Wyoming Legislature update – Feb. 21 & 22, 2023
by Albert Sommers, House District #20 Representative
February 23, 2023
2/22/2023
Hello Sublette County and LaBarge, this is Albert Sommers reporting to you on February 22, the 30th day of the General Session of the 67th Legislature. Today we again worked through Senate File bills on 3rd Reading, concurrence and Committee of the Whole.
I will focus on three bills that passed the Committee of the Whole:
SF0116 - Protection of lawful commerce in firearms is a bill related to civil action against firearms entities. It codifies a federal statute into Wyoming law that prevents litigation from being pursued against entities who have lawfully sold a firearm to an individual who has then unlawfully misused the firearm or ammunition. This is an important bill that protects law-abiding gun sellers. I support this bill.
SF0056 - Prohibiting travel across private land for hunting purposes This bill expands the existing prohibition for entering private property without permission to also prohibit traveling through or returning across the private property to take wildlife, hunt, fish, collect antlers or horns, or trap. I look forward to continued debate on this bill and I supported this bill in Committee of the Whole.
SF0120 - Restoration of civil right This bill would allow nonviolent felons to regain their civil rights, including the right to own and use guns, serve on a jury and hold public office. Individuals, and any others who can have their voting rights restored, would be allowed to have all other civil rights reinstated after five years. If a person is a repeat offender, they are automatically ineligible for rights restoration. Those convicted of violent crimes such as murder, kidnapping and sexual assault are not eligible to have their civil rights restored without a pardon from the governor. I believe the restoration of rights for those with non-violent crimes helps reduce recidivism. This bill moves on to 2nd Reading.
Feb. 21, 2023
Hello Sublette County and LaBarge, this is Albert Sommers reporting to you on February 21, the 29th day of the General Session of the 67th Legislature. We worked through Senate File bills on 3rd Reading, concurrence and Committee of the Whole.
HB0088 - Hunting licenses-weighted bonus points system heard further discussion on 3rd Reading last Thursday. There was concern expressed that the bonus system as proposed needs to be revised to solve the problem most effectively. The Wildlife Taskforce I served on spent many hours studying and working on this topic, and a lot of good work went into developing a proposal. And while there is no perfect system, I don't believe this proposed bonus point system for bighorn sheep and moose was the most equitable for honoring hunters who have spent years and money accruing points. That is why I voted no on this bill. It failed to pass the House 22-40.
I will highlight two bills from today:
SF0061 - Legislator per diem This bill changes the reimbursement rate for legislators from a flat rate to a variable rate as established by the United States general services administration for locations within Wyoming. The bill passed the House today with one amendment. The amendment allows members of the Legislature to opt out of receiving the increased reimbursement rate and stay at the flat rate. While I believe this amendment was unnecessary, as there is an opt-out process on the existing forms, I was pleased to see the bill pass the House. This legislative job costs money, and a legislator’s meals and lodging should be covered. The bill will also apply to all of the state commissions and boards.
SF0102 - Food Freedom Act-amendments This bill passed the House unanimously, allowing a producer to sell dairy products directly and allowing those who can already sell homemade food products to employ a designated agent for sales, marketing, transport, storage, and delivery of food or drink products. I was a co-sponsor on this bill and was pleased to see it pass, and expand the opportunities for Wyomingites to buy products from their neighbors.
I can be reached at albert@albertsommers.com with questions or comments. Thank you.
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