First bills signed into law — Governor holds first signing of 2025 General Session

SUNDANCE — Gov. Mark Gordon held his first bill signing for the 2025 General Session on Monday afternoon, approving a tax break for the coal industry, property tax exemptions for state lands and more.

Gordon has previously outlined the questions he asks himself when considering what action to take on each bill, such as whether it is constitutional, whether it interferes with personal or private property rights, whether it grows state government or incurs significant ongoing cost and whether it makes Wyoming better for the generations to come.

“The constitutional one is obviously the first stop, and that is one that I am blessed to have the opportunity to work with the Attorney General’s office to look through it to see how it comports with the constitution,” he said.

No Signature

With those criteria in mind, Gordon put his pen to a number of new laws on Monday.

He did not make use of his veto power, but did allow three to go into law without his signature.

This included SF-96, the Wyoming Gold Act, which requires that the state hold a portion of its investments in gold. Gordon noted that “the only income to be derived from gold is to sell it for a greater price than it was purchased,” and storing it can be a significant expense.

The Wyoming PRIME Act, SF-120, provides for the sale of producer-raised, homemade meat products. Gordon said “enacting a state law without Congress having already passed the federal PRIME Act will only mislead consumers,” as the law will remain dormant until that happens.

Gordon believed that SF-06, which authorizes property owners to request law enforcement assistance to remove unauthorized occupants, is “flawed” and could present concerns about due process. However, due to his strong belief in private property rights, he said he decided to allow it to pass into law.

Approved bills

Of those bills that now bear the governor’s signature, Gordon particularly praised SF-20, which requires the Wyoming Oil and Gas Commission to create rules that will allow bonding options for oil and gas operators. This will allow operators to voluntarily participate in a bonding pool to serve as financial assurance for plugging abandoned wells, reclamation and bond forfeiture.

“Wyoming has always had a leadership position on these issues,” Gordon said, thanking industry partners and the Legislature for working on the issue. “This is a wonderful bill.”

He also took note of HB-75, through which the coal severance tax rate for surface coal is to be reduced from 6.5% to 6%, bringing it in line with oil and gas severance tax rates.

As recently reported by WyoFile, this could save the mining industry tens of millions of dollars per year and was considered by the Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee as a way to maintain coal production and the jobs it supports.

HB-54, meanwhile, allows chancery court judges to assist district and circuit courts by hearing cases, which he noted could help address heavy caseloads.

Other laws signed on Monday include HB-166, which aims to increase payment transparency for the Wyoming State Auditor, who must now make available to the public on the auditor’s website information on all payments its office makes to vendors, including dates, vendors and a description of the payment.

HB-69 amends the grounds on which a corporation may be administratively dissolved to include ownership or control by a foreign adversary.

SF-78 prohibits anyone but a county clerk or the Secretary of State or their designees from distributing absentee ballot request forms.

According to SF-81, state-owned property that is used primarily for a government purpose and all state lands will be exempt from property tax.

SF-48 exempts the first $75,000 in fair market value of business property from property taxation.

SF-63 allows private landowners who adjoin state lands to construct a fence along the boundary and specifies that the lessee of the state lands shall pay half the cost.

SF-88 details large project funding for the year and includes a cheatgrass program sponsored by the Sheridan County Weed & Pest District that will aim to remove invasive grasses on 78,360 acres in Crook, Campbell, Johnson and Sheridan counties.

The maximum grant for K-12 school districts for career technical education equipment has been increased from $50,000 to $75,000 through HB-17.

SF-13 changes reading assessments and interventions by eliminating the use of group reading plans and amending the requirements for screening students for reading difficulties.

SF-131 repeals the requirement for charter schools to receive reimbursement for leasing expenses if the state construction department determines there are no existing facilities within the school district.

HB-14 details this year’s funding for cease and transfer programs and places Moorcroft third on the list with an allocation of $1.5 million.

The annual registration fees for snowmobiles will be increasing, according to HB-004. Resident owners will be asked to pay $50 annually for private use or $150 for a commercial snowmobile, up from $35 and $105 respectively. For all nonresident snowmobiles that are not exempt, the annual fee is increasing from $35 to $75.

The bill also creates a category for “antique” snowmobiles, which must be over 20 years old and can be permanently registered for $25.

Rock climbing has been added as a recreation activity for purposes of the Recreation Safety Act and liability of the landowner through HB-73.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation has been directed through SF-25 to create an electronic lien and title system through which can be processed titles, title transfers, lien notations, security interest and payment of sales or use tax.

Patients who apply for a handicap placard can now ask a wider variety of healthcare providers to submit a letter on their behalf. No longer limited to physicians and advanced practice registered nurses, this letter can now be written by physician assistants, physical or occupational therapists, podiatrists and optometrists.

According to HB-27, disabled placards will now bear an expiration date only if temporary or the word “permanent” if not.

Annual permits will now be available for hauling prefabricated buildings, panels, trusses, forest products, baled hay and combine headers, according to HB-132.

Applying for a wildlife conservation license plate will now be possible through county treasurers as well as WYDOT, through SF-149.

HB030 makes amendments to expiration and renewal of driving licenses for persons under 21, amends ID card contents to bear markings indicating that person is under 21 and amends the requirements for replacement licenses.

HB-23 makes changes to the requirements to physically surrender a license and for peace officers to submit signed statements to WYDOT after alcohol concentration tests for persons under 21.

Cities and counties will now be able to pay claims and demands through electronic means, according to HB-214.

HB-61 makes a small amendment to the rules for state land leasing, authorizing a preferred right to renew a lease for a person who is not currently in violation of its provisions. Before the change was made, this statute read that the applicant qualifies for preference if they “have not violated” the provisions.

HB-25 makes amendments to the requirements for reporting a vehicle accident, which must be immediately reported to the appropriate law enforcement agency if it results in injury or property damage that disables the vehicle.

SF-42 authorizes cities and towns to issue resort hotel liquor licenses. To qualify, the resort hotel must have a full-service restaurant and at least 20 sleeping rooms, as well as facilities for business meetings that can accommodate at least 50 people.

Certified water and wastewater operators will now be defined as emergency responders according to HB-22, and Homeland Security will be required to coordinate with them when creating local plans for recovery and restoration from an emergency.

HB-92 requires the Wyoming Livestock Board to initiate memorandums of understanding regarding the identification of livestock delivered to other states that receive Wyoming livestock. HB-82 requires health insurance carriers to follow a specific set of guidelines when credentialing healthcare providers to become participating healthcare providers in its networks.

HB-41 clarifies the financial institutions from which a coal mining operation may obtain an irrevocable letter of credit to deposit with the Department of Environmental Quality in lieu of a bond.

HJ-01 asks Congress to enact a law that changes the wording in the laws controlling how Wyoming manages its school lands to say “earnings” rather than “interest,” on the basis that this better reflects how those lands are managed.

Tribal governments will be given notification of application for industrial siting permits in the same or adjacent counties, according to SF-16.

Tangible personal property must be valued using specific valuation indexes and depreciation schedules for ad valorem tax, according to SF-49.

Finally, SJ-03 is a joint resolution commemorating the 100th anniversary of Nellie Tayloe Ross becoming the first female governor on January 5, 1925.

This story was published on February 27, 2025.