It’s the last week of Wyoming’s state legislative session! It has been a long 7 weeks, but we managed to keep our public lands safe and our wildlife managed by our experts here in Wyoming for another year.
What died last week?
- HB0118-Limitations on net land gains for the federal government, which was the final bill in the trio of three bad public land bills, died last week after not making it out of committee in the Senate.
- SF0099-Game and fish property tax exemptions did not meet its deadline to be reported out of committee
- HB0221-Bighorn and domestic sheep relocation-effective date repeal died on its first reading in the Senate
- HB0227-Executive orders-time limitations died in the Senate Judiciary Committee, protecting important executive orders for wildlife like sage grouse and migratory ungulates
- SF0139-Trapping requirements-licenses, seasons, and setbacks did not meet its deadline for being reported out of committee
Which bills passed last week?
- HB0005-Fishing outfitters and guides-registration of fishing boats passed through the process, enabling the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to convene an advisory group and begin registration of guides to gather data that will better illustrate the scope of fishing guiding and outfitting in Wyoming
- HB0275-Treatment of animals passed and will make it illegal to “Knowingly, and with intent to cause undue suffering, torture, torment or mutilate living wildlife, including predatory animals and predacious birds, after reducing the living wildlife to possession.” This allows game wardens and other law enforcement officers to prosecute for torture or cruelty to wildlife that was in someone’s physical possession, which was formerly not a prosecutable offense for predators or pests.
- HB0211-Hunting wildlife from vehicles passed and allows the hunting of pest species from vehicles, as was already legal for predators. It is still illegal to hunt from roadways, so be sure to check your local rules and regulations before discharging a firearm from your vehicle.
- SF0179-Sage grouse-compensatory mitigation amendments passed and codifies a mitigation process for landowners not covered under the executive order on their own land.
What is coming up?
This year, Wyoming Wildlife Federation, alongside the Nature Conservancy, proposed a discussion of the mitigation of wildlife impacts of industrial siting as an interim topic. The joint Travel, Recreation, Wildlife, and Cultural Resources Committee will announce their official choices for their interim topics sometime next week, as will the Agriculture, State & Public Lands, & Water Resources Committee. We look forward to a productive interim session, and will continue to keep you updated on policy developments that affect wildlife and public lands across the state.