• 68th Legislature Gavels In
• WMS Restructures Advocacy Process
• Vote on HB 42 - Regulation of surgical abortion
• How To Use The Wire

• Stay in the Know with WMS
• Doc of the Day
• General Session Information

The 68th Wyoming Legislature has gaveled in.

WMS staff and members will be actively involved at the Capitol to fulfill our advocacy mission for Wyoming doctors and their patients.

If you would like to join us at the Capitol, plan to testify on a bill, or have any questions/concerns about the upcoming legislative session please get in touch with the WMS office at info@wyomed.org or 307-635-2424.

Any chance you missed our advocacy survey? Take a few moments to complete the questions so we can connect you in the ways that best fit you and on the issues closest to your interests. CLICK HERE to complete the survey now!

Advocacy updates will be sent to the membership weekly throughout the Legislative Session.

WMS Board of Trustees enhances the ability to

represent a diverse and passionate membership.

The Wyoming Medical Society was established in 1903 to advocate for doctors and their patients. WMS is, and always will be, a staunch advocate for physicians. This is our core. All of our other activities revolve around this core ~WMS Mission Statement

With this in mind, the WMS Board of Trustees (BoT) met on Saturday, January 11, 2025, to establish specific "rules of engagement" for lobbying efforts for legislative sessions. These changes will allow WMS to judiciously expend political capital on unified issues that are of the utmost importance to our membership and most accurately represent the voice of Wyoming Physicians and PAs.

UPDATED: WMS Legislative Review Process

• The BoT will review, analyze, and debate all bills of relevance to WMS members. Advisory opinions reflecting the expertise of WMS leadership will be established in accordance with the WMS Advocacy Tenets.
• WMS advocates will educate and lobby the advisory opinions of the board in the absence of a WMS WIRE position set by the membership.
• WMS leadership can vote to require WMS membership engagement on any issue before authorizing public support or opposition of any proposal. The WIRE will be the tool used to gauge WMS member support or opposition.
• A minimum of 25% participation from active members is required before the position is communicated openly in advocacy efforts. The result does not necessarily change the WMS Board Advisory Opinion, as those opinions are based objectively on the established WMS Advocacy Tenets.
• The WIRE platform will be utilized to calculate engagement on these issues.
• The denominator of the required membership participation percentage is based on active WMS members as defined by WMS Bylaws.
• Those members with a membership category of associate, affiliate, retired, honorary, or federal employee may participate in all activities on The Wire, but their vote will not count towards or against the required threshold of membership participation.
• Any member can submit a policy position for the membership to vote to have WMS advocates engage and testify.
• Any member can submit a proposal for review on The Wire.

The WMS Board of Trustees has flagged House Bill 42: Regulation of Surgical Abortion as controversial. In an effort to represent the diversity of our membership, and their beliefs, WMS will not be publicly testifying or overtly advocating on this issue unless a majority of the required minimum 25% threshold of our active members is met and a simple majority vote to support or oppose the legislation is achieved.

Learn more and vote by clicking the link below and reviewing the legislative proposal on The WIRE.

How to use The Wire:

• Log on - https://thewire.wyomed.org/
• The Wire uses the same username and password as you use to login to the WMS website to manage your membership. If you have forgotten your username or password, you can contact the WMS office or use the forget password feature on The Wire to reset it.
• To view proposals - select "Proposal Archive"
• Click on the most recent date to view the current proposal(s)
• Click on the title link to vote/share your opinion on a topic

Click on the buttons below to learn more.

Keep up with WMS legislative priorities and updates during the 2025 legislative session

Keep up with the status of healthcare-specific bills during the 2025 legislative session

Review standing WMS policy platforms determined by the Board of Trustees

Review WMS policy position tenants determined by the Board of Trustees

The WMS Bill tracker looks a little different this year! It has been updated to better reflect the lengths WMS goes to in the spirit of reflecting the diversity of thought and opinion within our membership.

Bill Tracker changes for 2025 include:

• Opposing views for each bill
• Supporting views for each bill
• WMS Board of Trustees Advisory Opinions (per the Advocacy Tenets)
• Positions that members elevated to importance through The Wire

Any member is welcome and invited to contribute supporting or opposing views for inclusion on the bill tracker. Please email Sheila Bush at sheila@wyomed.org so we can ensure your views are represented.

WMS needs volunteers! Please join us at the Capitol or via telehealth during the 2025 legislative session!

3 of 37 volunteer positions have been filled. If you can join us this year, please email whitney@wyomed.org to reserve your volunteer slot.

68th Wyoming Legislature Composition and Details:

House of Representatives

• 62 Members who each seek election every two years
• 26 of the 62 are newly elected this year
• 52 of the 62 (including the 26 newly elected) have served for four years or less in legislative office
• Only 4 members of the House have served ten years or more
• 6 of the 10 Committee chairmen have served fewer than five years in office
• Two healthcare providers are currently serving in the House:
• Darin McCann, Physician Assistant
• Ken Clouston, Physical Therapy
• Chip Neiman (R-Carbon, Sweetwater) - Speaker of the House
• Scott Heiner (R-Lincoln, Sweetwater, Uinta) - Majority Floor Leader

Wyoming Senate

• 31 Members of the Senate who each serve four-year terms meaning that half of the Senate is up for election each cycle.
• 3 of the 31 are newly elected to office
• 12 have served four years or less in legislative office
• 13 have served ten years or more in legislative office (House or Senate)
• 3 of the 10 Committee chairmen have served fewer than five years in office
• 0 healthcare providers in the Senate
• Bo Biteman (R-Sheridan) - Senate President
• Tim Salazar (R-Fremont) - Senate Vice President
• Tara Nethercott (R-Laramie) - Majoirty Floor Leader

Labor, Health and Social Services Committee Composition

Senate Labor, Health and Social Services

• Chairman Eric Barlow, DVM
• Gary Crum – Banker from Laramie
• Lynn Hutchings – Retired Air National Guard from Cheyenne
• Charlie Scott – Rancher from Casper
• Cheri Steinmetz – Businesswoman from Torrington

House Labor, Health and Social Services

• Chairman Rachel Rodriguez-Williams
• Ken Clouston – PT from Gillette
• Joel Guggenmos
• Paul Hoeft – Retired mechanic from Powell
• Darin McCann – PA from Rock Springs
• Pepper Ottman – Riverton
• Clarence Styver – Retired military from Cheyenne
• Jacob Wasserburger – Cheyenne
• Mike Yin – Technology specialist from Jackson

Follow WMS on social media for

2025 legislative session updates

WMS Member Website

WMS Public Website

WMS Annual Meeting Website

The WIRE