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2/22/2019
Hello Sublette County,
This is Albert Sommers in Cheyenne on Friday the 22nd. Today was the last day of the 7th week of the 65th General Session of the Wyoming Legislature. We started the morning by voting on concurrences to Senate amendments and voting on Joint Conference Committee reports. One of the Joint Conference Committee reports was to address the differences between the House and the Senate on House Bill 134, which was my brand delinquency bill. This bill would mandate that a brand could not be abandoned until it has been delinquent for two years. The current law is one year of delinquency. The Senate amended the bill to create a lifetime brand provision, which would allow an individual or entity to purchase a lifetime brand for $1500. If the brand changes ownership, then the lifetime provision will go away. I liked this idea, and the House accepted the amendment.

We went into Committee of the Whole to hear six bills carried over from last night. Five bills passed and one failed. Those that passed included these.
• SF 161 - Management council membership-2. This bill takes members away from the minority party on Management Council and gives more members to the majority party. Management Council is really the board of directors and jury for the legislature, and so I am not sure we need to change the membership.
• SF 144 - Medicaid and SNAP eligibility requirements. This bill would create work requirements for Medicaid and SNAP recipients, but it’s not clear to me who will and how people will be affected.
• SF 134 – Severance Tax exemption

We failed SF 122 – Wyoming Works Program on a vote of 28-31-1. However, I brought this bill back on a motion to rescind to the failed vote. We then passed the bill out of Committee of the Whole. This bill will create a grant program for non-traditional students for credential programs at community colleges. This is a workforce development bill.

Given the amount of time we spent on concurrences and general file, we moved to lay back all 2nd and 3rd reading bills for further consideration on Monday, February 24. These bills will be given their due consideration and we will finish out our work for the people of Wyoming on time next week.

Please follow my Facebook page for up to date information and email me at albert@albertsommers.com with questions or concerns.

Thank you
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2/21/2019
Hello Sublette County,
This is Albert Sommers in Cheyenne on Thursday the 21st. Today was the last day scheduled for Committee of the Whole in both Chambers. However, we will likely go into Committee of the Whole tomorrow to hear the last Senate Files.

The House considered, on 2nd reading, seven bills, all of which passed on a voice vote.
SF 46 - Opioid prescription limits.
SF 47 - Controlled substances education and administration
SF 46 and 47 represent efforts to tackle the opioid addiction crisis in Wyoming. I had the opportunity to sit on the Opioid Task Force during the interim and continue to have a great deal of interest in this issue.
SF 49 - County zoning authority-private schools
This bill garnered a lot of attention during the session. The debate surrounded treating private schools the same as public schools when it came to county planning and the idea of local control. I do not support this bill.
SF 40 - Operation of motorboat while intoxicated
This bill changes the Blood Alcohol Content Limit for boating to be the same as motor vehicles, which is 0.08. Several amendments were brought to this bill.

To better balance the House Floor schedule moving forward, we accelerated seven bills from second reading to third reading. All of these bills passed on a voice vote. Some of the bills of interest included these I supported:
SF 45 - Emergency administration of opiate antagonist-revisions
SF 99 – Voting systems and ballots
SJ 9 – Medal of Honor Highway

The House considered several Senate Files on Committee of the Whole, including these I supported.
SF 104 – Wyoming Chancery Court
This bill would create a special court for business related matters, making Wyoming more business friendly. This bill was a recommendation of the ENDOW report
SF 149 – Capitol Complex Oversight
This bill outlines which branch of government has oversight over certain parts of the Capitol when renovation is completed.
SF 159 - New opportunities for Wyoming coal fired generation. This is an attempt to push back at Rocky Mountain Power who is considering closing coal fired power plants in Wyoming.
SF 162 – State funded capital construction
This bill funds major state construction projects around the state including projects at the community colleges.
SF 111 - Community colleges-Bachelor of Applied Science programs. This bill will allow community colleges to create 4-year degree programs. I support a measured approach to this effort, but this bill allows unlimited 4-year programs to be created. What are the costs associated with the creation of these programs? Will community colleges seek more money from the state?

Please follow my Facebook page for up to date information and email me at albert@albertsommers.com with questions or concerns.

Thank you