Bills Near Fate as Session Winds Down

By SCOTT BORKGREN
Reporter

More than 200 bills have been introduced by the Wyoming Legislature in the last month. Some were approved, some not, many never made it out of committee. Some of the most noteworthy are:

House Bill 38 - Driving under the influence amendments

This bill passed the House by a 55-3 vote Feb. 9 and must now await three readings and Senate approval before reaching Gov. Dave Freudenthal’s desk. Of the three nays, two were Rep. Frank Peasley (R - House District 03) and Rep. Ross Diercks (D - House District 02).

The bill changes the penalties for each DUI arrest in Wyoming. A first conviction would be a misdemeanor, punishable by not more than 6 months in prison and/or a fine less than $750.

A second conviction within five years would be a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment between seven days and a year and a fine between $200 and $750.

A third conviction within 10 years would result in imprisonment between 30 days and a year and a fine between $750 and $3,000.

A fourth conviction within 15 years would result in a felony and imprisonment of no less than five years a minimum fine of $10,000.

House Bill 55 - Elementary foreign language instruction

Supported by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jim McBride, this bill eliminates state foreign language requirements in elementary schools. The reasoning behind this is, kids need to be learning how to read and write English as much as possible at the elementary level, McBride said.

This bill passed a House vote Feb. 9 by a 47-10 vote and was sent to the Senate Feb 12 after a third reading. The Senate voted 49-9 in favor of the bill Feb. 15. The bill must now pass three readings in the Senate before being sent to the governor for his signature or veto.

House Bill 63 - Tanning salons for minors

The tanning salons bill has been approved by the House but has not been addressed by the Senate yet, which makes it more likely to be cast aside in the final days of the legislative session. If passed, this bill would make it illegal for anyone 14 years old or younger to use a ultraviolet light tanning bed if a parent or legal guardian is not present, and all minors 15-18 years old must have a guardian sign a consent form.

Any person violating the law established by this bill would face a maximum of six months in jail and a $750 fine.

House Bill 64 - Mandatory minimum sentence for sexual abuse of a minor

If passed, this bill would establish a minimum sentence for first degree sexual assault when the actor is at least 18 years old and the victim is less than 13 years old.

The minimum sentence would be 25 years in prison with a maximum sentence of 50 years.

It was passed Feb. 26 by a 52 - 6 vote by the House and approved by Senate committee with a 4 - 1 vote the same day. It currently is awaiting a vote by the Senate and three readings.

House Bill 113 - Concealed weapons authority

Featured in a Douglas Budget article last week, HB 113 would have made it legal for Wyoming residents to carry concealed firearms without a permit. The largely symbolic bill would have made Wyoming the third state to enact such legislation, Alaska and Vermont being the first two. It was approved 42 - 15 by the House Feb. 22 and sent to the Senate Feb. 24. The bill received heavy e-mail support from pro-gun groups from across the Mountain West area, but sparked concern among Wyoming law enforcement. However, it has stalled in the Senate committee as members refused to take up the proposal, knowing that a majority opposed the bill.

House Bill 132 - Homicide during pregnancy - 2

In a round-a-bout way, HB 132 says conception begins at birth and could raise issues in court in the future.

According to the bill, in a homicide case in which a pregnant woman is killed, resulting in the involuntary termination of the pregnancy, and the defendant knew of the pregnancy at the time of the homicide, then the jury shall impose a consecutive sentence of a minimum of 20 years.

The bill passed a third reading by the House 53-5 Feb. 22 and was approved by senate committee Feb 26 by a 4-1 vote. It currently is awaiting a vote and three readings in the Senate.

Senate File 30 - Sex offender registration - multiple addresses

If approved, sex offenders in Wyoming would have to register their place of residence, where they work, and what school, if any, they attend.

It was approved unanimously by 30 members of the House Feb. 9, but has gone nowhere since. Senate File 30 still needs three readings by the House, committee approval, a vote and three readings in the Senate before heading to the governor’s desk for approval.

Senate File 51 - Official state code

Similar to a state bird, flower or motto, the Wyoming state code is a symbolic code of ethics all residents should abide by.

The code of the west, as derived from the book, Cowboy Ethics by James P. Owen, and summarized as follows, is the official state code of Wyoming.

This bill was the idea of Sen. Jim Anderson (R - Senate District 2) and has been passed and enrolled and will go into effect July 1, 2010, pending signatures by the Speaker of the House, President of the Senate and Governor.

This is part of the March 4, 2010 online edition of The Glenrock Independent.

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