Legislative Update
2021 General Session continues into Febuary
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Thank you for following along with the Wyoming Women's Foundation this legislative session. We will continue to provide you with information on legislative activity relating to economic self-sufficiency for women and opportunities for girls. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you feel we have missed any bills related to women's economic self-sufficiency!
Today, February 1, the Final Rules of the 66th Legislature will be adopted in both houses.
Friday, February 5, the Wyoming Legislature will adjourn the eight-day virtual session. Additionally, Joint Conference Committee on all bills will be completed. Presiding officers will introduce and refer some bills to standing committees to work the week of February 22.
The week of February 22, there will be up to three days of standing committee meetings to consider bills referred (DEADLINE: Budget Bill available to the Public by February 22nd)
Monday, March 1, the 66th Legislature is scheduled to reconvene in-person, if health metrics allow.
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How can the public participate in the
2021 General Session?
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Members of the public are encouraged to view legislative proceedings on the Legislature’s YouTube channel. The public may also contact members directly using legislator contact information available on the Legislature’s website here.
Remember, your voice matters! You have the power to influence positive change for women and girls in Wyoming right now. You can shape legislation that benefits those in your community by reaching out to your legislators about the issues you care about.
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Sponsored by Joint Appropriations Committee
AN ACT relating to community juvenile services; subjecting administration of the community juvenile services block grant program to the availability of funds; and providing for an effective date.
WHY IT MATTERS FOR WOMEN & GIRLS This bill removes the requirement for the state to administer programs for at-risk youth. These programs are important for providing resources and systems to keep at-risk girls on track for graduation that will help them be more ready for opportunities that will set them up for economic self-sufficiency in adulthood.
Latest Action 1/29/2021 S Introduced and Referred to S02 - Appropriations
Online Committee Meeting Details Senate Appropriations 02/01/2021 - 12:00PM
Sponsored by Select Committee on School Finance Recalibration
AN ACT relating to school finance; implementing recalibration modifications to the Wyoming education resource block grant model; codifying previously uncodified law; providing for additional sales and use taxes in amounts, if any, determined necessary to fulfill constitutional requirements; amending related provisions; repealing conflicting provisions; and providing for an effective date.
WHY IT MATTERS FOR WOMEN & GIRLS This bill cuts funding to Wyoming education. To date, Wyoming schools and teachers have mostly been able to “protect the classroom” from these reductions without severely impacting student learning, keeping funding to each county fairly equal. However, the prospect of an additional $250 million or more in cuts will result in poorer education, especially in low-income communities, and the elimination of jobs.1 Women hold nearly 73% of the education positions across the state.2
Latest Action 1/12/2021 H Introduced and Referred to H04 - Education
Not yet heard by committee
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Sponsored by Joint Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Interim Committee
AN ACT relating to professions and occupations; amending professional licensing requirements for military spouses; providing for the issuance of professional and occupational licenses to qualified applicants from other states; requiring rulemaking; and providing for effective dates.
WHY IT MATTERS FOR WOMEN & GIRLS This bill increases the time available (from 120 days to 3 years) for spouses of military personnel who work in licensed professions that are licensed in other states to acquire additional qualifications needed for licensure in Wyoming. It also waives the fee for the 3-year temporary license.
Latest Action 01/29/2021 H Introduced and Referred to H07 - Corporations
Online Committee Meeting Details House Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions 02/01/2021 - Upon Noon Recess
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Sponsored by Joint Revenue Interim Committee
AN ACT relating to sales and use taxes; establishing a tax exemption for feminine hygiene products and diapers; and providing for an effective date.
WHY IT MATTERS FOR WOMEN & GIRLS The cost of essentials such as feminine hygiene products and diapers for babies disproportionately fall to women to cover. However, all parents and seniors on a fixed income would benefit from tax relief on adult and infant diapers. Diapers are not covered by food stamps or WIC, the federal assistance program for new mothers and infants.7 For low-income women and families, the cost of these products makes an already tight budget even tighter. A tax exemption would help reduce this cost for Wyoming women, who also earn about 30% less annually, on average, than their male counterparts.
Latest Action 1/27/2021 S03 - Revenue: Failed 2-3-0-0-0
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Sponsored by Joint Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Interim Committee
AN ACT relating to public health; creating the pandemic response review task force; specifying duties of the task force; requiring a report; providing a termination date for the task force; providing appropriations; and providing for an effective date.
WHY IT MATTERS FOR WOMEN & GIRLS
The early economic and mental health impacts of COVID-19 on women have been substantial, according to a survey conducted by The Wyoming Survey & Analysis Center (WYSAC).8 Women make important contributions to Wyoming’s economy. More data (disaggregated by sex) and analysis of the impacts of COVID-19 are needed to ensure an economic recovery that includes all Wyoming citizens and to increase Wyoming’s preparedness for future public health crises.
Latest Action 1/12/2021 S Introduced and Referred to S07 - Corporations
Not yet heard by committee
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Sponsored by Joint Labor, Health & Social Services Interim Committee
AN ACT relating to public health and safety; authorizing grants to community health centers and rural health clinics as specified; repealing a sunset date; providing for rulemaking authority; providing an appropriation as specified; and providing for an effective date.
WHY IT MATTERS FOR WOMEN & GIRLS Grants to community health centers and rural health clinics help provide essential services for low-income women and families who may not otherwise receive needed healthcare. Maintaining good health is important to Wyoming’s workforce, and investing in healthcare for people of low-income in Wyoming provides support for their ability to work and maintain self-sufficiency.
Latest Action 1/27/2021 S10 - Labor: Failed 2-3-0-0-0
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Sponsored by Joint Labor, Health & Social Services Interim Committee
AN ACT relating to insurance; mandating equivalent benefits and reimbursement related to mental health and substance use services delivered remotely; specifying applicability; and providing for an effective date.
WHY IT MATTERS FOR WOMEN & GIRLS Data shows that COVID-19 has negatively affected the mental health of women in Wyoming.8 This bill would require insurance companies to cover telehealth (at home) services equally to in-person visits, helping to ensure access to affordable mental health care during the pandemic. Beyond the pandemic, this bill would help keep mental health services more accessible to women without the childcare or transportation necessary to receive in-person mental health care.
Latest Action 1/12/2021 S Introduced and Referred to S10 - Labor
Not yet heard by committee
Sponsored by Joint Education Interim Committee
AN ACT relating to administration of the government; providing funding for the Wyoming investment in nursing program from CARES Act funds; providing appropriations; and providing for an effective date.
Latest Action 1/12/2021 S Introduced and Referred to S04 - Education
Not yet heard by committee
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Media, O. (2021, January 28). Wyoming School Districts Clap Back At Proposed Education Budget Cuts. Retrieved from https://betterwyo.org/2021/01/28/wyoming-school-districts-clap-back-at-proposed-education-budget-cuts/
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Stat 2 – School District Enrollment and Staffing Data. (2008 to present). Retrieved from https://edu.wyoming.gov/data/statisticalreportseries-2/
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Hershbein, B., Boddy, D., & Kearney, M. (2016, August 31). It Is Time to Examine Occupational Licensing Practices. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2015/01/27/nearly-30-percent-of-workers-in-the-u-s-need-a-license-to-perform-their-job-it-is-time-to-examine-occupational-licensing-practices/
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Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, Research & Planning (2019, September). Directory of Licensed Occupations in Wyoming 2019. Retrieved from https://doe.state.wy.us/lmi/dir_lic/lic-occs-2019.pdf
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The NCSL Blog. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ncsl.org/blog/2019/03/01/occupational-licensing-and-military-spouses-states-consider-new-solutions.aspx
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Pearce, D. M., PhD. (2016, May). The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Wyoming 2016. Retrieved from https://wywf.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/WY16_SSS-Web_051116LMa.pdf
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Hygiene Equity Goes Beyond Tampon Taxes. Retrieved from https://www.governing.com/archive/gov-tampon-tax-diaper-subsidies.html
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Wyoming Survey & Analysis Center (2020). The Impacts of COVID-19 on Wyoming Women. Retrieved from https://wywf.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Women-Covid-Fact-Sheet.pdf
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US Bureau of Labor Statistics (2019). Household Data Annual Averages: Employed persons by detailed occupation, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat11.pdf
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Additional Bills to Watch |
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Latest Action 1/12/2021 H Received for Introduction
Latest Action 1/21/2021 H Received for Introduction
Latest Action 1/21/2021 H Received for Introduction
Latest Action 1/12/2021 S Introduced and Referred to S08 - Transportation
Latest Action 1/12/2021 S Introduced
Latest Action 1/12/2021 S Introduced and Referred to S07 - Corporations
Latest Action 1/25/2021 S Received for Introduction
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"How a bill becomes a law" courtesy of the Wyoming Outdoor Council. |
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About the Wyoming Women's Foundation
The Wyoming Women’s Foundation is a priority fund of the Wyoming Community Foundation, which granted out over $11 million to nonprofits across the state in 2019, and over $85 million since its inception in 1989. The Women’s Foundation builds on a permanent endowment that will ensure funding to enhance the lives of women and girls in Wyoming for generations to come. It makes grants to organizations that help Wyoming women and girls attain economic self-sufficiency, creates statewide awareness of the barriers to economic self-sufficiency, and supports systems change to eliminate those barriers. Learn more at wywf.org.
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