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AARP AARP States Wyoming Advocacy

Week Four Recap of the Wyoming Legislative Session

Harshman
Becky Farrell/AARP Wyoming

What a week - Week Four of the Legislative session brought clarity (and heartburn) to our 2020 Budget Session. Bills crossed from one chamber to the other and are either passed or removed from consideration, allowing AARP Wyoming to concentrate on specific bills. That was certainly the case for us this week and it paid off.

Three Big Things That Happened In Week Four

  1. Prescription Drug Bill Passes - You asked and the Wyoming Legislature listened to your request to find ways to help lower the price of prescription drugs. On Thursday morning, the Senate passed HB 113, sending the bill to the Governor’s Desk. If the Governor signs the bills next week (and we think he will), the Wyoming Department of Health will be directed to look into importing drugs from Canada, or using the state’s buying power to help lower the cost of drugs for Wyomingites. In short, by October, we should know more about what can be done in Wyoming to lower prescription drug prices.
  2. One Legislator Decides for All 90 - The Speaker of the House decided to kill a very important bill this week. This bill would have expanded access to much needed mental health services in Wyoming by removing barriers to practice and opening up telepsychology. This bill had been studied and vetted for two years by a legislative committee, passed out of the Senate, and had overwhelming support. Despite that, the Speaker decided he was not going to let it move any further - he let it die in his desk drawer. Despite efforts to understand the Speaker’s concerns, it’s not entirely clear why he decided to kill it. Had he allowed the bill to move forward, he could have raised and probably resolved those concerns. Instead, he chose to leave the bill in his drawer, ending any opportunity for debate or public comment. I understand this is a privilege given to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate - I just don’t like it. I prefer the deliberative process where ideas and policies are debated.
  3. Another COLA-free year for Wyoming - This week a bill to allow for a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for retired state employees found itself in Senate President Perkins’ drawer, never to see the light of day. House Bill 112 was one of two that would have offered a COLA to retirees. Again, we have one legislator deciding for 90. I prefer an open and deliberative process. What’s Next - At this point, there are four days left in the Legislative session and most of those will be used for budget negotiation between the two chambers, as well as an opportunity to override any potential vetoes by the Governor.

AARP Wyoming is monitoring two bills that are still working their way through the process. Senate File 123 would require long term care insurance carriers to justify rate increases to the State Insurance Commissioner. House Bill 109 seeks to offer guidance to long term care facilities and their residents around what virtual visitation devices like an Amazon Alexa, or Facebook Portal can be used and where.

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