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Legislative Watch Feb 1, 2011
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Keeping you updated on the bills that impact the women of Wyoming during the 2011 legislative session. |
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The legislative session is beginning its fourth week. Yesterday, Monday, January 31, was the last day for House Files to be submitted for introduction, and Friday, February 4 is the last day for bills to be reported out of committee in the house of origin. We will continue to update you on the status of bills and new bills that have been filed. All bill information can be found at: http://legisweb.state.wy.us/. WYWF is not providing opinions on bills; we are providing information during the session. We hope you will use the updates to become informed and able to converse with your local legislators. Legislative contact information can be found here:
http://legisweb.state.wy.us/LSOWeb/LegInfo.aspx
Please share with us any information you receive from your legislators about these bills to help us keep our supporters informed with up-to-date information.
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HB20 Medicaid Reimbursement of Services, Sponsored by Select Committee on Developmental/Intellectual Programs.
Amended, passed House, Senate received for introduction, and introduced into Senate Labor Health and Social Services Committee.
Authorizes Medicaid payment to relatives of persons with developmental disabilities or acquired brain injuries.
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HB21 Battery Against a Family Member, Sponsored by Representatives Barbuto, Buchanan, and Throne and Senator Hastert.
Passed House third reading and Senate received for introduction.
Removes restrictions relating to second and subsequent convictions for simple battery against family members.
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HB23 Sex Offender Registration Amendments, Sponsored by Judiciary Interim Committee.
Amended, passed House
Amends and increases the amount of information sex offenders are required to provide and requires specified juveniles to register as sex offenders.
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HB27 School Year Required Contact Days, Sponsored by Representatives Gingery and McOmie and Senator Coe.
Amended, Passed House and Senate received for introduction.
Changes the number of school days from 175 to 180.
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HB28 Child Protection Shelter Care and Initial Hearings, Sponsored by Joint Judiciary Interim Committee.
Amended, passed House, and Senate received for introduction.
Changes the judicial procedures and requirements to follow after a child is placed into emergency protective shelter care.
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HB35 Health Care Choices and Protection Act, Sponsored by Representatives Brechtel, Burkhart, Edmonds, Gay, Jaggi, Kroeker, Peasley, Quarberg, Semlek, and Teeters and Senators Jennings, Meier, and Nutting.
Amended and Passed House Committee of the Whole.
Establishes the Health Care Choice and Protection Act and deems enforcement of federal Health Care Reform as a criminal offense.
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HB36 Cancer Control Act Amendments, Sponsored by Representatives K. Esquibel, Bonner, Botten, Childers, Goggles, and Pedersen and Senators Dockstader, Landen, Martin, Nutting and Peterson.
Passed House Labor, Health, and Social Services Committee.
Amends the Wyoming Cancer Control Act by allowing follow-up colorectal cancer screening when medically indicated.
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HB39 Health Litigation Fund, Sponsored by Joint Labor, Health, and Social Services Interim Committee.
Introduced and referred to House Labor, Health, and Social Services Committee and placed on General File.
Provides funding to litigate issues relating to federal health care reform.
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HB49 Primary Care Support Program, Sponsored by Joint Labor, Health, and Social Services Committee.
Amended, passed House Committee of the Whole and Laid Back (postponed).
Creates the primary care support program which would provide support to Wyoming primary care centers in need of immediate financial assistance. The intended result is to enhance delivery of services for underserved and vulnerable populations. Community matching funds will be required to receive grant dollars to build or enhance new primary care facilities and services.
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HB65 Marital Counseling, Sponsored by Representatives Buchanan and Brechtel and Senators Dockstader and Ross.
Introduced and referred to House Labor, Health, and Social Services Committee.
Requires premarital counseling before obtaining a marriage license or imposes a waiting period for those who do not complete marriage counseling. It also requires marital counseling before receiving a divorce decree and requires a waiting period for those who do not obtain marriage counseling.
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HB72 Teacher Merit Pay, Sponsored by Representatives Madden and Teeters and Senator Coe.
Amended, passed House, and Senate received for introduction.
Requires the state superintendant of public instruction to develop recommendations regarding a teacher merit pay program.
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HB74 Validity of Marriage, Sponsored by Representatives Petersen, Brechtel, Buchanan, Gay, Hunt, Kroeker, Luna and Teeters and Senators Geis, Hicks and Nutting.
Amended, passed House, and Senate received for introduction.
Makes any marriage that is not between a man and a woman (and only two parties) null and void and specifies that Wyoming courts have no jurisdiction over such void marriages.
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HB75 Victim Notification Amendments Sponsored by Representatives K. Esquibel, Brown, Buchanan, Connolly, Davison, Gingery ,Lubnau, and Throne and Senators Anderson, F. Esquibel, Ross and Rothfuss.
Passed House and Senate received for introduction.
This bill modifies provisions requiring medical examinations for sexually transmitted diseases of persons accused of sex offense and crimes involving exchange of bodily fluid.
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HB80 Service of Process in Family Violence and Stalking Cases, Sponsored by Representatives Davison, Brown, Buchanan, Craft, Harvey, Jaggi, Lubnau and Throne and Senators Cooper and Dockstader.
Passed House, Senate received for Introduction.
Requires in-state and out-of-state service of specified documents in family violence and stalking cases.
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HB82 Unfair Employment Practices, Sponsored by Representatives Byrd and Connolly and Senator Hastert.
Placed on House General File.
Includes retaliatory acts as discriminatory and unfair employment practices.
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HB85 Teacher Suspensions, Sponsored by Representatives McKim, Davison, Jaggi, McOmie and Teeters and Senator Dockstader.
Passed House Education Committee and placed on House General File.
Changes the process for teacher suspension and requires an investigation.
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HB94 Illegal Immigration, Sponsored by Representatives Illoway, Childers, Davison, Jaggi, Kroeker, Petersen, Quarberg and Shepperson and Senators Driskill and Hicks.
Introduced and Referred to House Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee.
This bill makes it an offense for failing to carry an alien registration card; establishes that it is illegal to solicit employment or to hire from a vehicle; transporting of unauthorized aliens; and establishes unlawful hiring and employment of unauthorized aliens.
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HB118 Abortion-Available Information for Decision, Sponsored by Representatives Brechtel, McKim, and Peasley and Senators Dockstader, Jennings, Meier and Nutting.
Amended, failed House Committee of the Whole and indefinitely postponed.
Requires physicians to provide patients with specified information before certain nonemergency abortion procedure.
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HB131 Tip Sharing, Sponsored by Representatives Stubson, Brown, Gingery and Dan Zwonitzer and Senators Christensen, Coe, Jennings and Perkins.
Introduced and rereferred to House Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee.
Allows employers to require employees to share tips and gratuities to the extent it is permissible under the Fair Labor and Standards Act.
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HB142 Discrimination, Sponsored by Representatives Connolly, Bonner, Childers, Petroff, Shepperson, Wallis, Dan Zwonitzer and Senators Burns and Von Flatern.
Placed on House General File.
Prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
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HB149 Marriage-Definition, Sponsored by Representatives Connolly, Childers, Petroff
and Dan Zwonitzer and Senator Rothfuss.
Introduced and referred to House Judiciary Committee.
Defines marriage as a contract between two natural persons.
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HB150 Civil Unions, Sponsored by Representatives Connolly, Childers, Wallis and Dan Zwonitzer and Senator Von Flatern.
Introduced and referred to House Judiciary Committee.
Establishes civil unions and related rights and responsibilities, which are the same as those whose marriages are recognized as lawful in Wyoming, and provides for the recognition of foreign civil unions.
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HB164 Sexual Assault Victim Advocate, Sponsored by Representatives Davison, Barbuto, Brechtel, Brown, Harvey, Jaggi, McKim, Roscoe, and Throne, and Senators Cooper, Dockstader, Jennings and Meier.
Introduced and referred to House Judiciary Committee.
This bill allows for victims to have an advocate present with them if requested at the time of questioning by law enforcement.
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HB165 Insurance-Coverage of Inherited Disorders, Sponsored by Representatives Dan Zwonitzer, Craft, Krone and Teeters.
Introduced and referred to House Labor, Health, and Social Services Committee.
This bill requires insurance coverage for inherited enzymatic disorders.
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HB166 School District-Teacher Evaluations, Sponsored by Representatives Harshman, Burkhart, Kroeker, Krone, Madden and Teeters and Senators Barnard, Burns, Coe and Landen.
Introduced and Referred to House Education
This bill provides criteria for teacher evaluations, including increased frequency and allowing for video mentoring and recording systems.
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HB181 Wage Rates-Penalties, Sponsored by Representatives Connolly, Davison, Greene, McKim, and Throne and Senator Hastert.
Introduced and referred to House Labor, Health, and Social Services Committee.
This bill allows the Department of Employment to confidentially investigate required payment to tipped employees. |
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HB 184 Minimum Wage Statutes Repeal, Sponsored by Representatives Gingery, Brechtel, Peasley, Pedersen, Stubson and Dan Zwonitzer and Senators Case and Scott.
Introduced and Referred to House Labor, Health, and Social Services Committee.
This bill repeals state minimum wage statutes.
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HB198 Admissibility of Evidence in Sex Offense Cases, Sponsored by Representatives Burkhart and Krone.
Introduced and referred to House Judiciary Committee.
This bill allows for admissibility of evidence of similar acts and offenses in criminal and civil cases involving sexual assault and child molestation.
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HB210 Landlord/Tenant Return of Deposits, Sponsored by Representatives Greene, Connolly, Harvey, Illoway, and Nicholas and Senators Hastert and Rothfuss.
Introduced and referred to House Judiciary Committee.
This bill provides that an owner of a rental property who does not return a rental deposit is liable for double the amount of the full deposit. |
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HB212 Teacher Tenure- 3, Sponsored by Representative Teeters.
Introduced and Referred to House Education Committee.
This bill removes "continuing contract" status from current law and requires annual evaluation of any "nonprobationary" teacher.
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HB239 Child Caring Facilities- Certification, Sponsored by Representative Quarberg.
Introduced and Referred to House Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee.
This bill would allow in-home providers that chose not to receive state or federal funding to be exempt from licensing requirements.
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HB251 Abortion-Ultrasound Information, Sponsored by Representatives Brechtel, Edmonds, Eklund, Jaggi, Kroeker, Loucks, McKim, and Peasley and Senators Dockstader and Meier.
Bill number assigned.
This bill requires physicians to provide patients with the right to view an ultrasound and hear the heartbeat before nonemergency abortions.
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SF11 CHINS- Administrative Change of Placement, Sponsored by Joint Judiciary Interim
Committee.
Passed third reading in Senate and House Received for Introduction.
Allows for the placement of children who are in need of supervision and are in state custody without a court hearing.
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SF25 Long-term Services and Support, Sponsored by Senators Martin, Hastert, Landen, Scott, and Von Flatern and Representatives Connolly, Craft and Davison.
Amended and passed Senate second reading. Authorizes a statewide network of aging and disability resource centers. |
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SF29 Long-term Services and Support, Sponsored by Select Committee on Developmental/Intellectual Programs.
Introduced and rereferred to Senate Appropriations Committee.
Provides requirements for Medicaid reimbursement of home and community based waiver service providers, including enhanced reimbursement of certified
behavioral specialists and provides for the development of a training and certification program for behavior specialists.
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SF 30 Wyoming Safe Homes Act, Sponsored by Senators Hastert and Cooper and Representatives Barbuto, Connolly, Craft, Davison and Pedersen
Introduced and referred to Senate Judiciary Committee.
Allows a victim of sexual or domestic violence to terminate a lease, and allows for a tenant to require the landlord to change locks if requirements are met.
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SF52 Teacher Tenure, Sponsored by Senators Coe, Anderson, Jennings and Von Flatern and Representatives Buchanan, Childers, Lubnau, McOmie, Quarberg and Teeters.
Placed on Senate general file.
Removes continuing contract status from the Wyoming teacher employment law, meaning that both new and experienced teachers become at-will employees (voiding tenure) and are evaluated annually.
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SF53 Child Preference in Custody Determinations, Sponsored by Senator Landen.
Received for introduction.
Allows for the wishes of a child to be considered in child custody determinations.
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SF89 Adult Protective Services, Sponsored by Senator Ross and Representatives
Gingery, Stubson and Throne.
Passed Senate Committee of the Whole.
Specifies that the Department of Family Services shall not act as a caregiver but may furnish protective services.
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SF93 Dietetics Licensure, Sponsored by Senators Martin and Landen and Representatives Bonner, Craft, and Pedersen.
Passed Senate Appropriations Committee and placed on Senate general file.
This bill creates the dietetics licensure board.
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SF96 Open Primaries, Sponsored by Senator Rothfuss and Representative Throne.
Introduced and referred to Senate Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee.
Allows for any voter to request any ballot at the primary election meaning a voter can cross party lines without having to change party affiliation.
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SF115 DUI-Child Endangerment Fines, Sponsored by Senator Ross.
Passed Senate second reading.
This bill provides an added fine for child endangerment while driving under the influence. |
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SF118 Career and Technical Training Grants, Sponsored by Senators Hastert, Cooper, Martin, Rothfuss, and Von Flatern and Representatives Connolly, Craft, Freeman, Krone and Loucks.
Rereferred to Senate Appropriations Committee.
This bill establishes a career and technical training scholarship program in the Dept. of Workforce Services. |
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SF140 Kindergarten Attendance, Sponsored by Senator Barnard and Representative Bonner and Jaggi.
Introduced and referred to Senate Education Committee.
This bill would require completion of kindergarten before enrolling in first grade.
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SF146 Teacher Accountability Action, Sponsored by Senators P. Nicholas, Anderson, Coe, Meier, and Rothfuss and Representatives Buchanan, Harshman, and Teeters.
Introduced and Referred to Senate Education Committee.
This bill would tie teacher evaluations and contract determinations to student performance and achievement.
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SJ2 Health Care Freedom, Sponsored by Senators Nutting, Case, Driskell and Jennings and Representatives Brechtel, Gay, Jaggi and Kroeker
Amended and passed Senate Committee of the Whole.
Joint Resolution to amend state constitution to specify no federal or state law shall compel participation in any health care system by any person, employer or health care provider.
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SJ3 Health Care Freedom-2, Sponsored by Senators Scott, Hines and Von Flatern and Representatives Blikre, Brown, Gay, Harvey, Kasperik, Lubnau and Wallis.
Introduced and referred to Senate Judiciary Committee.
Joint Resolution to amend the state constitution to recognize the right of individuals to make health care decisions and prohibiting state actions that limit the right of individuals to make health care decisions.
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SJ5 Defense of Marriage-Constitutional Amendment, Sponsored by Senators Meier, Cooper, Dockstader, Geis, Jennings, Nutting, Perkins, and Peterson and Representatives Brechtel, Buchanan, Davison, Jaggi, Kroeker, McKim, Petersen, Semlek, and Teeters.
Amended, passed Senate and House received for introduction.
Joint Resolution to amend the state constitution to specify marriage is between a man and a woman and is the only type of recognized legal union in Wyoming.
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