SUMMARY of COMMITTEE SPONSORED BILLS for the 2007 GENERAL SESSION
All of the following, except as specifically noted, have
been approved for introduction by a Committee. Many Committees were still
meeting in December, thus not all drafts are in final form. Nor have all
been assigned a House Bill or Senate File number at this time. If no
House Bill or Senate File number appears, the number referenced is the 2007 LSO
draft number and some changes may be made to the referenced draft depending on
the latest Committee action. One caveat – this summary has been prepared
solely to provide a very quick overview of bills being sponsored by the various
committees. In order to keep the overview short, the summaries are
acknowledged to be incomplete and absolutely make no attempt to address all
aspects of the bills. The entire bill must be read if a person wishes to
know its full contents and effect.
JUDICIARY
This
bill would amend retirement benefits for supreme court justices and district
and circuit court judges. It would
authorize the Wyoming Supreme Court to pay each judge's required contribution
to the retirement program, reduce the number of years before a judge may elect
to retire early and amends the formula for retirement benefits for a judge who
retires early. The bill provides an
appropriation to the Supreme Court of $923,000 in general funds for FY08.
HB0020 Senior status judge compensation.
This
bill would amend compensation for retired judges, who are assigned to hear cases
at the request of the Supreme Court or a district court judge, by allowing the
retired judge to continue receiving his retirement benefits as well as collect
compensation equal to the current compensation of a judge of the court to which
he is assigned. The bill provides an
appropriation to the Supreme Court of $50,000 in general funds for FY08.
HB0069 Uniform Trust Code-amendments.
This
bill would amend the Uniform Trust Code to allow a settlor of a trust to
establish a spendthrift provision, even if the settlor is a beneficiary under
the trust. The bill would also clarify
provisions relating to mandatory and discretionary distributions under a trust.
This
bill proposes to adopt a Wyoming Unitrust Act, which would allow a trustee to
create a unitrust or convert an income trust to a unitrust with the agreement
of the current and identifiable future beneficiaries of the trust. The purpose of a unitrust is to protect
income of the trust from taxation to the extent allowable under federal
law.
This
bill would create a probate task force staffed by LSO to study the need for any
changes to the Wyoming Probate Code. The task force is required to submit its
recommendations to the Joint Judiciary Interim Committee by November 1,
2007. The bill provides an appropriation
to LSO of $25,000 in general funds.
This
bill would create new offenses and penalties for sexual abuse of minors and
amend penalties for existing sexual offenses, including requiring a life
sentence under some circumstances for a second conviction for a sexual offense
against a minor. The bill would also
amend the requirements for disclosure of the identity of minor victims.
HB0120
Sex offender registration.
This
bill would amend registration requirements for sex offenders, reduce the number
of days before an offender is required to provide registration information,
eliminate hearings to determine the level of risk for reoffense an offender may
pose, eliminate the risk levels for reoffense, increase the number of years an
offender is required to register as an offender, expand the scope of
distribution of information contained in the central registry of sex offenders
and increase penalties for failure to register.
SF0036 Sex offender harboring/registration.
This
bill would establish a crime of harboring a sex offender and provide penalties
for violations of the crime. The bill
would also increase the penalties for failure to register as a sex
offender.
HB0019 Incest-increase in penalties.
This
bill would increase the penalties for the crime of incest from not more than 5
years imprisonment, a fine of not more than $5,000.00, or both, to not more
than 15 years imprisonment, a fine of not more than $10,000.00, or both.
SF0012
Sex offenses by corrections personnel.
This
bill would establish a crime for sex offenses committed by corrections staff
against persons under supervision by the corrections facility and provides that
consent of the victim is not a defense against such crime.
HB0021 Child support-income withholding.
This
bill would amend the responsibilities related to the preparation and mailing of
income withholding orders and related notices.
The bill would also amend the penalties for noncompliance by an employer
who did not receive the notice as required by law.
HB0072 Required payments as conditions of parole.
This
bill would authorize the board of parole to require, as a condition of parole,
that parolees pay child support, court ordered fines, surcharges or attorney
fees and some costs of evaluations, treatment or services, and supervision by
the board of parole, if the board finds the parolee is reasonably capable of
making the payments.
This
bill would amend the statutory salaries for specified judges to reflect
temporary additional funds authorized in the 2006 Budget Bill and replaces the
remaining amounts in the appropriation in the 2006 Budget Bill with a general
fund appropriation to the Supreme Court of $463,881 for FY08.
This
bill would create a lien study task force staffed by LSO to examine lien
statutes and make recommendations to improve efficiencies and eliminate
inconsistencies and unnecessary procedures relating to liens. A report to the Joint Judiciary Interim
Committee is due by June 30, 2008. The
bill provides an appropriation to LSO of $25,000 in general funds through FY08.
HB0121 Child support enforcement fees.
This
bill would require the Department of Family Services to collect a $25 annual
fee for child collection services it provides to non-welfare clients in any
year when the amount collected in child support exceeds $500.00. The bill is
required under the federal Budget Deficit Reduction Act.
SF0047 Courthouse security pilot projects.
This
bill would provide funding and authorize the Wyoming Supreme Court to establish
3 pilot projects in a large, a medium and a small court selected by the Supreme
Court, with the agreement of the appropriate boards of county commissioners and
local law enforcement agencies, to determine what the costs and procedures may
be to establish security in all courthouse facilities in the state. A report to the Joint Judiciary Interim Committee
is required by June 30, 2008. The bill
provides an appropriation to the Supreme Court of $1,000,000 in general funds
through FY08.
APPROPRIATIONS
The
appropriations committee has not voted to sponsor any bills at this time, but
has requested the following drafts, in addition to the supplemental budget
bill. The budget bill contains
appropriations for the general operations of government, including school
facility commission recommendations for district plans.
HB0254 Law enforcement retirement.
Under current
law, effective July 1, 2002, cities, towns and counties may elect to have its
law enforcement officers covered under the new law enforcement retirement plan
under W.S. 9-3-432, if the officers were not participating in the older pension
fund pursuant to W.S. 15-5-301. This
bill draft would impose a time limit of June 30, 2008, for a city, town or
county to elect to participate in the new law enforcement retirement plan.
07
This bill draft
would bring school district employees under the state employees and officials
group insurance plan. The bill contains
an appropriation to accomplish that and reduces the model block grant amount
for health insurance.
SF0165
This bill would
require an employee and matching employer contribution for state employees to
fund a $100 per month retiree insurance premium benefit.
REVENUE
HB0094 Veterans property tax exemption.
The
bill amends the current veterans property tax exemption law by increasing the
lifetime limitations which may be claimed under the exemption by a
widow/widower. The bill also clarifies
that the exemption is only applicable to the principal residence of the
veteran, and that the exemption cannot be claimed in more than 1 county.
HB0178 Sales and use tax – telecommunications.
The
bill establishes uniform definitions for telecommunications services in the
sales and use tax laws. The bill also
amends telecommunication sourcing provisions and the tax imposition provisions
for telecommunications pertaining to sales and use tax.
HB0184 Vehicle registration fees decrease.
The
bill increases fuel tax by 5 cents a gallon with all the current statutory
exemptions intact and reduces county vehicle registration fees by one-third.
The bill amends various fuel tax administrative provisions
(affecting both gasoline and diesel) including allowing electronic filing of
fuel tax reports, amending various definitions, and authorizing the
promulgation of rules and regulations.
EDUCATION
The following
three Committee bills carry forward recommendations of the Merit Scholarship
Committee pertaining to the Hathaway Scholarship Program:
HB0097 Hathaway scholarship eligibility.
This bill
specifies the success curriculum which will be required for high school
students to qualify for any of the Hathaway student scholarships and is
applicable to students graduating from high school during school year 2010-2011. The bill also provides a phase-in curriculum
for high school classes graduating before school year 2010-2011, and provides
augmentation to current testing by requiring a proficiency performance level in
all areas of the state assessment (PAWS) at grade eleven for students
graduating in 2010-2011.
The bill
establishes the success curriculum as the "default" course of study
for
HB0099 Hathaway scholarship program.
The bill amends
current components of the scholarship program to provide that program
participants attending multiple
The following
bills were initiated from remaining interim work:
Higher Education:
SF0058 Community colleges-property tax expenditures.
The proposal
expands permissible expenditures of revenues generated from any mill levy
imposed by a college district above the required four mill levy. Current law limits expenditures to emergency
or nonrecurring needs and the proposal expands usage to operations and to
capital outlay needs.
SF0048 Community colleges-carryover restrictions.
The bill
increases from 3% to 8% the amount of unrestricted operating funds a college
district may carry forward from one biennial budget period to another.
HB0082 Health insurance contributions-higher
education.
The proposal
provides for full (100%) state funding of the employer's contribution to state
group health insurance for eligible and enrolled nonfederal employees of the
School Finance:
07LSO-0264 School finance-recapture.
The proposal
implements Amendment "B" to the Wyoming Constitution as approved by
the voters at the 2006 general election.
The bill statutorily implements provisions contained within the constitutional
amendment by requiring those school districts subject to recapture to remit the
excess revenues to the state for school year 2006-2007 and each school year
thereafter. Consideration of contractual
obligations encumbered prior to March 15, 2007, would be honored and deducted
from school year 2006-2007 recaptured amounts.
Recaptured revenues would flow into the public school foundation program
account.
HB0115 School finance-amendments.
This proposal
includes a number of matters pertaining to school finance, including:
Extension of the summer school,
extended day and instructional facilitator programs off-model for the
2007-2008 school year, with recommendations for permanent funding required
in time for the 2008 Legislature;
Continuation of at-risk program
review and evaluation by the department of education, to include criteria
for use of alternative schools as a part of total district at-risk program
strategy;
Moratorium placed on development of
new alternative schools until completion of the at-risk review, with
funding continued for existing alternative schools;
Task force established to review and
recommend state policy for distance education (virtual) programs;
Continuation of department of
education data collection and review of district student activity funding
under block grant model, and review of district food service programs with
recommendations required for the 2008 Legislature;
Several corrections to the block
grant model involving student activities and health insurance components.
A Subcommittee
was appointed to review charter school laws, with recommendations adopted in
the following legislation:
HB0031 Charter school amendments.
The bills amends
several procedural provisions contained in the charter school law including the
frequency of filing charter applications with school districts, clarification
of successive charter renewals and provisions pertaining to charter application
denial and appeal of board decisions.
AGRICULTURE,
This
bill would allow modify the appointment and control of the director and provide
for supervision and control of the deputy state veterinarians.
SF0028
– State engineer rulemaking authority.
This
bill would grant rulemaking authority to the state engineer and ratify existing
rules.
This
bill would distinguish state trust lands from public lands and modify the
legislative committee's name.
SF0040
– Board of agriculture.
This
bill would expand the board from 9 to 13 members by adding 4 youth leadership
members as permanent members. It would
extend the terms of board members from 4 to 6 years and increase the
compensation of the board to the amounts paid to legislators. The bill contains an appropriation of $50,000
from the general fund.
HB0102
– Wheat marketing commission.
This
bill would reduce the membership of the commission from 7 to 5 members and
remove area restrictions for appointments to the commission.
This
bill would create a seed laboratory advisory group, modify exceptions to
licensing requirements, allow for establishment of weed lists, transfer
rulemaking from the board of agriculture to the department of agriculture,
establish a procedure to set seed laboratory fees, increase a penalty amount
and repeal certain definitions and noxious weeds and quarantine provisions.
HB0136
– Water well drilling and pump installation licensure.
This
bill would require licensure of water well drilling contractors and water well
pump installation contractors, and provide some exemptions from licensure. It creates an examining board, establishes
licensing procedures, provides for fees, examinations and continuing education,
provides for reciprocity, provides for license revocation or suspension, grants
rulemaking authority, provides for penalties and provides for a sunset for
certain provisions. The bill contains an
appropriation of $179,500.00 from the general fund and authorizes two
additional full-time positions.
HB0101
– State trust lands task force.
The
bill would create a task force to monitor the trust responsibilities of and
funding for the office of state lands and investments and establish a sunset
date for the task force. The bill
provides an appropriation of $25,000 from the general fund.
This
bill would provide for cease and desist orders relating to nursery stock
violations, modify definitions, eliminate transportation of nursery stock from
licensing requirements, limit nursery stock sales, increase penalties and
repeal certain nonresident requirements.
HB0125
– Livestock and brands.
This
bill would expand the definition of livestock, modify brand recording and
inspection fees, modify inspections and permits provisions and repeal obsolete
provisions.
HB0076
– Livestock brand inspectors.
This
bill would increase salaries, insurance and retirement contributions for state
brand inspectors. It provides an appropriation
of $1,337,675.00 from the general fund.
This
bill would define public use and public necessity, provide requirements for
good faith negotiations, provide for reclamation and restoration of the
property, provide for determination for fair market value, limit condemnation
authority in urban renewal and eliminate the maximum amount on relocation
expenses.
TRAVEL,
RECREATION, WILDLIFE and CULTURAL RESOURCES
HB0127 Film production incentives. – This bill creates the
entertainment industry financial incentives program by authorizing incentives
for qualified film productions. The bill
contains a $1,000,000 appropriation from general funds to the business council.
HB0070 Game and fish-license fees. – This bill increases all license,
application, stamp and permit fees, selling agent fees and landowner coupon
payments by 20%. There is no
appropriation in this bill but it is anticipated to raise $5,600,000 in
revenues for the department.
SF0039 Game and fish violations. – This bill provides additional penalties for
hunting when hunting privileges have been revoked or suspended.
SF0088 Game and fish – penalties. – This
bill provides for felony convictions for second or subsequent violations as
specified.
HB0052 Game and fish – license revenue recoupment. – This bill creates a free and reduced price
license revenue recoupment program where the department can recoup license
revenues lost due to statutorily designated free and reduced priced hunting and
fishing licenses. The bill contains a
$1,400,000 appropriation from the general fund to the state auditor.
SF0035 State veterans museum.
– This bill removes the state veterans' museum as a state park and appropriates
money to the Natrona county board of county commissioners for operation of the
museum. The bill contains a $300,000
appropriation from the general fund to the Natrona county board of
commissioners.
SF0059 State lands-land acquisition. – This bill transfers ownership of Fort Phil
Kearney, Fetterman Battlefield and other leased lands from the state land board
to the department of state parks and cultural resources and the game and fish commission. The bill contains a
$6,000,000 appropriation from the budget reserve account to the state land
board.
HB0085 Game and fish funding.
– This bill provides a general fund appropriation of $5.6 million to the
game and fish department for non traditional programs.
HB0071 Game and fish – license fees 2. – This bill automatically adjusts game and
fish license fees by a percentage (the Implicit Price Deflater) every
year.
HB0128 Multi-state lottery.
– This bill creates the
SF0056 Gaming commission.
– This bill makes currently permitted games of chance subject to
licensure requirements and creates a state gaming commission to oversee local
licensure. The bill contains a $150,000
appropriation from the general fund to the gaming commission.
SF0023 Gambling-definitions.
– This bill clarifies that profit from gambling does not include
benefits of proprietorship, provides standards for bingo games, limits games to
charitable and non profit organizations existing for three years, limits what
persons are authorized to operate games and specifies uses for proceeds of
bingo games.
CORPORATIONS, ELECTIONS and POLITICAL
SUBDIVISIONS
HB0005 – Business entities-electronic signatures.
This
bill provides for manual, facsimile, conformed or electronic signatures on
documents and filings.
HB0009 – Corporations–bearer shares.
This
bill prohibits the use of bearer shares by corporations.
HB0004 – Business entities-reinstatement.
This
bill provides for reinstatement of limited partnerships and registered limited
liability partnerships within two years of administrative dissolution or lapsed
registration.
HB0010 – Subdivisions-requirements.
This
bill provides for regulation by counties of subdivisions of thirty-five to one
hundred acre parcels and requires notice of ownership and development of
appurtenant mineral estates in subdivisions.
HB0011 – Subdivisions-exemptions.
This
bill provides an additional holding period for the family exemption from
subdivision requirements, provides an additional exemption, clarifies
application of zoning regulations and provides for documentation.
HB0056 – Limited liability limited partnerships.
This
bill authorizes the creation of limited liability limited partnerships and
specifies how those entities will be treated.
HB0091 – Limited liability companies.
This
bill provides requirements for operating agreements, limits rights of foreclosure of creditors of a member of a limited
liability company, provides for annual fees and requires submission of a
manager's name to the secretary of state's office.
SF0008 – Insurance department rules.
This
bill repeals sunset dates on rules governing disclosure of personal information
and licensing of insurance producers.
This
bill rewrites the state's telecommunications laws by recognizing competition
from alternate providers. The bill
provides for caps on prices of noncompetitive essential services and switched
access charges. The bill provides
complaint procedures for prices of telecommunications services and provides a
process for declaring certain essential services competitive.
HB0006 – State fire marshal-coordination.
This
bill provides for grants to local governments for improvement of fire training
facilities and authorizes the state to purchase the fire training facility in
Riverton. The bill contains a $3,380,000
appropriation from the general fund to the state fire
HB0092 – Election code revisions.
This
bill provides amendments to the election code to address electronic voting
requirements.
SF0079 – Municipal officers-authority.
This
bill authorizes cities and towns to appoint special municipal officers who are
not certified as peace officers and allows those officers to issue citations.
SF0017 – Risk based capital for health organizations.
This
bill provides for a measure of health maintenance
organization solvency.
SF0019 – Insurance department-accreditation.
This
bill amends insurance code provisions as necessary to maintain department
accreditation with the national association of insurance commissioners.
HB0007 – Fire protection districts-bonding.
This
bill increases the limitation on bonded indebtedness for fire protection
districts.
HB0008 – Fire protection districts-boundary changes.
This
bill provides a procedure for splitting a current fire protection district into
two or more districts.
SF0020 – Animal euthanasia technicians.
This
bill clarifies when animal euthanasia technicians may use specified controlled
substances.
SF0080 – Telecommunications-exclusive contracts.
This bill prohibits political subdivisions from entering into exclusive contracts to provide telecommunications services.
TRANSPORTATION, HIGHWAYS and MILITARY
AFFAIRS
HB0003 Commercial drivers licenses.
This bill would implement several changes required by federal
law. The bill would: require rulemaking
for vehicle or driver out-of-service orders; require a security threat
assessment before issuance of a hazardous materials driver's license
endorsement; coordinate penalties for certain vehicles violating stopping
requirements with federal civil penalties.
This
bill amends numerous sections of the motor vehicle laws to standardize
treatment of the many types of small 4-wheeled vehicles. The bill would: define multipurpose vehicles;
provide for titling and registration of multipurpose vehicles; prescribe
minimum equipment for multipurpose vehicles; and regulate use of multipurpose
vehicles on public roads.
HB0014 Adjutant
general-procurement procedures.
This
bill would authorize the director of the Department of Administration and
Information to waive state procurement procedures for contracts involving
military property if the director determines that use of federal procurement
procedures would be more efficient.
HB0015 State employees retirement-military credit.
This
bill would appropriate from the general
fund $125,000 to pay for the retirement contributions of state employees
while they are temporarily away on active military duty.
HB0018 Military Service Relieve Act amendments.
This
bill would amend military service member protections by: providing that state
employees' military leave of absence applies to active duty service as well as
training; specifying that employees of community colleges receive the same
employment protections as other state employees; extending reinstatement rights
and state retirement credits from three years to five years.
HB0024 Interstate 80 study committee.
This
bill would create a joint legislative-executive committee to plan for
anticipated increases in Interstate-80 traffic, especially increases in truck
traffic, and related expansion and safety issues. The bill requires a report to the joint
transportation committee by October 15, 2007.
Appropriation: $100,000 General Fund to LSO.
HB0185 Department of transportation funding.
This
bill would appropriate $89 million from
the budget reserve account, in addition to the Governor's supplemental
budget request, to the department of transportation for highway construction.
This
bill appropriates to the department of state parks and cultural resources $15
million from the general fund
for repair of roads in state parks and an additional $2 million for ongoing
maintenance of state park roads.
SF0005 Designated bicycle paths.
This
bill would repeal a prohibition on bicyclists using a vehicle roadway if there
is an adjacent bicycle path.
SF0006 National guard honorary members.
This
bill would authorize the governor to appoint honorary enlisted members of the
national guard as well as honorary officers.
SF0007 Governmental claims-national guard.
This
bill would clarify that members of the national guard are immune from civil
liability under state law while engaged federal training and service.
SF0008 License plate reassignment.
This
bill would authorize the reassignment of license plates, before expiration of
the registration, between vehicles owned by the same owner.
SF0010 Military department-criminal background
checks.
This
bill would authorize the military department to conduct criminal background
checks on prospective employees and volunteers with the department.
SF0026 Ports of entry-mutual aid agreements.
This
bill would authorize the department of transportation to enter into agreements
with adjacent states for the joint operation of ports-of-entry near the state
borders.
MINERALS,
BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
HB0012
– Electric utility resources.
This
bill would allow for electric utility resource planning, establish requirements
for resource plans and periodic review, and grant rulemaking authority.
HB0138
–
This
bill would establish a workforce housing infrastructure program and an account
for the program, provide for administration and rulemaking and require reports. The bill
contains an appropriation of $30,909,030.00 from the budget reserve
account.
HB0139
– Storage tank remediation program.
This
bill would amend the underground storage tank program, limit the definition of
"underground storage tank", expand rulemaking authority, modify
registration deadlines and insurance requirements, expand notice requirements,
establish a late payment penalty and repeal certain litigation requirements.
SF0083
–
This
bill would repeal the sunset date for the
SJ0001
– State engagement in pipeline works.
This
resolution would amend the
HJ0002
– State engagement in transmission lines and energy facilities.
This
resolution would amend the
HB0170
– Industrial facilities.
This
bill would create a sales and use tax exemption for industrial facilities, require
an annual report and provide for a sunset of the exemption.
HB0169
– Clean coal technology.
This
bill would create a sales and use tax exemption for clean coal technology,
require an annual report and provide for a sunset of the exemption.
SF0075
–
This
bill would create the
HB0143
– Integrated gasification combined cycle electric generation.
This
bill would exempt coal used for integrated gasification combined cycle
electricity generation from all severance taxes other than the Constitutionally
required 1.5%.
SF0084
– Public funds time deposit, open account.
This
bill would allow the state treasurer to determine the date of payment of
interest from time deposit, open accounts.
SF0085
–
This bill would create the
LABOR, HEALTH and SOCIAL SERVICES
HB0046 Workers' compensation co employee immunity.
This
bill would amend the workers' compensation co-employee immunity statute to
clarify that an employee is immune from civil liability for causing a
work-related injury to a co-employee, unless there was an intent to
injure. The bill includes a declaration
of legislative intent to overrule a Wyoming Supreme Court case that interpreted
current law as including a different standard of liability.
HB0047
Prevailing wage amendments.
This
bill would: authorize a single
statewide wage district for purposes of calculating the prevailing wage on
state-funded contracts; authorize the department of employment to investigate
prevailing wage violations on its own volition; remove a requirement that
prevailing wage determinations utilize employment security law wage reports;
and provide a bid preference for contractors participating in the department's
prevailing wage survey.
HB0048
This bill makes several "clean-up"
amendments to the Wyoming Health Care Decisions Act enacted in 2005. The bill would: amend terminology relating to health care
providers and physicians; add to the list of persons who may not be witnesses
for a power of attorney for health care; repeal the optional form for advance
health care directives; clarify that a valid advance health care directive
preempts decisions by a health care surrogate; require a health care provider
to communicate with a patient when practical; and amend provisions regarding
civil and criminal immunity of health care agents and surrogates.
HB0191 Workers' compensation subrogation limits.
A
worker injured through the fault of someone other than his employer or co-employee
is entitled to receive worker's compensation benefits and also to sue the
responsible party. However, from any
amount recovered, the worker is required to reimburse the worker's compensation
fund for benefits paid due to that injury.
The state's share is statutorily limited to one-third of the amount paid
by the responsible party. This bill
would increase the state's maximum share
to two-thirds of the amount received.
SF0044 Medicaid federal compliance.
This bill would make several changes required by
federal law. It would: provide that individuals with substantial
home equity are ineligible for Medicaid long-term care; include the value of an
annuity in determining Medicaid eligibility; extend the "look back"
period for disqualifying transfers of assets by Medicaid applicants; extend the
disqualification period for Medicaid long-term care services following a
disqualifying transfer of assets.
SF0063 Emergency medical technicians-retirement.
This
bill authorizes an actuarial study of the estimated cost of and design for a
state-sponsored retirement system for full-time, part-time and volunteer EMT's.
A report is required by October 1, 2007 on the study and other possible
recruitment/ retention incentives for EMT's.
Appropriation: $50,000 general fund to
SF0089 Long term care choices.
This
bill would: define adult foster homes
for long term care ("LTC") of up to five elderly/disabled persons;
authorize the Department of Health to oversee and license adult foster homes;
modify Medicaid reimbursement for LTC; regulate the admission of all persons
into LTC; require consultation regarding LTC options; authorize application for
waiver of federal Medicaid LTC requirements; expand the Medicaid home and
community based waiver program; authorize a pilot program for group LTC
homes. Appropriations: $7,093,397
General Fund and $4,659,280 federal funds to department of health.
SF0045 Dental student loan repayment program.
This
bill would create a loan repayment program for new dentists practicing in
HB0282
This
bill would require the Wyoming Healthcare Commission to study the exclusion of
costs related to clinical trial from coverage under health insurance policies,
and to report to the Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Interim Committee
by November 1, 2007. Appropriation: $50,000 General Fund to
This bill would authorize certified nursing assistants who receive
appropriate additional training to administer some medications to persons in
facilities other than acute care hospitals.
The bill requires a report from the Board of Nursing on the program by
November 1, 2007. Appropriations: $70,000 General Fund to the Board of Nursing.
SELECT
WATER
HB0236
Omnibus water bill-planning.
The
bill contains the annual authorization for Level I and Level II water
development studies and provides appropriations therefore. The bill
amends the 2006 Omnibus water bill (2006
SF0137
Omnibus water bill-construction.
The
bill contains the annual authorization for the Level III construction of water
projects which have previously completed the Level I and Level II stages.
The bill also amends previously authorized water construction projects for
fiscal and other purposes. Please see
the bill for the numerous appropriations it contains.
SELECT COMMITTEE to STUDY DEVELOPMENTAL
PROGRAMS
HB0040 Select
committee on developmental programs.
This
bill would extend the Select Committee for one additional year and require a
report from the Select Committee to Joint Labor Committee and Governor by
December 1, 2007. Appropriation: $17,000
General Fund to LSO.
HB0041 Developmental
disabilities-emergency services.
This bill would
direct the department of health to define "emergency cases" for
purposes of the adult developmental disability and acquired brain injury
programs. The bill would authorize
provision of emergency services out of an emergency contingency account
established for that purpose. An annual
report on the program would be required to the Joint Labor Committee. Appropriation: $500,000 to department of health from Budget
Reserve Account.
HB0042 Developmental
preschool funding.
This
bill would increase the reimbursement rate for developmental preschools from
$7,206 to $8,503 per child.
Appropriations: $3,930,000 from
General Fund to department of health for reimbursements; $110,000 from General
Fund to department of health for legislatively required reports.
SF0034 Early
child social-emotional services.
This
bill would add $363 per child to the funding formula for developmental
preschool reimbursements. The increase
would be to provide social-emotional services and to provide training for
service providers in social-emotional services.
Appropriation: $1,099,890 from
General Fund to department of health.
HB0177 Community
Human Services Act.
This bill would amend the Community Human Services Act to
eliminate any requirement that developmental preschools operated by community
service boards or public agencies provide a 10% local match to funds received
from the department of health under the funding formula for developmental
preschool reimbursements.
SELECT COMMITTEE ON MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES
HB0134 Involuntary hospitalization proceedings.
This
bill would amend involuntary hospitalization proceedings by allowing a petition
for involuntary hospitalization to be filed in either the county of the
person's residence or the county where detained, provided there is a written
agreement with respect to payment of hospitalization costs by the county of
residence to the designated hospital where the respondent is detained. The bill also eliminates the requirement that
the state hospital shall be the hospital of last resort to receive patients as
specified.
HB0133 Department of health client information
sharing.
This bill would
authorize the sharing of client information within the Department of Health,
from specified entities that have contracted with the Department to provide
mental health or substance abuse treatment services, and for research and audit
purposes. The bill specifies the scope
of information that may be shared, procedures that shall be used for the
sharing of client information, and provides penalties for the unlawful
disclosure of client information.
SF0076
Mental health and substance abuse
appropriations.
This
bill appropriates funding for a number of programs, including the Mental Health
Division, the Substance Abuse Division, the
HB0074
Department of health-provider contract
restriction.
This bill would require the Department of Health, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Divisions, to annually withhold 5% of the contract amounts the Divisions pay community-based mental health and substance abuse treatment programs until the respective Division enters into an agreement with the individual community-based program that provides for performance measures. If an agreement is not entered into by the parties, the amount withheld under this provision shall revert to the budget reserve account at the end of the biennium in which the funds were withheld.
QUALITY
CHILD CARE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
The following two bill drafts were
recommendations of the quality child care oversight committee. The Labor committee voted to sponsor both
bills.
This
bill modifies the quality child care program implemented by 2006 Enrolled Act
53. The draft authorizes the Wyoming
Business Council to fund child care facilities through the business ready
community program and creates a subaccount for funding for child care facilities. The draft provides a quality rating system
for child care facilities, provides scholarships to facilities on behalf of
qualifying families for early childhood child care, provides educational grants
to child care providers and also provides capacity enhancement grants to
providers. The bill also provides a
grievance procedure along with provisions for education to families regarding
the program.
HB0096 – Quality Child Care
Appropriation:
This bill provides appropriations for the implementation of the
quality child care program contemplated in 07LSO-0298.C1 The bill, for the FY07-08
reappropriates all funds remaining from the appropriation made in 2006 Session
Laws, Chapter 64, Section 4 to the Department of Workforce Services for
implementation of the program. The bill
also provides an appropriation for the FY07-08 biennium of $3,000,000 in
general funds to the child care facility subaccount within the business ready
community account created by W.S. 9-12-602 and an appropriation for the FY07-08
biennium of $3,340,000 in general funds to the Department of Family Services.
STATE ASSESSED PROPERTY TAXATION
The bill provides for the annual valuation and assessment of telecommunications property including cable and satellite television companies by the Department of Revenue. The bill also provides that telecommunications property will be assessed at 9.5% as commercial property (which is a change from the previous 11.5% assessment rate for industrial property). The bill is part of the Task Force's recommendation to the Joint Revenue Interim Committee. The Joint Revenue Interim Committee agreed to sponsor the bill.
MANAGEMENT COUNCIL
This bill
corrects errors and omissions in current law.
MANAGEMENT AUDIT
HB0045 State
employee compensation commission.
This bill modifies the organization,
powers and duties of the state employee compensation commission. It would authorize the commission to
recommend legislation on matters concerning state employee personnel issues and
would provide for commission recommendations to be included in the state
budgeting process. The governor would be required to summarize the manner in
which his proposed budget reflects those recommendations.
SF0054 -
Drug court steering committee.
This bill creates
a drug court steering committee to study administration of drug courts in order
to create a more uniform administration of drug
courts in the state. The committee is
required to report twice to the joint judiciary interim committee regarding its
findings and recommendations. The
committee terminates as of December 31, 2008.
The department of health is to staff the committee. The bill contains a $10,000.00
appropriation from the general fund.
SELECT COMMITTEE on SCHOOL FACILITIES
SF0014 School
facilities-surplus buildings.
The bill extends
building square footage upon which major maintenance computations are based to
surplus buildings used for child care, developmental preschools and educational
programs and services provided by BOCES.
Additionally, this square footage would be exempt from state capacity
limitations.
SF0015 School
facilities-amendments.
The bill
clarifies district facility plan filing requirements with the School Facilities
Commission, and prescribes conditions attached to legislative appropriations to
the Commission for facility projects.
SF0016 School
facilities-enhancement maintenance-2.
The bill
clarifies district expenditure of the allowable portion of major maintenance
payments for maintenance of building enhancements (building features or space
which is beyond state adequacy standards).
The bill would allow the accumulation of unexpended amounts of the
permissible enhancement maintenance portion into a subsequent fiscal year
provided the unexpended carryover does not exceed 8% of the total major
maintenance payment distributed.
HB0017 School
facilities-major maintenance enforcement.
The bill
provides authority to the School Facilities Commission to adjust subsequent
major maintenance payments to any district upon discovering any unauthorized
expenditure by that district.
HB0062
- Natural resource large project funding
SELECT
TRIBAL RELATIONS
SJ0002
– Tribal entities funding-2.
(This
bill will be considered by the Committee at the December 29, 2006 meeting)
This
proposed constitutional amendment would authorize appropriations from the state
to the business council of the Eastern Shoshone Indian Tribe, the business
council of the Northern Arapaho Indian Tribe or the joint business council of
the Eastern Shoshone and the Northern Arapaho Indian Tribes for the purpose of
providing government services to the citizens of Wyoming who are also members
of either tribe.
SF0072
– Indian school education programs.
(This
bill will be considered by the Committee at the December 29, 2006 meeting)
This
bill would require contractual arrangements with the joint tribal business
council for educational programs to address conditions on the reservation. The bill provides an appropriation of
$1,049,946 to the governor's office from the general fund.
SF0073
- State partnership schools.
(This
bill will be considered by the Committee at the December 29, 2006 meeting)
This
bill would authorize partnership agreements between the state and federal
government for school districts providing educational programs and services to
school age children, incorporate those districts into the state school system
subject to conditions and exclusions, impose duties on the state superintendent,
prescribe duties and grant authority to partnership districts, establish
district governance, subject partnership districts to uniform state education
program requirements and to student performance, accountability and high school
graduation requirements, include districts in the state system of school
finance and building maintenance and exclude partnership district buildings
from state programs and oversight.