Cooper discusses controversial bills passed during session

With the 67th Wyoming General Legislative Session adjourning last week, Senator Ed Cooper in his weekly addressed the most controversial legislation that came out of this session.

Cooper said, "There was some good stuff and some weaker stuff." He was particularly concerned about the constitutionality of three bills:

House Bill 103, which addressed crossover voting, was passed on March 2. This bill limits the ability of people to change their party affiliation and decreases the impact of crossover voting on elections. It went into effect at the time of signing by Governor Mark Gordon.

Senate File 109, which was signed by the House Speaker and Senate President on March 3, would prohibit the performing of chemically induced abortions with very few exceptions.

In the case of a naturally occurring miscarriage, or imminent peril that substantially endangers the pregnant person's life, or the pregnancy is a result of incest or sexual assault, an exception is applicable. This bill will be effective as law in Wyoming on July 1 of this year should Governor Mark Gordon sign it.

House Bill 152, the "Life is a Human Right Act," was signed by the House Speaker on March 2 and by the Senate President on March 3. This act makes an unborn baby legally a person, and cites the Declaration of Independence in saying that they have unalienable rights, the foremost of which is the right to life. This act also defines abortion as not being health care, and makes a person who performs an abortion subject to a felony charge, with consequences of a fine of up to $20,000 and/or imprisonment for up to 5 years. This act will go into effect upon signing by Gordon.

Of these, Cooper said "It bothers me that we are passing bills that are quite possibly unconstitutional. I think the people of Wyoming deserve better."

Though Cooper stated that he wished they could have done more regarding property tax through the General Session, he did voice approval of some things that were accomplished in that field:

House Bill 99, which amends qualifications for the property tax refund program, was passed on March 2.

Joint Resolution 3, which amends the Wyoming Constitution by adding residential property tax as a fourth category, was passed on March 3 and will go to the voters in 2024.

Cooper said that property tax in the Wyoming Constitution is "tightly written," and that it is tricky to make changes to. He thinks that the changes mentioned above will allow for more work to be done in the future, and allows legislators to work specifically on residential taxes. He stated that Joint Resolution 3 in particular would "put the question of property tax back in the hands of the voters."

He was pleased to report that of the bills he was heavily involved in this year, all but one passed.

Senate File 115, which addressed dental insurance payment for services, was sponsored by Cooper but died in committee on Feb. 7, a decision which Cooper said he was instrumental in making. He said, "We decided that it wasn't ready to be considered yet, and we wanted to do some work on it and enter it as an interim topic later on."

Otherwise, all three of the other bills Cooper sponsored were passed.

Senate File 87 passed on Feb. 27. This bill increases the threshold for qualification as a 'large project' of the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Fund from $200,000 to $400,000 to better reflect the current pricing of these projects. It is effective July 1 of this year.

Senate File 154 passed on March 2. This bill would facilitate the construction and expansion of oil and gas refineries in Wyoming, and went into effect at the time of signing.

Senate File 157 passed on Feb. 27. This bill clarifies that the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes may apply for participation in specified emergency insect management programs, and it went into effect at the time of signing.

Aside from sponsored bills, Cooper was also drafted to help with a few others that were also successful.

He aided in Senate File 106, which lists, details and prioritizes the large projects to be funded by the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Funding Act. It was passed on Feb. 27, and was effective at the time of signing.

He also helped on House Bill 4, which extends the coverage received from Medicaid for postpartum care from two months to one year. This bill is effective on July 1 of this year.