[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6679639,"mediaKeyId","2149266-4eda41fbeab8ec64fb3741d2e0c7bb54","parentId",2149266,"title","Committee approves presumption limiting unsupervised visitation for parents on sex-offender registry","audioSeconds",1197,"startMs",169000,"endMs",1366000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2149266-4eda41fbeab8ec64fb3741d2e0c7bb54&start=169&end=1366","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2149266-4eda41fbeab8ec64fb3741d2e0c7bb54/thumbnail_169000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6679639/Wyoming/Committee-approves-presumption-limiting-unsupervised-visitation-for-parents-on-sex-offender-registry","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6679639-4f68f9a9d2c1cb71fda9c3d7e8fa97d3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771170076&Signature=jE4fLMHLnqMPvPIWm1Bf7LGDuIHJ7lJandkZZLX1IBI3~5Rb1mFeWm7ep8TF2S1X35qp1~nBcy0HMTLJAWfvrZQn3ewXNau5Y2DZO5TEmVoVneXwL9wV30Gz20CWKbLdZ48EMeT47eWBVPIdkLP2AW4f0GRlDnsmcx7ef70SwIJsy6FFK8sXQF3-1qU9UueZg66o0bmSlqfbG2nEs3S3Ig0Opea-cuGROOGIN~vcCX1IcosB8Rk54xuKd~1bf-TNZf6ZGwXuSKPA7utwktJndQ9iqLKSosK3IhXvGkAe32H5EJrRWUpcQVkyutEqeHBt~f7CUFGDgy2GYf854~cbVw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Wyoming Legislature","date","2025-01-24T16:15:18.23Z","article","House Bill 83, a bill to add registered sex-offender status as a factor in child custody and visitation determinations, passed the Judiciary Committee on a voice roll call after the committee approved an amendment inserting the word “rebuttable.”

The bill’s sponsor, Representative Scott Pendergraft, said the change would add to the list of statutory presumptions judges consider when determining the best interest of a child. \"This is from page 2, line 13, whether either parent has a condition for which the parent must register as a *** offender under the Wyoming statutes,\" Pendergraft said while presenting the bill. He described a family case that prompted the measure and said the statute would help judges weigh parental rights against child safety.

The measure creates a presumption that it is not in a child’s best interest to allow unsupervised visitation by a parent required to register as a sex offender; committee members amended the language to make that presumption rebuttable. Representative Chastick moved the addition of the word \"rebuttable\" to the line describing the presumption; the amendment was seconded and passed. Representative Kelly later moved — and the committee approved — an amendment to make the act effective immediately instead of July 1.

Sarah Applegate, who identified herself as the sponsor’s daughter and a family member affected by the case Pendergraft described, testified in support. \"The most pertinent words in this bill to me is the best interest of the child or children,\" Sarah Applegate said. She described repeated warning signs in her family’s custody process and argued the statutory language would give judges and families tools to put child safety first.

Cara Chambers of the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office, Director of the Division of Victim Services, answered committee questions about whether registry status can be changed or expunged. Chambers said the answer \"depends\" on the level and severity of the offense: \"Some levels cannot. Some can,\" she said, noting the nuances involve the offense, the victim’s age and the offender’s age.

After discussion and the two adopted amendments (inserting \"rebuttable\" and making the act effective immediately), the committee called the roll. The recorded ayes were: Representative Bridal; Representative Bratton; Representative Chastick; Representative Feiler; Representative Kelly; Representative Veil; Vice Chair Singh; Representative Webb; and Chairman Washut. The clerk announced \"9 ayes\" and the committee chair declared House Bill 83 passed out of committee.

The bill text as considered adds the registry-based factor to Wyoming Statute 20-2-201 and references the state’s sex-offender registration statutes cited during the hearing.

Votes at a glance: House Bill 83 — Motion to pass as amended: passed, roll call: 9 ayes, 0 nays. Amendment 1 (insert \"rebuttable\"): passed. Amendment 2 (effective immediately): passed.

Representative Pendergraft will carry the bill forward as it moves from committee to the floor calendar. The committee did not discuss fiscal impacts during the hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Judiciary Committee, January 24, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","House Bill 83, a bill to add registered sex-offender status as a factor in child custody and visitation determinations, passed the Judiciary Committee on a voice roll call after the committee approved an amendment inserting the word “rebuttable.”","taxTitle","Judiciary Committee, House of Representative, Committees, Legislative, Wyoming","taxId",61354,"location","Wyoming","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6679634,"Committee approves broader definitions to aid investigations of illicit massage businesses",2813,1383000,4196000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2149266-4eda41fbeab8ec64fb3741d2e0c7bb54&start=1383&end=4196","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2149266-4eda41fbeab8ec64fb3741d2e0c7bb54/thumbnail_1383000.jpg","/articles/6679634/Wyoming/Committee-approves-broader-definitions-to-aid-investigations-of-illicit-massage-businesses","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6679634-96a3e1816e424696feca30760de60d17/orig.mp4?Expires=1771170076&Signature=iY9QonB8Ney4M6b8mHZGgovrze7fpz3qsX8nmui6fH3sEAiMXqRhhMhCEB4j17PwFJlp3V9yrlRt8J7Bi03c8oeHYgLf~nu5wZID1mWg7iX1uBHp5c6Rw4HMvV4BduwCrU13D8IgwSQCk3ZMrXxKeQmJbpRM8mjDF8UHy3uCz0mwxrkTSrJcbwYYpxgOvJcLWfQd2YXhnssIlgtKmtIIKZvMmTcQdnuSQunbLoLQsNhBS1uoEDKmzzjQpl8lHafA-FJ94hV8he-xu-YwQZcoSvTCerG7Zo6l7GFiQpRJmMv5o8vRD1d6lFbUrJqXPyOexM2cCAZXP4DhkytGqXL7hA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Judiciary Committee approved House Bill 62, which adds definitions of \"intimate parts\" and \"sexual contact\" to Wyoming criminal statutes to help law enforcement obtain predicate offenses in investigations of illicit massage businesses and alleged trafficking.

Cara Chambers, Director of the Division of Victim Services at the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office, explained the bill’s definitional changes and said the measure came to the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Task Force from law enforcement. \"These are some very simple changes beginning on, page 1, line 13,\" Chambers told the committee, and she described how the proposed definitions mirror existing sexual-assault language while adjusting phrasing to avoid using the word \"victim\" in the statutory definition.

Terry Markham, executive director of Uprising, a Wyoming anti-trafficking nonprofit, testified by phone about victim patterns encountered by the task force and local law enforcement. She described trafficking cases in Wyoming and told the committee that victims are frequently moved, held in debt bondage and paid minimal amounts. \"When we asked her how much she was actually making per massage, she said that she was making 25 yen,\" Markham said of a victim she interviewed; she added that the amount is roughly \"about 11 or 12¢ in the US.\"

Andrew Yednik, supervisory agent in charge of the human trafficking unit for the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, told the committee similar definitional clarifications helped Montana law enforcement after the state passed comparable language in 2019. Yednik said states adopting precise definitions have gained tools to dismantle trafficking networks and cited a Polaris Project estimate that an illicit massage business can exploit \"on average, 26 to 39 individuals\" annually.

Representative Scott Heiner, the bill sponsor, said the measure is aimed at enabling law enforcement to extract victims and pursue larger trafficking networks rather than to criminalize victims. \"This is more about human trafficking and I was afraid it was going to hurt the victim more than those that are perpetrating this,\" Heiner said. He proposed removing language that would have criminalized touching through clothing, saying the clause created confusion about routine service and entertainment contexts such as lap dances.

The committee considered and approved two amendments: one striking the phrase \"or of the clothing covering the intimate area of another person's intimate parts\" (to avoid criminalizing touching through clothing) and another making the bill effective immediately. After those amendments, the committee approved the bill by roll call. The clerk recorded nine ayes and the chair declared the bill passed out of committee. Representative Heiner will carry the bill to the floor.

Committee discussion addressed interaction with existing prostitution and solicitation statutes and with Wyoming’s \"safe harbor\" protections for trafficking victims (Wyoming Statute 6-2-708). Law enforcement witnesses and advocates emphasized the goal of creating a clear state predicate offense so investigators can open cases that may lead to trafficking prosecutions and victim rescues. The committee did not discuss a fiscal note during the hearing.

Votes at a glance: House Bill 62 — Motion to pass as amended: passed, roll call: 9 ayes, 0 nays. Amendment to remove clothing language: passed. Amendment to make effective immediately: passed.","The Judiciary Committee passed House Bill 62 to define \"intimate parts\" and \"sexual contact\" in ways sponsors say close a legal loophole used by illicit massage businesses; the committee removed a provision about touching through clothing and made the act effective immediately","actionData","errors"]

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Committee approves presumption limiting unsupervised visitation for parents on sex-offender registry

Committee approves broader definitions to aid investigations of illicit massage businesses