Title 28, Title 28 — Legislature

President of senate to preside over joint sessions; powers. Whenever the senate and house of representatives of the legislature of the state of Wyoming shall meet in joint session, for the transaction of any business whatsoever, the duly elected and qualified president of the sen…

Length of legislative sessions. (a) The general and budget session of the Wyoming legislature shall commence on the second Tuesday of January of odd-numbered years and shall continue for an additional thirty-nine (39) legislative working days unless both houses agree to an earlie…

Additional employees. At any time during the session of the legislature when the employment of additional persons may be necessary for the efficient performance of the duties imposed upon the legislature, the senate and house of representatives are hereby authorized to employ suc…

Preservation of records. The original minutes, receipt books and miscellaneous records of the state legislature deposited with the secretary of state shall be retained by the secretary of state for a period of three (3) years. The original house bills and senate files shall be re…

Resignation of office. Resignation of the office of a member of the senate or house of representatives shall be made to the governor, who shall immediately notify the state central committee of the party which the member represented at the time of his election under W.S. 22-6-120…

Definitions. (a) As used in this act: (i) "Committee" means any duly constituted committee of the legislature, any standing committee of either house of the legislature, joint interim committee of the legislature, special investigating committee established by joint resolution of…

Oaths. Any Wyoming legislator or designated staff members of the legislature are empowered to administer oaths to witnesses in any matter under investigation by the legislature, council, or committee.

Issuance and service of subpoena; privilege of witness; witness fees and expenses. (a) The presiding officer of either house of the legislature, the council, or a committee may issue a subpoena upon request of a majority of the members of the body. Subpoenas also may be issued on…

Failure to appear; refusal to testify or produce documents; disturbances. (a) Any person having been subpoenaed as a witness by the authority of the legislature, council or committee to give testimony or produce books, papers or other documents relevant to the matter under inquir…

Certification of violations for prosecution. Whenever any witness subpoenaed to appear or produce documents before the legislature, council, or any committee, fails to appear to testify, refuses to be sworn, fails to answer any question relevant to matter under inquiry, fails to …

Court order to appear to testify or produce documents. In case of refusal to obey a subpoena issued by the legislature, council, or any committee, the presiding officer of the body shall apply to the district court for the district in which the proceedings are being held, for an …

Joint meetings of legislative standing committees; introduction and passage of budget bill. (a) The joint appropriations committee shall sit in open sessions while considering the budget and shall begin meetings not less than twenty (20) days prior to the convening of the budget …

Submission of state agency plans to legislature; contents; purposes. (a) To assist the legislature in its deliberations, every state agency shall: (i) No later than December 1, 1994, prepare and thereafter maintain a statement of policies and statutory authority that guide the pr…

Continuous planning; performance budgeting. (a) On or before July 1, 1995, and by March 31 of each odd-numbered year thereafter, the governor shall define state goals and objectives in the following areas: (i) Education; (ii) Regulatory and economic development; (iii) Natural res…

Legislative review of state revenue distribution formulae; reports required. The joint revenue interim committee shall submit a report to the governor and legislature by December 1, 2004, and by December 1 of each fourth year thereafter, reviewing the distribution formulae for fe…

Legislative districts generally; definitions; legislative findings. (a) As used in W.S. 28-2-116 through 28-2-119: (i) "Census block" means a geographic area of the state of Wyoming specified by the United States bureau of the census in accordance with the 2020 decennial census a…

Effective date of changes in legislative districts; election of holdover senators. (a) Changes in all legislative districts are effective for the 2022 general election cycle and the sixty-seventh legislature. (b) Members for senate districts designated as odd- numbered districts …

Senate legislative districts; list of nested house districts formed to create senate districts. (a) Subsection (b) of this section creates legislative districts for the Wyoming senate consisting of the numbered legislative districts contained therein. There shall be one (1) senat…

House legislative districts; lists of census blocks for split voter tabulation districts in the house of representatives. (a) Subsection (b) of this section creates legislative districts for the Wyoming house of representatives consisting of the numbered legislative districts con…

President. (a) There shall be a president of the senate whose duties shall be: (i) To take the chair at the hour fixed for the meeting of the senate, and call the members to order; (ii) To announce the business before the senate in the order in which it is to be taken up; (iii) T…

Vice-president. There shall be a vice-president of the senate, who, in the absence of the president, shall exercise all the powers and authority of the president, and shall perform all his duties.

Employees generally. (a) At the beginning of each session of the legislature, the senate thereof shall engage such employee personnel for said session, upon respective compensation bases, as decided by it. (b) The senate may authorize personnel to be employed beyond the adjournme…

Chief clerk. (a) There shall be a chief clerk whose duties shall be: (i) To keep a correct journal of the proceedings of the senate; (ii) To read aloud all papers handed to him for that purpose by any member; (iii) To certify and transmit to the house of representatives all bills…

Initial calling of house to order; election of temporary speaker. Upon the assemblage of the state legislature upon the first day of each regular session thereof, it shall be the duty of the secretary of state to call the house of representatives to order at twelve (12:00) o'cloc…

Speaker; speaker pro tem. (a) There shall be a speaker of the house who shall take the chair at the hour fixed for the meeting of the house, and call the members to order, and shall perform the following duties: (i) To announce the business before the house in the order in which …

Employees generally. (a) At the beginning of each session of the legislature, the house of representatives thereof shall engage such employee personnel for said session, upon respective compensation bases, as decided by it. (b) The house may authorize personnel to be employed bey…

Chief clerk. (a) There shall be a chief clerk whose duties shall be as follows: (i) To keep a correct journal of the proceedings of the house; (ii) To read aloud all papers handed to him for that purpose by any member; (iii) To certify to, and transmit to the senate, all bills, r…

Schedule of compensation, per diem and travel expenses. (a) Repealed By Laws 2011, Ch. 129, § 202. (b) The per diem amount to be received by each member of the legislature for expenses shall be equal to an amount to be determined on July 1 of each year by the state auditor that i…

Computation of mileage. In determining the mileage it shall be computed by the most direct highway route.

Additional compensation of president of senate and speaker of house. The president of the senate and speaker of the house of representatives, shall each receive three dollars ($3.00) per day for his services, in addition to his compensation as a member of the legislature, and sha…

Constituent service allowance. (a) Repealed By Laws 2014, Ch. 59, § 2. (b) Each member of the legislature is entitled to receive a constituent service allowance as provided under this section. This allowance is intended to defray expenses incurred by each member in providing serv…

Registration; reports. (a) As used in W.S. 28-7-101 through 28-7-104 "lobby" or "as a lobbyist" means to attempt to influence legislation. (b) Any person, who, on behalf of any association, corporation, labor union, public, nonprofit or private special interest group or any inter…

Penalties. (a) Any person or individual failing to register as a lobbyist with the secretary of state shall be guilty of a misdemeanor subject to a fine of not more than two hundred dollars ($200.00). (b) Any person or organization failing to file a lobbyist activity report requi…

No infringement of right to petition or communicate with legislature. Nothing in the provisions of this article shall be construed to prohibit or infringe upon the right of a citizen as an individual to petition or to address written or oral communications to members of the legis…

Chapter inapplicable to public official. This article shall not apply to any public official acting in his official capacity.

Lobbyist activity reports; contents, form and filing requirements; penalties. (a) As used in this section "lobby" or "as a lobbyist" means to attempt to influence legislation. (b) Except as provided in subsection (f) of this section, any person or organization who is registered u…

Creation; composition. There is created the legislative service office within the legislative branch of government hereinafter referred to as the "office". The organizational structure of the office shall be determined by the management council, subject to the ultimate control of…

Management council; membership; vacancies; meetings; rules and regulations; quorum; officers. (a) Activities of the office shall be directed by a management council composed of the president, vice president, majority and minority floor leaders or their respective designees of the…

Director and staff. The management council shall appoint by majority vote a director of the office. The director, subject to the prior approval of the management council, may appoint assistant directors. The director shall appoint such professional, technical and clerical staff a…

Direction by legislature during sessions; joint interim committees; requests for services; establishment of priorities; appointment of select committees; vacancies; enlarging committees. (a) The legislature during regular or special session may direct the director and his staff t…

Duties of director and staff; prefiling bills; fiscal notes. (a) It shall be the duty of the director and staff to perform the following specific functions, together with such other functions as the council may prescribe: (i) Provide information during the legislative session and…

Purchase and distribution of statutes, supplements and session laws. The legislative service office shall purchase such number of copies of statutes, supplements or session laws as the management council may direct. The legislative service office shall retain such copies as neces…

Auditing of state agencies; management audit committee; factors to be considered in audit reports. (a) During every regular session the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of the Wyoming legislature shall each appoint five (5) members of their respective bodies t…

Comments, recommendations and suggestions in audit reports; disclosure of confidential information; unauthorized reports or releases; reporting criminal violations. (a) The reports of the legislative service office may include comments, recommendations and suggestions, but neithe…

Reports by director to legislature. The director and his staff shall prepare and deliver a report of the activities of the office to each member of the legislature not later than January 15th of each calendar year, or at such other times as the management council deems necessary …

Mileage, salary and per diem of legislators engaging in activities. All members of the legislature shall receive their statutory mileage, salary and per diem for each day actually spent in legislative-directed or management council-approved activities of the office.

Assistance to be provided by state and local officers or agencies; duty of audited agencies. (a) Upon request of the director and with the approval of the management council or the management audit committee, each officer, board, commission, department or any political subdivisio…

Space in state capitol building and annexation. (a) The following areas in the state capitol building, including the extension from the capitol building to and under the Herschler building and within the Herschler building, shall be rooms and halls provided for the conduct of act…

Duty of agency officers and employees; legislative service office access to records; failure to provide access; penalty. (a) Any officer or employee of a state agency subject to audit or other review by the legislature shall fully assist the legislative service office during the …

Legal actions authorized; employment of counsel. (a) The legislature finds that proper interpretation and administration of the constitution and legislative enactments of the state of Wyoming are matters of great public interest and importance, and the legislature has a sufficien…