Wyoming Legislature update – March 7 & 8, 2018
by Albert Sommers, House District #20 Representative
March 9, 2018
Thursday, March 8, 2018:
Hello Sublette County, this is Albert Sommers reporting to you from Cheyenne on Thursday, March 8. On third reading today, bills that passed the House with my support included omnibus water planning that contains the Silver Lake Dam study, the cease and transfer priority list for landfill remediation, and creation of a new state board to run the State Fair. SF83 also passed the House today. This was a bill I crafted in the interim, based upon concern about opioid problems in Sublette County. The bill would make it easier for prescribers to become registered with the state’s controlled substance tracking system, and it would require most dispensers to report to this tracking system. HJ5, my resolution regarding a Yellowstone National Park wildlife fee, passed its final vote today, and will go to the Governor for his signature.
As a member of the Joint Conference Committee for the budget bill, I have participated in meetings with Senate members to resolve the big issues for this session. It appears we are getting close to an agreement on the budget, education, and state capital construction. I hope to have positive news on that front tomorrow.
I can be reached at albert@albertsommers.com
Thank you
Wednesday, March 7, 2018:
Hello Sublette County, this is Albert Sommers reporting to you from Cheyenne on Wednesday, March 7. Today on third reading, with my support, the ENDOW bills for commercial air service improvement, broadband grants, an international trade representative, and agricultural marketing passed the House after considerable debate.
We passed bills in Committee of the Whole on vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, a drug donation disbursement program, two more ENDOW bills, a governmental efficiency bill, and an opioid addiction task force bill.
SF74 was heavily debated in Committee of the Whole today. This bill would designate crimes against critical infrastructure. It was brought in response to the damage that occurred to property during the Keystone Pipeline protests, raising concerns that similar damage could occur in Wyoming. I believe the penalties, which included a $1 million fine, go too far; they would be unprecedented in Wyoming statutes. The bill would consider power lines critical infrastructure, and as a landowner, I worry about unintended consequences of extreme penalties for violations. If a rancher’s employee maliciously knocked down a power pole using the rancher’s tractor, could that rancher be held in violation of this Act, because he "aided" the employee by assigning him a tractor. This bill is poorly written, and has been amended so many times it is hard to even read.
I can be reached at albert@albertsommers.com
Thank you
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