Lawley's property tax bill dies in committee

State House Rep. Martha Lawley (R-Worland) was disappointed to report the failure of her sponsored bill to amend the current property tax deferral program after it died in the Senate Revenue Committee on Feb. 24.

The proposed legislation, House Bill 121, would have raised the responsibility of property tax deferment out of the counties to the Department of Revenue, a change that Lawley suggested could make it more accessible to counties who could not afford to run the program on their own.

“[House Bill 121] did have some people on the Senate side, including Senator Ed Cooper (R-Ten Sleep), who made some efforts along with some leadership in the House to get it pulled out onto the floor in the Senate. They felt, as I do, that it is a needed area of relief we need to offer as we continue to work on property tax reform issues,” Lawley said. She explained that the Senate found the bill too complicated, despite the fact that the bill merely amends an existing statute.

“Only one county of our 23 counties operates the program, and that’s Teton County, that does have the ability to promulgate rules and to run the program. I am disappointed because of what it would have provided in terms of access for citizens, taxpayers, in particular, of my district,” she said.

Lawley intends to bring back the bill at the appropriate time.

A controversial bill passed out of the House Education Committee, which Lawley is member of, on Feb. 24, with a recommendation to pass. Senate File 133 would prohibit transgender women from competing in interscholastic sports designated for females. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Wyoming, Wyoming Equality, Wyoming Education Association and the Wyoming Youth Service Association oppose the bill.

“Senate File 133 is not about leveling the playing field for student athletes. It’s about erasing and excluding trans people from participation in all aspects of public life,” said Antonio Serrano, ACLU of Wyoming advocacy director, in a press release to the Northern Wyoming News. “Extreme policies such as Senate File 133 are out of step with prevailing international and national norms of athletic competition. Inclusive teams that support all athletes and encourage participation should be the standard for all school sports. All young people should have the opportunity to play high school sports and have their personal dignity respected. Transgender students are no different. No one is harmed by allowing transgender people to compete consistent with who they are.”

Lawley is a cosponsor of the bill, which passed its second reading in the House on Tuesday. “I believe we need to acknowledge when we’re facing some complicated issues and balancing some important interests,” Lawley said.

“I do support the bill, I worked to get this bill on the floor in the House, because I really believe the House needs to have this debate and if possible provide guidance to school districts that are facing this issue.

“The primary concerns that need to be protected are fairness for women and safety for female athletes,” she said.

Lawley also supported House Bill 152 – Life is a Human Right Act, as a co-sponsor. The bill originally prohibited all abortions in the state of Wyoming, finding that, “The life of every human being begins at conception.”

“It’s a bill that, when it was in the House, I supported several amendments to, that I do believe and still believe made the bill better, even as a person who is pro-life,” Lawley said. Her proposed amendments would have removed findings that encroached on the judicial branch, including that the Legislature may make declarations interpreting the Wyoming Constitution.

“It’s just not constitutionally accurate that the Legislature has the right to interpret laws,” Lawley said. “That is a constitutional right given to the judiciary. Those findings were counterproductive to the goal of the law, House Bill 152, in that they opened up clear avenues for people to challenge them in court.” Lawley’s amendments failed in the House, but she said some senators had spoken with her about reintroducing them. A trigger was added to the bill that would activate it in the event current abortion legislation – 2022 Wyoming Session Laws Ch 88 – is ruled unconstitutional, which Lawley described as a “safeguard.”

“I don’t know what the Wyoming Supreme Court is going to do, no one would dream of predicting that, but my sense is that they will ultimately uphold that trigger law from two years ago,” Lawley said.

In the Senate, the bill was assigned to the Agricultural Committee, which amended it to include exceptions for incest and rape. The bill passed its second reading in the Senate on Tuesday.

“Many have said to me, I don’t know, because it has been my first time here, that this [session] has been unusually contentious in a lot of ways,” Lawley said. With the last day of the session on Friday, she is looking forward to returning to Worland and reconnecting with her community. She hopes to engage with her constituents about the legislative process and explain her voting decisions.