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2017 WLRA LEGISLATIVE STATUS REPORT #5
The 64th Wyoming Legislature convened at noon on January 9, 2017 and will run until Friday, March 3, 2017. 485 total bills and resolutions were submitted by committees and individual legislators for the 2017 general session- they can be found here http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2017/billreference/BillReference.aspx?type=AL.
Key Dates
Last week was crossover week for the 2017 general session. Any bills that were not out of committee in their house of origin by last Thursday died. Likewise any bills that were not out of Committee of the Whole (First Reading) by the end of the day last Friday died as well.
Key Deadline Dates This Week
Monday, February 6 is the last day for Second Reading in house of origin.
Tuesday, February 7 is the last day for Third Reading on Bills in house of origin.
The following list is comprised of the bills currently listed, related to the hospitality and tourism industry in Wyoming. This list will be updated weekly. Please watch for the WLRA legislative update every Monday for additions and up to date information on our legislative priorities.
**Thank you very much to all of the WLRA members that reached out to legislators in opposition of the four bills seeking to divert lodging tax collections this session. All four bills failed passage. Your voice made a significant impact!**
Call To Action- Please keep a close eye out during the entire legislative session for call to action emails. This will be a difficult session with many impactful decisions being made at a very quick pace. Now is the time to engage and ensure that our voice is heard as an industry. All call to action emails will come with all of the information you need and should only take you a few minutes to engage. Your voice is the most critical one during the legislative session and it is absolutely imperative that our industry plays an active role this session.
Priorities
Support-Wyoming Office of Tourism Biennium Budget
The budget bill (HB-1/ SF-1) will be heard this week on both floors simultaneously. We are watching very closely for any proposed additional cuts to the Wyoming Office of Tourism budget.
Support- HB 32 Ski Safety Act
Imposes duties on ski areas and skiers. Establishes an assumption of risk for skiers and provides for a release of liability for ski areas as defined. Status- passed House and will be heard in Senate Minerals Committee this week
Support - HB 114 Service and Assistance Animals Establishes a penalty for those falsely impersonating a Service Animal in a business. Status-passed House and awaiting hearing in Senate Agriculture Committee
Support- SF 24 Film Industry Financial Incentive Program
Extends the sunset date for the Wyoming Office of Tourism’s Film Industry Financial Incentive Program. Status- passed Senate and will be heard in House Travel Committee this week
Support- SF 45 Liquor Dispensing Rooms
Removes the definition of “dispensing room” for full retail liquor license holders, allowing them to serve alcoholic beverages from anywhere inside their business. Status-passed the Senate and will be heard in House Corporations Committee this week
Support- HB 80 Transportation Network Companies
Would allow companies like UBER to operate in Wyoming. Status-passed House and awaiting introduction in Senate
Support- SF 94 Franchise Business Relationships
The bill would define a franchisee's employee as their own and not the employee of the franchisor and would protect franchisor's from unwarranted lawsuits, etc. It helps protect the franchise model of business. Status-passed Senate and awaiting introduction in the House
Bills That Have Died
HB 49 Mountain Daylight Savings Time
Would place Wyoming into the central time zone for the entire year. Status-failed in House Minerals Committee
HB 66 Yellowstone License Plates
Would authorize a Yellowstone National Park license plate.
Status- failed first reading in House
HB 85 Unemployment Compensation-Delinquent Employers
Would allow delinquent employers to enter into an installment plan for up to 12 months when warranted.
Status- was not heard in House Labor Committee
HB 102 Lodging Tax Rate
Would allow additional 2% local option lodging tax earmarked for tourism related infrastructure. Would allow shifting of lodging tax to be used for up to 4% for infrastructure or up to 4% for promotion with a total of no more than 6% tax imposed. Status- failed in House Revenue Committee-lack of a second motion
HB 140 Minimum Wage
Bill was amended to raise Wyoming’s non-tipped minimum wage to the federal level of $7.25/hr
Status- failed First reading in the House
HB 141 Daylight Savings Time Exemption
Would exempt Wyoming from daylight savings time.
Status-introduced and awaiting hearing with House Minerals Committee
HB 149 Lodging Tax Distribution
Would split local option lodging tax collections from the current 90/10 for local promotion to 50/50 promotion with half going to local government. Status- failed in House Revenue Committee 8-1
HB 155 Alcohol Administration-Revisions
Bill would privatize alcohol sales and discontinue the Wyoming Liquor Division. The bill would raise taxes on wholesale liquor purchases and create a revenue shortfall for the state. Status- failed House Revenue Committee 9-0
HB 169- Prohibited Firearms-Business and Commercial Establishments
Bill states that anyone that prohibits the carrying of a firearm on the person's commercial or business premises by an individual legally allowed to carry shall assume responsibility for the safety and protection of the individual while on the premises.
Status-never assigned committee in House
HB 179-Retail Liquor License Fee
Would require public auction to highest bidder for available retail liquor licenses
Status- failed in House Corporations Committee
HB 234 Airport Support
Would adjust the lodging tax split of 60/30/10 in applicable county to be 10/50 (for airport funding) 30/10
Status- never heard in House Revenue Committee
HB 269 Prohibited Question on Job Applications
Bill would prohibit employers from asking about applicant’s criminal history on job applications.
Status-never assigned to committee
HB 290- State Lodging Tax
Would create a 1% statewide lodging tax with 100% collections going to Game and Fish.
Status- was never heard in House Revenue Committee
Monitoring
HB 30-State Parks Sites and Fees
Allows the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources to adjust pricing on entrance fees and permits as defined. Status- passed house and passed Senate Travel Committee
HB 71 Unemployment Insurance-electronic communications
Would allow Unemployment Insurance notifications to be delivered electronically through email as specified. Status- passed House and passed Senate Labor Committee
HB 84 Workers compensation-delinquent employers Would allow delinquent employers to enter into an installment plan for up to 12 months when warranted. Status- passed Senate and awaiting hearing in Senate Labor Committee
HB 92 Payment of wages upon termination-time limits
Would allow employers to pay final pay based upon a collective bargaining agreement between the employer and employee. Status-passed House and Senate Labor Committee
HB 96 Microbrewery permits
Authorizes microbrewery permit holders to dispense malt beverages in areas adjacent to their site as specified. Status- passed House and awaiting introduction in the Senate
HB 129 Food Freedom Act-Amendments
Authorizes sales of certain meat products (poultry, live animals and domestic rabbit meat) from producers homes. Status- passed House and Senate Agriculture Committee
SF 118- Food Freedom Act Sales-Locations Authorizes homemade food to be sold at retail outlets maintained where homemade food is produced. Status-passed Senate Agriculture Committee and awaiting first reading on Senate floor
SF 13 Manufactured alcoholic beverages
Specifies licensing requirements and the amount of samples that may be dispensed
Status- passed Senate and awaiting hearing in House Corporations Committee
SF 14 Inoperative liquor licenses Reduces the amount of time that owners of a full retail liquor license may remain inoperative. Status-passed Senate and will be heard in House Corporations Committee this week
SF 43 Alcoholic beverages-revisions
Revises specific sections of title 12 related to the sale of alcoholic beverages, as specified. Status-passed Senate and awaiting hearing in House Corporations Committee
SF 155 Bar and Grill Liquor License Increase
Would increase Bar and Grill Liquor Licenses as specified. Status- passed Second Reading in Senate
Get Involved! Keep up with the Session & Contact your Legislators
Click here http://legisweb.state.wy.us/LegislatorSummary/App_Themes/LSO/PDFContactInfo.pdf for a list of all legislators’ emails, which is their preferred method of contact.
During the session you can contact a legislator to leave a message by calling the Senate receptionist at 307-777-7711 or the House receptionist at 307-777-7852.
To check on committee schedules, view bills, listen to live broadcasts of the legislative session or find out how individual legislators vote, log on to the Legislative website at http://legisweb.state.wy.us
You can also comment on bills online by visiting http://legisweb.state.wy.us/postcomments/onlinehotline.aspx.
If you have any questions, please contact Chris Brown at 307-634-8816 x 207 chris@wlra.org
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