WY Governor Gordon Signs Bills Regarding School Finance, Harmful Website Age Verification; Vetoes Health Care Definition Bill

This year’s Wyoming Legislative session ended about 2 weeks ago, but there are a few bills that are still awaiting either Governor Mark Gordon’s signature or veto.

The Governor vetoed a bill that attempted to prematurely define the term “health care” as used in the Wyoming Constitution, thereby adding confusion to the legal status of abortion in Wyoming. 

In addition, Gordon says Senate File 125 – Defining Health Care and Protecting the People’s Welfare as passed by the legislature, (Click here) raises significant separation of powers concerns.

In his veto letter, the Governor said Senate File 125 “will only perpetuate redundant legal challenges, add to the delay Wyoming has already witnessed in litigating the state’s ability to regulate abortion, and introduce further complexity into an already robust docket on abortion.”

The Governor’s veto, “will avoid unnecessary delay, prevent even more legal battles, allow for clarity and finality through the Court’s eventual decision, and preserve the precious separation of powers so essential to containing the excesses of government.”

Governor Gordon allowed House Bill 32, which is the What is a Woman Act, become law without his signature. (Click here) 

In his letter, the Governor noted the integrity of biological distinctions are already present in Wyoming law, and questioned whether unintended consequences or the practicality of administration of the bill had been fully explored.

Among the bills that Gordon recently signed into law include House Bill 316, which is the school finance model recalibration. (Click here)

The bill establishes a legislative committee and funds a study to review and update Wyoming’s K-12 school funding model.

Also signed into law was House Bill 43 which requires age verification for visiting websites with material harmful to minors and specifies requirements and exceptions for age verification. (Click here)

House Bill 280 reclassifies specified criminal offenses to require more frequent sex offender registry verification and prevent petitions to be relieved from sex offender registration.  (Click here)

Senate File 44 will require students who wish to compete in intercollegiate athletic competitions at the University of Wyoming and Wyoming Community Colleges, based on their biological sex. (Click here)

Also signed into law:

Senate File 86 – Alternative teaching certificate (Click here)

Senate File 10 – Settlement agreements for minors – parental authorization (Click here)

Senate File 22 – Grounds for termination of parental rights/guardianship (Click here)