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** You Can't Make This Stuff Up
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Watching the circus in Washington only reinforces the urgency of holding our State legislature accountable. There were 341 bills and six joint resolutions introduced in the House, as well as 197 bills and 11 resolutions in the Senate. So far, 53 bills have been passed by the House of Representatives and crossed over to the Senate. The Senate has sent over 83 bills and resolutions to the House .These include bills that would adversely impact our public education system, our libraries, our healthcare system, our safety and just about everything else.

As of Monday afternoon, 95 bills and resolutions were killed in the House including HB 239 Reproductive Freedom Act ([link removed]) sponsored by Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson; a bill that would have banned employers from hiring undocumented immigrants and implemented state fees; a committee-sponsored bill for additional funding for K-12 school facilities; and a bill that would have created a state housing investment program that would have supplied grants and loans for housing projects.

The deluge of bills and the complex process by which they do or do not become law can be overwhelming. However, Teton County's own Mike Yin has provided the following explainer in hopes more people will pay attention to the shenanigans in Cheyenne: Mike Yin Explains It All. ([link removed]) You can access the information discussed in Mike's video here: Wyoming Legislature General Session 2025 ([link removed]) .
Fortunately, the deadline to introduce new bills in either chamber has passed. So now we can concentrate on those that are in the pipeline. Here are a few highlights (low lights?) of the current session. (This is obviously only a partial list and we will focus on more bills in Friday's newsletter.)

ELECTIONS AND VOTING

HB 0131 Ballot Drop Boxes Prohibition ([link removed]) - Every County Clerk is against this and the Heritage Foundation has found no evidence of voter fraud but the Freedom Caucus knows best. By making it harder for residents—especially rural voters, the elderly, and those with disabilities—to cast their ballots, this legislation suppresses voter participation under the guise of election security.

HB 0215 Prohibition on Electronic Voting Equipment ([link removed]) - because obviously hand counting is so much more efficient and accurate - NOT!
HB 0158 - Legislature Electronic Voting System ([link removed]) - Meanwhile the legislature comprising 93 TOTAL members, needs an electronic voting system.

SCHOOLS AND SAFETY

HB 0172 Repeal Gun Free Zones ([link removed]) - Would allow concealed carry in schools, government buildings and meetings, as well as college and university sporting events that do not serve alcohol. Worse, it would repeal a portion of Wyoming law allowing local school boards to develop rules and regulations that allow employees to possess a firearm on school property.

HB 0046 Homeschool Freedom Act ([link removed]) - Removes the requirement for parents or guardians administering home-based educational programs to submit their curriculum to local school boards each year.

HB 194 Obscenity Amendments ([link removed]) - Opens up librarians and educators for criminal prosecution under obscenities statutes. NB: scheduled to be heard in Judiciary committee tomorrow (Wednesday 2/5). Legislation as written is really unclear and could also impact booksellers and other businesses, as well as museums, public art, etc.

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND FREEDOM

HB 159 Protecting Water from Chemical Abortion Waste ([link removed]) - Despite a stack of facts against it, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s blunt declaration there’s no evidence to back up these claims (The FDA found mifepristone excreted by patients at levels less than 1 part per billion in aquatic environments), the panel voted 6-2 to send it to the full House.

Meanwhile, HB 42 Regulation of Surgical Abortions ([link removed]) and HB 64 Chemical Abortions - Ultrasound Requirement ([link removed]) both passed in the House and have crossed over for introduction in the Senate.


We could go on and on but ultimately, hope you will use the following resources to stay informed. The Wyoming Democratic Party has an excellenthttps://wyodems.org/2025-billtrack/legislative tracker ([link removed]) and you can filter by specific topics. You can also sign up for their weekly updatehttps://wyodems.org/contact-page/here ([link removed]) . ([link removed]) Check out Wyofile ([link removed]) for excellent in-depth coverage and the Jackson Hole Daily ([link removed]) has Capital Corner with Jasmine Hall reporting from Cheyenne during the session. Other excellent resources include bill trackers from the Wyoming Education Association ([link removed]) , Wyoming Equality ([link removed]) and the Wyoming Women's Foundation ([link removed]) .

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