Wyoming Legislature updates Feb 5, 6 & 7
by Albert Sommers, House District #20 Representative
February 7, 2019
Thursday, February 7, 2019:
Hello Sublette County, this is Albert Sommers in Cheyenne on Thursday the 7th. We started the day with the singing of the National Anthem by Miss Wyoming Beck Bridger and a reading from Wyoming Poet Laureate Eugene Gagliano. Both are examples of the incredible artistic talents many of our Wyoming residents possess.
Due to vigorous debate yesterday, the House adjourned after 3rd reading and did not consider any bills on General File. Therefore, there were no bills for consideration on 2nd reading today.
10 bills were considered in the House on third reading. All 10 bills were passed , including these I supported.
SJ0003 Wyoming Womens Suffrage Day
SF0017 County Clerk Records
SF0018 Campaign finance revisions
HB0282 Tobacco products which failed yesterday on 3rd reading had life breathed back into it, when a motion was made to rescind the decision. The reason for reconsideration was to remove the increased cigarette tax from the bill, which left vapes in the bill to be tax and regulated. The amended bill passed 3rd reading on a vote of 39-20-1. I supported this effort, as this bill will require a 3rd party verification of age to purchase vapes online.
During General File, the Committee of the Whole Considered 8 Senate Files all of which passed on a voice vote. Bills considered include:
SF 50 State Amphibian
SF 51 Tobacco tax equivalence
o This bill would ask the state to enter negotiations with the Tribes of the Wind River Reservation to make sure tobacco taxes are equivalent across the state including the reservation.
SF 93 Grizzly bear hunts. This bill is a push back on the relisting of the grizzly bear under the Endangered Species Act. However, the bill just authorizes the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission to create a grizzly bear hunting season, if they want.
Please follow my Facebook page for up to date information and email me at albert@albertsommers.com with questions or concerns.
Thank you
_________________________________________
Wednesday, February 6, 2019:
Hello Sublette County,
This is Albert Sommers in Cheyenne on Wednesday the 6th. We have started to consider legislation that has come over from the Senate. Today saw a lot of debate on many bills resulting in another long day.
On 2nd reading today, the House considered and passed 10 Senate files on voice vote. These bills include:
SJ0003 Wyoming Womens Suffrage Day
SF0017 County Clerk Records
SF0018 Campaign finance revisions
Twenty-six bills were considered in the House on third reading. Twenty-four bills were passed and sent to the Senate. Two bills failed on 3rd reading. Bills of note included:
HB0103 Reporting of abortions
o This bill protects the private information of women better than current state statute. I successfully amended the bill to strike the requirements of reporting personal characteristics of the patient as well as the type of procedure performed. With my amendments, I could support the bill.
HB0106 Party affiliation changes and HB0192 - Voter fraud prevention.
o I voted against these bills, as I do not believe our current election system is broken.
HB0107 Sexual assault parental rights. This bill is designed to protect the parental rights of a mother if she has been sexually assaulted and give birth to that assault. I supported this bill.
HB0293 UW student housing
o This bill would provide a mechanism for the state to help the University fund new student housing. This would include a loan from our Legislative Stabilization Reserve Account that would be repaid at a higher interest rate than the fund currently earns. These dorms were not new when I went to UW forty years ago, and I supported the bill.
HJ0006 Legislative sessions
o This resolution calls for a constitutional amendment to remove the 2/3 vote requirement for introductory vote of bills in the even-year sessions. I support this bill, because we waste time on introductory votes and it allows a minority of legislators to kill bills that standing committees have spent all summer developing. It is hard to explain a complicated bill in two minutes.
HB0282 Tobacco products failed on 3rd reading. This bill would have defined electronic cigarettes as tobacco products and raised the cigarette tax. This bill would have brought vapes into the taxing structure, which I completely support. I had amended the bill significantly to try and get the vape tax structure right, but in the end the bill was not sound legislation. I voted against the bill, but will work to find a vape solution during the interim, as it has become an epidemic in our schools.
HB0192 Voter fraud prevention also failed on 3rd reading with a vote of 29-30-1. The bill would have required voters to show a valid photo ID to vote. The Secretary of State has stated he does not have any evidence of broad voter fraud in the state.
Due to vigorous debate on 3rd reading bills, the House did not consider any bills on General File.
I can be reached at albert@albertsommers.com with questions or concerns. Thank you.
_________________________________________
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Hello Sublette County,
This is Albert Sommers in Cheyenne on Tuesday the 5th. Today ended up being a very productive day with all of the passed general file bills from last night passing on 2nd reading and 10 Senate bills being considered by the House Committee of the Whole. We are approximately halfway through the Legislative Session and bills will start heading to the Governor for consideration soon.
On 2nd reading today, the House considered and passed 37 on voice vote, including several bills that generated a great deal of debate in Committee of the Whole yesterday. These bills include:
HB0103 Reporting of abortions.
HB0106 Party affiliation changes. This bill was further amended today, and would now allow unaffiliated voters to register at the primary. I still see no need for changing our long standing election laws.
HB0107 Sexual assault parental rights
o This bill allows for the termination of parental rights of a person convicted of sexual assault under Wyoming law. This bill has been amended to require a conviction.
HB0235 Care of animals
o Much of the debate on this bill surrounded balancing protecting animals from abuse while protecting normal agriculture operations.
HB0282 Tobacco products
o This bill changes the definition of tobacco products to include all nicotine products including electronic cigarettes and raises the cigarette tax by 50 cents a pack.
HJ0006 Legislative sessions
o This resolution calls for a constitutional amendment moving from a General Session and Budget Session schedule for the Legislature to two regular sessions and removes the 2/3 vote requirement for introduction of bills in the even-year sessions. I support this bill because we waste too much time on introductory debate in a budget session.
A couple of bills that failed Committee of the Whole yesterday that I voted against were Medicaid Expansion and an increase to the minimum wage.
Eleven of these 2nd reading bills were accelerated to 3rd reading per House Rule 7-7 in order to utilize more of the afternoon and balance the schedule. These bills tend to be noncontroversial and considered ready for passage by the body. Bills passed by the House on accelerated 3rd reading included:
HB0161 Statewide 911 Coordinator
HB0211 Mental Health and substance abuse coverage parity
HJ0010 Medal of Honor Cities
11 bills were considered in the House on third reading. All 11 bills were passed and sent to the Senate. Bills of note included these I supported:
HB0127 - Tax refund to elderly and disabled
HB0171 - Hemp and cannabidiol regulation. This bill will allow for hemp farming and the sale of CBD oil, with less than .3%THC.
HB0247 - Broadband development program-amendments
o This is a bill I have sponsored this year.
This afternoon, the House considered 10 Senate Files during Committee of the Whole. All Bills passed on a voice vote. Interesting bills included these I supported:
SJ0003 Wyoming Womens Suffrage Day
SF0017 County Clerk Records
SF0018 Campaign finance revisions
I can be reached at albert@albertsommers.com with questions or concerns.
Thank you
|
