatives. If passed, this bill will hinder Wyoming’s ability to keep younger Wyomingites living here and harm the state’s economic diversification efforts to attract people to work and live in Wyoming.