Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
WORLAND — Sen. Ed Cooper (R-Ten Sleep) hopes to redefine the slayer rule with a bill he is sponsoring in the upcoming March session.
Cooper is sponsoring Senate File 66, Slayer Rule Applied to Joint Ownership. The bill has four other co-sponsors including Rep. Mike Greear (R-Worland) and Rep. John Winter (R-Thermopolis).
Cooper said the current law states that no person who feloniously takes or causes or procures another to take the life of another shall inherit from or take by devise or legacy from the deceased person any portion of his estate.”
However, the current law does not address joint ownership. He said an area family is dealing with the issues of this currently. Their daughter was murdered by her husband who then fatally shot himself. Because she died first, everything she owned went to him and now all of his belongings go to his family.
Her family has been trying through the court system to obtain her personal property.
He said that while the bill, if approved and signed into law would not help his constituents it will help others going forward.
“It’s a pretty important bill with deep local impact,” Cooper said.
The bill has been introduced and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee but is not on the committee’s agenda this week.
The Wyoming Legislature is holding three days of standing committee meetings this week leading up to the reconvening of the 2021 General Session on March 1.
The meetings are being livestreamed and archived on the Legislature’s YouTube channel.
The final day of committee meetings is today (Thursday) with the Senate Minerals, Business & Economic Development, House Education, House Appropriations, Senate Transportation, Highways & Military Affairs, Senate Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources, House Education and House Judiciary scheduled to meet.
The Wyoming Legislature will reconvene the 2021 General Session on March 1 at 10 a.m. The remainder of the General Session will be held in a “hybrid” format. The Joint Session of the Legislature, including Gov. Mark Gordon’s State of the State address and Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael K. Davis’ State of the Judiciary address will take place virtually on March 2 at 10 a.m. The State of the State and the State of the Judiciary addresses will be streamed live on Wyoming PBS’s YouTube channel.
The public participating in-person during the Session will be required to comply with the public health orders in place at the time, including the use of face coverings when inside the Capitol Complex. The public may also view the proceedings and participate in standing committee meetings remotely by using the “testify” and YouTube links available on the Legislature’s Website.
The public can voice their support or opposition to proposed legislation using the Online Hotline. Members of the public can also sign up to the receive daily meeting and floor calendars through the Legislature’s email subscription service. To sign up, click on the “GovDelivery” link located at the top of the homepage at http://www.wyoleg.gov.
For a complete list of all the 2021 General Session bills, updated protocols for attending sessions and information about the legislative process, please visit the Legislature’s Website at http://www.wyoleg.gov.