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Legislature

Legislative Watch 2016: Bicycles, mountain lions, and grizzlies

Posted on by Steff Kessler

The 2016 Wyoming State legislative session began yesterday and is now in full swing! We have already seen a lot of action on conservation-related issues. Read on for a summary of today’s goings-on along with some late-breaking news.

WOC Legislative Session_350Senate Files:

SF 8 – Bicycle and pedestrian system task force passed the Senate Travel, Recreation, and Wildlife committee unanimously this morning, and will be coming up before the full Senate soon. We support this bill, which would create a task force to study the benefits and opportunities of bicycle pathways and natural surface trails in Wyoming. Bicycle pathways promote community health and connectivity while providing economic benefits throughout the state. Click here to thank the Senators on the Travel, Recreation and Wildlife committee for their affirmative votes.

SF 53 – 2016 Large project funding (projects identified for funding by the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust to protect or enhance wildlife habitat). We support this bill and we’ll be looking for it to arrive in the Senate Agriculture committee this week.

House Bills:

HB 12 – Mountain lion trapping, has failed introduction. Its failure is good news. We opposed this ill-conceived bill. Thanks for all the public comments sent to legislators on this topic.

HB 18 – Wolves and grizzly bears-limited state action. This bill squeaked by introduction and will be considered by the House Travel, Recreation and Wildlife committee this Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. We oppose this bill. It would set a bad precedent by prohibiting Wyoming law enforcement from assisting in investigations of illegal kills of these endangered species. Passage of this bill could also jeopardize Wyoming’s future state management of these species.

Late-breaking news

Two bills have been introduced, SF 75 and SF 76, to amend the state’s trespass data laws that were passed last session. We opposed the bad trespass bills last year and we hope these current bills are an opportunity to drastically improve this troubling law. Stay tuned for further updates.

Please get in touch if you have any questions about participating in this year’s legislative session:

Stephanie Kessler, Director of External Relations
Amy Rathke, Community Engagement Director

Civic Engagement in Wyoming Just Got Easier

Posted on by Chris Merrill

By Chris Merrill, Associate Director
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We have great news—civic engagement in Wyoming just got a little easier. The Wyoming Outdoor Council website has a bunch of great new tools to help ensure that your perspective is heard on important issues and debates.

Here’s what’s new: You can easily find and contact elected officials. And with just a couple clicks, you can send letters to the editors of up to six Wyoming newspapers at a time. You can also track key legislation, and much more. Watch this video below to take a tour, and go to the website to check it out for yourself: wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org/

Thanks!

Save the Date: Come to Our Legislative Reception

Posted on by Amy Rathke

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We are advocating on behalf of our members and Wyoming’s environment throughout the 2015 state legislative session in Cheyenne.

Our board invites you to join us during this important time for a casual reception 5-7 p.m., Friday, February 20, at Little America, 2800 W Lincolnway, Cheyenne.

Enjoy refreshments and a chance to meet legislators, governor’s office staff, and other agency officials. Our advocate, Richard Garrett, will update us on proposed legislation, including funding for the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust and the severance tax exemption on flaring. Take this chance to show legislators you support of our mission. It’s crucial to our success!

Participate in the 2015 Wyoming Legislature

Posted on by Amy Rathke

WOC_legislative_logo_400

On Tuesday, January 13, the 2015 Wyoming State Legislature convened, and on Wednesday Governor Matt Mead gave his annual State of the State address. We are keeping an eye on and engaging in several important issues this session and would like to share some resources that you can use to keep abreast of what’s going on.

  • Richard Garrett, the Outdoor Council’s full-time lobbyist, will be in Cheyenne throughout the session. Follow his twitter account for current updates, and keep an eye out for his periodic blog posts here in the coming weeks. The hashtag #wyleg is also a good way to stay up to date on all activity.

  • Join us in Cheyenne for our legislative reception! The party will be at 5 p.m., Friday, February 20 at Little America. Everyone is welcome. It will be a great opportunity to interact with legislators, decision makers, and the Wyoming Outdoor Council’s board and staff.
  • Like us on facebook and sign up for email communications to make sure you don’t miss any important news or opportunities to influence legislation.
  • WyoFile has put together a comprehensive guide for citizen participation in the State Legislature. Find out how to track bills, contact your legislators, and more.

We look forward to a productive session and we pledge to keep you informed about issues affecting Wyoming’s public lands, wildlife, and environmental quality.