Legislative Update Week Six - Are You Not Entertained?

Michael Smith for AARP Wyoming

The 2025 Legislative Session will be remembered for a lot of things, but being boring isn’t one of them. From budgets to taxes, to all the ideological battles you could ask for, this session has one week left to wrap itself up. Prepare for a wild finish Let’s dig in…

Getting Closer on Property Tax Relief
On Thursday morning the House and Senate agreed on Senate File 69, offering Wyomingites a 25% reduction in property tax for the first $1 million in home value with no backfill for cities, towns, counties, and special districts. Thursday night, the two chambers agreed to send it to the Governor. Remember, if you take advantage of the Property Tax Exemption for Long Term Homeowners, you are not eligible for the relief offered by SF69.

Meanwhile, Senate File 153 (8.3% tax rate down from 9.5%), and House Bill 282 (taxes based on the acquisition value of your home) are still sitting out there in case SF69 doesn’t make it across the finish line. I’m being told that SF153, which was laid back from final read in the Senate on Friday could still be passed even if the Governor does sign SF69. That would be two big discounts on taxes, but have very high impacts on services.

Michael Smith for AARP Wyoming

No Supplemental Budget?
The Senate announced on Wednesday evening it would not approve a Supplemental budget. Publicly, Senate President Biteman says his Senate colleagues want to wait until they figure out the impacts of property tax relief cuts before they choose to spend more money. I was told by several Senators today that this is not a negotiation tactic, just frustration with their colleagues in the House.

In the meantime, the chambers are trying to cram spending amendments into existing bills. A special session to pass a supplemental budget seems likely to me. The Governor’s budget proposal included $140 million of firefighting and restoration efforts from the wildfires of 2024 among other things. AARP Wyoming’s priorities that would fall by the wayside without the supplemental budget include $10 million for the Property Tax Refund Program, and another $500,000 for Vulnerable Adult Emergency Services.

Michael Smith for AARP Wyoming

Voter ID is Back, Briefly
For the past six years AARP Wyoming has been embroiled in debate around the need for Voter ID and the effort to be sure to make allowances for those who struggle to get ID. Specifically, we want to be sure those who are in nursing homes or are homebound don’t lose the right to vote, even though they may no longer have a license or struggle to get a State ID card. On Wednesday morning, the Corporations Committee amended House Bill 206, which would remove Medicare cards as approved ID to allow for a reasonable impediment declaration. Similar to the way they do things in Texas, the impediment process means you could declare a reason why you can’t get to a WYDOT station and your excuse would be determined as valid or otherwise by a County Clerk. As of Friday afternoon, the bill will die if it isn't heard on the floor of the Senate before Friday’s deadline to do so, a casualty of the tremendous amount of bills the House sent to the Senate.