Week One: Legislative update from Sen. Brian Boner (S-02)

The 2020 Budget Session kicked-off on Monday in Cheyenne. After a four year renovation project, we are back in the beautiful Wyoming State Capitol! For pictures of the refurbished House and Senate Chambers, you can visit the Wyoming Capitol Square Project Facebook page.

There were 398 bills filed in the house and senate this session. This includes 256 bills in the house and 142 in the senate. Friday, Feb. 14 was the deadline for bills to be introduced for debate. During a Budget Session, legislative rules require a 2/3 vote for non-budget related bills to be introduced for debate. As a result 68 of the bills filed have already failed to move forward this year.

Budget

The primary purpose of this session, which will last between 20 and 24 days, is to approve and implement a budget for the 2021-2022 Biennium. This budget includes operating expenses for all executive, legislative and judicial branch agencies, including the University of Wyoming, community colleges, and K-12 education. Members of the Joint Appropriations Committee have been working on the budget for many months and as representatives, we’ll have a chance to weigh in and vote on the final package. If you are interested in learning more about Wyoming’s budget process, I encourage you to visit wyoleg.gov/StateFinances/StateBudgeting.

Committees

I serve as chairman of the Senate Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources Committee as well as chairman of the Select Federal Natural Resource Management Committee. I am also a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Joint Legislative and Executive Task Force on Department of Health Facilities and the Select Natural Resource Funding Committee.

Sponsored Bills

I’m the prime sponsor of three bills this session:

•SF0067 Criminal Trespass. This bill would update and strengthen our criminal trespassing law and was approved for introduction this week and was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. It died in committee, but the important conversation regarding how to defend the fundamental right to own property will continue.

•SF0085 Uranium Taxation Rates. This bill would allow for a conditional uranium severance tax relative to specified spot market price. This legislation was approved for introduction this week and referred to the Senate Revenue Committee.

•SF0132 Wind Energy Facilities-Military Approval. This legislation would require military review and approval before construction of wind energy facilities if they are within two miles of any active federal military missile launch or control facilities. The bill was unanimously approved for introduction this week and was referred to the Senate Corporations Committee.

Bills of Interest

A few of the bills “in the news” that moved forward or were defeated this week:

•SF 31 Human Heartbeat Protection Act would make it against the law to have an abortion after the embryo or fetus has a detectable fetal heartbeat. The bill was approved for introduction this week and referred to the Senate Labor Committee. I’m a co-sponsor of this bill.

•HB0142 Agriculture Marketing Funds/Processing Plants would help support meat processing plants for Wyoming product export and direct limited funds in the agriculture marketing subaccount to support such processing plants. The bill was introduced for approval and referred to the House Agriculture Committee. I’m a co-sponsor of this bill.

•HB 84 Food Freedom Amendments would authorize the commercial sale of certain homemade food items. The bill was unanimously approved for introduction this week and referred to the House Agriculture Committee for further consideration. I’m a co-sponsor of this bill.

•HB 134 Wyoming Tourism Account Funding, which would establish a statewide lodging tax was passed by the Committee of the Whole in the House this afternoon.

•HB 143 Prescription Drugs/Access and Affordability which would look at ways to drive down the high costs of prescription drugs was approved for introduction and debate and referred to the House Labor Committee.

•HB 98 Defend the Guard Act would have required Congress to declare war before the Wyoming National Guard or state militia could be released from the state into active duty combat. I strongly opposed this unconstitutional bill as I believe it would have handicapped Wyoming’s National Guard and put in jeopardy critical funding for the Wyoming Military Department.

Following the Legislature

There are several ways to follow the work of the Wyoming Legislature online. You can listen to live and archived floor debate, listen to Appropriations Committee meetings, track bills and contact legislators at www.wyoleg.gov.