HB 159 protects students' religious, political, and ideological speech in Wyoming public schools. It prohibits schools from discriminating against students for expressing these views in class discussions, assignments, club activities, or clothing - similar to how other student speech is treated. The bill creates a legal cause of action for violations, allowing students or clubs to seek at least $5,000 in damages plus other remedies. Exceptions include unprotected speech (per the First Amendment) or conduct that disrupts school operations or creates a hostile environment.
HB 127 requires voter approval before school districts or county commissioners in Wyoming can impose new mill levies for recreational facilities and public recreation systems. It limits new levies to one mill (one dollar per $1,000 of assessed property value) and mandates that any new levy must be approved by a majority vote at the same election as the general election. The levy would expire after four years unless reapproved by voters at subsequent general elections held every four years. Existing levies not approved by voters before December 31, 2028, would also expire. This directly affects local governments seeking to fund recreation programs through property taxes.
HB 147 ensures that Wyoming's current homeowner property tax exemption ends if voters approve a people's initiative creating a similar exemption. It adds a provision to repeal the existing exemption (under W.S. 39-11-105) on the date the Secretary of State certifies voter approval of such an initiative. This affects homeowners currently benefiting from the exemption, as the exemption would no longer apply for the 2027 tax year if the initiative passes. The bill becomes effective July 1, 2026, but the exemption repeal only triggers upon certification of voter approval.
HB 95 allows individuals legally carrying concealed weapons without a permit under Wyoming law to do so at public colleges and universities, with one exception: they cannot carry during athletic events where alcoholic beverages are sold. The bill amends Wyoming's concealed carry statute to explicitly include college/university facilities as permitted locations, removing prior restrictions. It directly affects permitless concealed carry holders who are already authorized to carry under existing law (specifically W.S. 6-8-104(a)(ii)-(iv)). The law takes effect July 1, 2026, and does not change rules for campus employees or volunteers, who remain subject to separate school district regulations.
This bill adjusts how Wyoming calculates school facility maintenance funding by raising the allowable square footage threshold from 115% to 135% of standard capacity for the 2025-2026 school year. It allocates $31.9 million for major maintenance and $11.8 million for routine maintenance to school districts, effective July 2026 through June 2028. The changes apply to how school districts' building space is measured for funding eligibility, excluding portable buildings exceeding capacity limits. Funds are restricted to maintenance purposes only and must be expended by 2028.
Wyoming's HB 52 requires hand counting for certain election recounts when vote margins are extremely narrow. Specifically, it mandates hand counts for all statewide, legislative, and federal races where the difference between the top two candidates is less than 1% of the votes cast for the winning candidate. This applies to both county-level recounts (if the margin is under 1% in that county) and statewide recounts (if the margin is under 1% across the entire state). The bill directly affects county canvassing boards, candidates requesting recounts, and election officials responsible for conducting the hand counts. It replaces machine-based recounts with manual counts in these specific close-margin scenarios.
This bill repeals Wyoming's low-carbon energy standards that required public utilities to meet specific clean energy targets. It removes specific legal requirements from the state code (sections 37-1-101, 37-18-101, and 37-18-102) that previously governed utility operations. The repeal eliminates compliance obligations for utilities under these standards. The Public Service Commission must create new rules to implement this change, effective immediately upon enactment.
SF 60 appropriates $31.66 million from Wyoming's public school foundation program for K-12 school facility maintenance projects across specific school districts, with spending limits per project listed in the bill. It also establishes a separate grant program for school safety and security projects, requiring districts to meet defined criteria to receive funds. The bill mandates annual reports on project progress and specifies that unspent funds must revert to the foundation program by June 30, 2028. This legislation directly affects Wyoming's public and charter school districts by providing targeted funding for facility upkeep and security upgrades.
Wyoming's HB 70, the GRANITE Act, creates legal protections for Wyoming residents and businesses against foreign governments or international organizations enforcing censorship laws that conflict with U.S. and Wyoming constitutional free speech protections. It establishes a cause of action allowing lawsuits against foreign entities for imposing penalties (like fines or platform shutdowns) on U.S.-based platforms for constitutionally protected speech, such as the UK's threat to 4chan or Brazil's actions against X (Twitter). The bill prohibits Wyoming from recognizing, enforcing, or cooperating with foreign judgments related to such censorship, and imposes civil penalties on foreign entities. It directly affects Wyoming-based digital platforms, blockchain companies, and residents whose speech is targeted by foreign censorship laws. The law aims to prevent foreign coercion of U.S. speech by placing the burden on foreign governments to justify their censorship under strict scrutiny.
Wyoming's HB 10 requires county and school libraries to keep sexually explicit materials out of sections primarily for minors (under age 18). Libraries must catalog and store such materials in adult sections, and establish a formal process for residents to challenge material placement in children's areas. This includes providing written challenge forms at library locations and online, with a 60-day review period for decisions. Libraries failing to implement the challenge process by August 1, 2026, face daily $500 penalties, and violations allow residents to pursue legal action after using the challenge process.
HB 22 establishes a process for Wyoming residents to remove elected municipal officers (like mayors or city council members) through a voter petition. To trigger a recall, a petition must collect signatures from at least 25% of registered voters in the municipality, include general grounds for removal, and follow specific filing rules. If valid, the city clerk schedules a special election 30-40 days later, with a preliminary primary election if multiple candidates run for the position. The officer seeking removal can run against opponents, and the winner takes office for the remaining term unless they fail to qualify within 10 days. This bill directly affects local elected officials in Wyoming cities and towns, effective July 1, 2026.
This Wyoming bill (SF 82) requires registered agents for business entities (like corporations and partnerships) to maintain the names and addresses of all owners (e.g., partners, shareholders, members) at the registered office. Exceptions apply if an entity has over 100 owners, operates from a physical location in Wyoming for daily business, is a decentralized autonomous organization, or is a specific type of nonprofit association. The requirement applies until the entity's first annual report is filed, then when annual reports are due. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026.
