Hello Sublette County, this is Albert Sommers reporting to you from Cheyenne on March 20, 2021. Friday was the last day that bills in the body of origin could come out of committee into General File. In House committees, no more House Bills will be allowed to advance for debate in Committee of the Whole. Monday, March 22, will be the last day for bills in the body of origin to be considered in COW. After Monday, no House bills on General File will be considered in COW for advancement through the process.

As of March 19, it appears that approximately 45 bills are on General File in the House. We typically do not get through more than about 15 bills in COW on any given day, which means 30 bills in the House will die on General File. The Legislature is in the process of what is called “crossover.” The House will now turn its attention to the bills that have passed the Senate, and the Senate will start debating House bills. Remember, a bill must pass both the House and the Senate before it is presented to the governor for his action.

The House passed three bills that I supported on third reading Friday, including HB0115, Big or Trophy Game Animal - Minimum Hunting Age, which would allow any person to take a big or trophy game animal at 11 years of age, if the person will attain 12 years of age by the end of that calendar year. I was a co-sponsor of this bill.

HB0120, Hathaway Scholarships - Success Curriculum in Middle School, would allow courses taught in middle school to qualify for the Success Curriculum of the Hathaway Scholarship, if those courses are the functional equivalent of courses taught in high school. This gives more flexibility to districts when they evaluate which courses to teach in middle school.

HB0229, Livestock Identification Choice Act, eliminates all references in statute to a national livestock identification program, except as it relates to brucellosis and scrapie programs. I was a co-sponsor of the bill.

The House debated 12 bills in COW, including my bill, HJ0011, which is a joint resolution that would be presented to the president of the United States, to the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress and to the Wyoming Congressional Delegation. This resolution affirms our rights as a sovereign state and our Second Amendment rights. It affirms the importance of federal lands to the custom, culture and economy of the state of Wyoming. Finally, this resolution requests that the federal government not regulate arms at a national level, and that the federal government work with Wyoming on federal land policy to ensure Wyoming has a voice in federal land policy decisions.

SJ0002, Convention of States - 2, died in the Senate on March 18 so it will not be heard in the House. The idea of an Article V Convention of States to propose multiple constitutional amendments to the U.S. Constitution has always been contentious.

These and all other 2021 bills are described in detail at https://www.wyoleg.gov/Legislation/2021.

I can be reached at albert@albertsommers.com with questions or comments.

Thank you.