Legislature looks at state health order process

CHEYENNE — Sen. Ed Cooper (R-Ten Sleep) supports the Senate bill designed to take a look at how state and local health orders will be handled in the future.

Senate File 80 is one of four bills addressing health orders, with the other three bills originating on the House side. The Senate file states that no health order issued per state statute can become effective without at least 48 hours notice to the public and without the governor and Department of Health providing for public comment.

The bill allows for a health order to become effective immediately if a 48-hour delay would “result in immediate and lifethreatening physical harm, exposure or transmission beyond the existing affected area.”

The bill allows for a county to opt out of a public health order issued under Wyoming statute by “submitting a writing signed by a majority of the members of that county’s board of county commissioners and by publishing a notice as soon as possible in the county’s designated official newspaper and on the county’s official website.”

Health orders can not be any longer than 60 days before requiring legislative approval.

The 48-hour timeframe is also required for county or municipal health orders.

Per the Senate file, “Any order ratified by the applicable governing body shall be effective for a maximum of 30 days after the ratification. Public health orders subject to this subsection may be ratified more than one time.”

“It brings more oversight to the state and county health officers. I supported it,” Cooper said, noting that in Senate District 20 that he represents the health orders in two counties worked well and it did not work as well in two other counties, and in the fifth county the county officer “threw their hands in the air and quit and the county worked through [State Health Officer] Dr. [Alexia] Harrist and it worked well.”

The bill passed on third reading 21-9 last Wednesday, March 10 was received by the House for introduction on the same day.

Senate File 96 – Homicide Amendments provides a murder charge option if an unborn child is killed when a person kills or attempts to kill any human being. An unborn child is a defined as a “child in utero” which is defined as “a member of the species homo sapiens, at any state of development, who is carried in the womb.”

Last week Cooper said he had some constitutional concerns with the bill as it came out of committee but after three readings the concerns were addressed during discussion.

He was one of 26 senators voting in favor of the bill. Four senators were opposed. The bill was introduced in the House and referred to the House Judiciary Committee on Friday, March 12.

Cooper’s bill that amends examination fees and license requirements for the practice of dentistry passed the Senate on third reading last week unanimously.

He said the bill was brought to him by the Wyoming Dental Association to update the language in current statute.

Another of Cooper’s bills that passed unanimously was Senate File 108 that changed terminology for vocational education to career and technical education for the purpose of K-12 education.

The bill, he said was brought to the Senate by a high school student from Shoshoni. He said there are several bills addressing career and technical education and this ensures the language is correct and uniform.

“It’s a simple thing, but simple things are important,” Cooper said.

Coming this week, Cooper said, he expects lively debate on Senate Joint Resolution 2 regarding the constitutional convention of states.

“I’m looking for robust debate on both sides,” Cooper said.

The Legislative session was shut down Monday and Tuesday due to the winter storm that hit the central and southeast portions of the state, including 31 inches in Cheyenne.

Senate Joint Resolution 3 on the federal suspension and orders on oil and gas production passed second reading on Friday.

Cooper said a group of Cody High School students came to the session and “did a great job presenting themselves. I was real proud of them. It was good to see them involved.”

The senators on Thursday celebrated the Wyoming Cowgirls Mountain West Tournament Championship with a “rousing rendition of ‘Cowboy Joe’” on the Senate floor, Cooper said. “We’re all just proud of Tommi Olson who attended high school in Colorado but is originally from Worland.

“Five Cowgirls are homegrown,” Cooper noted.

He encourages any of his constituents to call, text or email him and said, “it may take a day but I’ll get back with them.”

His email is [email protected] and phone is 307-851-5949.

Contact information for all state legislators can be found at the Legislative website, wyoleg.gov.