Veterans

Wyoming's SF 66 creates two programs for donating hunting licenses. First, it allows free hunting licenses (for antelope, deer, elk, or turkey) for youth aged 12-20 with life-threatening illnesses, sponsored by nonprofits. Second, it lets license holders donate big game licenses (like elk, bison, or deer) to veterans with disabilities, people using wheelchairs, or vision-impaired individuals, via qualifying nonprofits - reissuing the license at no cost. Donated licenses cannot be sold or traded and bypass standard residency, drawing, and fee rules. The bill requires the Game and Fish Commission to create implementing rules and takes effect July 1, 2026.

This bill updates Wyoming's rules for burying veterans without funds. It allows counties to seek reimbursement from the Department of Family Services for preparing and transporting indigent veterans' bodies, clarifying that veterans eligible for burial assistance under POWER/Medicaid programs also qualify for county payments. The bill increases the maximum burial expense payment from $1,000 to $1,500 and specifies that county payments are a "last resort" after other benefits are exhausted. It directly affects counties handling veterans' burials, the Department of Family Services, and indigent veterans who served in conflicts like WWII, Korea, or Vietnam.

HB 68 expands Wyoming's property tax exemption for veterans with permanent, total service-connected disabilities. It allows eligible veterans certified as having a 100% service-connected disability to claim a full exemption on the assessed value of their primary residence, including up to 10 acres of associated land - replacing the previous $6,000 annual limit. Surviving spouses who haven't remarried and keep the property as their primary residence also retain this full exemption. The change applies to tax years beginning January 1, 2027, and does not affect veterans who qualify only for the standard $6,000 exemption.