2024 Legislative Budget Session Overview
Wyoming celebrates the shortest legislative session in the United States every two years with the Budget Session.
A unique feature of Wyoming’s budget session is that any bill that is not directly part of the budget requires a 2/3rds majority vote of the Senate or House of Representatives to allow it to be introduced.
Over the years, more and more bills have been introduced during the budget session, so now, the 20-day budget session is one of the most intense processes in all of America.
Along with the short session, legislators are able to introduce legislation until the end of the first week the legislature meets. This intensity should lead us to pray for the men and women who are serving us in the Legislature and pray for wisdom and strength for them over the next four weeks.
Key Legislation to Watch
Now that the dust has settled and introductions are over, there are several pieces of legislation Wyoming Family Alliance is following very closely. Wyoming Family Alliance monitors, actively supports, or opposes legislation that aligns with our mission to defend life, advance liberty, and preserve freedom for Wyoming families.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HB0044 Parental Rights in Minor Child’s Health Care
Wyoming Family Alliance supports legislation that ensures a parent’s right to know when their child is vaccinated or treated.
HB0092 Protection of Parental Rights
Wyoming Family Alliance supports legislation that ensures that the rights of parents are protected in courts and in schools.
HB0148 Regulation of Surgical Abortion
Wyoming Family Alliance supports legislation to make sure that abortion facilities performing life-threatening procedures have licensed physicians and facilities that meet health requirements.
HB0166 Education Savings Accounts-1
Wyoming Family Alliance is tentatively watching this bill. There is much promise, but two things need to change to gain our full support.
- The bill includes a means test to determine whether a family can access the funds. This leaves some families in the state in the position of paying taxes, and yet it does not allow them the benefit of accessing those funds to pay for their child’s education. The means test needs to be taken out.
- The bill expands ESA’s into pre-kindergarten, which is separate from the classic K-12 education process. This issue likely breaks the rule that a bill must have one subject.
SENATE
SF0009 Parental Rights in Education-1
Wyoming Family Alliance supports legislation to ensure that parents are notified of the health and welfare of their children in schools and that no school district can hide critical information from a parent.
SF0094 An Act Regarding Compelled Speech and State Employers
Wyoming Family Alliance supports the right of every individual to speak honestly and truthfully and that no government should threaten a person by compelling them to speak against their conscience.
SF0098 Statute of Limitations-Medical Procedures on Minors
Wyoming Family Alliance supports legislation that ensures that those who allow the mutilation of the genitalia of minors in Wyoming will have a civil action brought against them.
SF0099 Chloe’s Law-Children Gender Change Prohibition
Revokes license of doctors, and Wyoming Family Alliance supports legislation that eliminates surgeries in Wyoming that will cause children irreparable damage.This bill allows for the revocation or suspension of the license of a doctor who would perform these procedures.
SF0128 Approval of Charter School
Wyoming Family Alliance supports the opportunity for more charter schools to develop in Wyoming.
SF0130 The Equality State, Not Equity State Act
Wyoming Family Alliance supports this bill since it stands against those who would use government entities to promote preferential treatment based on the immutable characteristics of people.
