[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-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",[32,76,88],{"_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",6671842,"mediaKeyId","2144324-9ef779bf77729e4adc19aa9c7893a384","parentId",2144324,"title","Committee advances Working Animal Protection Act over concerns about local control","audioSeconds",917,"startMs",7289000,"endMs",8206000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2144324-9ef779bf77729e4adc19aa9c7893a384&start=7289&end=8206","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2144324-9ef779bf77729e4adc19aa9c7893a384/thumbnail_7289000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6671842/Wyoming/Committee-advances-Working-Animal-Protection-Act-over-concerns-about-local-control","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6671842-45cd5980e83534fabd2b740c0a55b318/orig.mp4?Expires=1775464599&Signature=kFtCO4viJT4A9ZuACfvUl4UPS64baMsJWjdaxXa33ogd6ULzkdt334~AGdtU5PY6ggRrCvl500sCfPREo9ik3xTUTixxm6t3ke7otJ9U5~eKQjZr1T9-pb4DrPnPoJeLPaXEzYgYL4gSyi13fsY4yyIgsHLIlfMzjkz7UZlZDOQ808032CeFazBCVUpouvkEKcrswNe54ESCLplvLmNntph9ntwkNFVn3pmb7A~3HkM2Evds18okH8JxR5GoNY~RIS-AqsC5o0nRio5dIYzLwcOHY-5w4QBh~soUYnsns50ca5rcOlCPIBcx0PUjxz2xXenAsfQIhIVKp3GPy2~Jhg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Wyoming Legislature","date","2025-01-23T17:01:34.317Z","article","Representative Rachel Rodriguez Williams presented House Bill 63, the \"Working Animal Protection Act,\" asserting the measure is intended to protect \"working animals\" used in lawful commerce and to prevent local bans that would disrupt agritourism, rodeo, carriage operations and other activities the sponsor described as part of Wyoming's western heritage.

The bill would create two new provisions in state law. The first would prohibit counties and municipalities from enacting an ordinance, resolution or policy that terminates, bans, or unduly restricts a person from using a working animal in lawful commerce or animal enterprises. The bill defines \"working animal\" as a nonhuman animal used primarily to perform a specific duty or function in commerce or an animal enterprise, listing examples that include human service, hunting, agriculture, ranching, husbandry, transportation, education, competition, tourism, entertainment or exhibition. The bill also states it should not be interpreted to amend existing law related to animal care, public health or public safety; Representative Rodriguez Williams and witnesses stressed that animal-cruelty statutes would remain in force.

Supporters testified the bill is a preventive measure. Brett Moline for the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation and representatives of livestock and rodeo industries said the bill prevents out-of-state activist campaigns from eroding traditional uses of working animals. Several sponsors and witnesses told the committee they had not seen significant local attempts to ban rodeo or other activities in Wyoming, but said they wanted a statewide safeguard in case those efforts increased.

Opponents told the committee the bill would unduly remove local control. Linda Burt of the Wyoming Coalition for Animal Protection warned the bill would strip counties of authority to act on local animal-welfare problems (for example, local animal-control ordinances addressing confinement or husbandry) and said the state does not currently face the local bans the bill aims to prevent. A veterinarian testifying by Zoom raised concerns that the bill's definition is broad and could unintentionally allow a person to evade local ordinances intended to prevent neglect or poor husbandry.

Committee members asked whether common livestock used in rodeo or husbandry (for example cattle) should be listed or excluded; the sponsor said the list of excluded animals (page 3) reflected a policy choice and that the committee could adjust species inclusion if it wished. Representative Davis asked whether changing mandatory wording from \"shall\" to \"may\" in one definition would reduce unintended consequences; the sponsor said she was open to policy decisions by the committee.

After public and Zoom testimony for and against the measure, the committee voted 8–1 to pass House Bill 63 to the next stage; Representative Provenza recorded the lone no vote in the transcript.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Agriculture, State & Public Lands & Water Resources Committee, January 23, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Representative Rachel Rodriguez Williams presented House Bill 63 to prohibit local ordinances that would terminate or unduly restrict the use of \"working animals\" in lawful commerce.","taxTitle","Agriculture, State & Public Lands & Water Resources Committee, House of Representative, Committees, Legislative, Wyoming","taxId",61348,"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},6671848,"Committee rejects bill that would delay state protections for landowners until federal action on wild-sheep policy",5409,1450000,6859000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2144324-9ef779bf77729e4adc19aa9c7893a384&start=1450&end=6859","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2144324-9ef779bf77729e4adc19aa9c7893a384/thumbnail_1450000.jpg","/articles/6671848/Wyoming/Committee-rejects-bill-that-would-delay-state-protections-for-landowners-until-federal-action-on-wild-sheep-policy","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6671848-f048ecb3f714f9a471f8042a7ba9b037/orig.mp4?Expires=1775464599&Signature=oR3e9WW0jzG4PI05sjVTPrNMha4jJmHR7OCU8L~PSlaGa8yuB8lPNoc0xjYbTVgg5rMVwDeYpdFu6a7wul3nRcGMY9FGHe04TiFT9jY8H1pSJ45XVzK0BYBN2O6qTc627ov5zoPUhDquRl-gmVUajtHiWi0kC7vTt-6RXHL9PvMadFQOCg9VpcXCfhqXGTVUYj7oGt9aQCdVlZNpa9ETQhSkXyQgzkDyYhtCNw45bM8b1Pm8N0RmHLcorhRHFdVzi01yJRYs0mI7~SjrdOgAL6uzYFp2gqv0em5rKF9C6Kf7YWNAQHNDET-XLctQAANpA-gkmchsZ3PYoagTgNSCwg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Altman brought House Bill 221 to the committee seeking to delete a session-law enactment clause from last year's legislation (Senate File 118, 2024) that currently makes certain statutory protections effective if federal law is enacted by a specified date. The committee heard extensive testimony from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, agency stakeholders, landowners and advocacy groups about how the change would affect potential reintroduction or natural movement of bighorn sheep into the Sweetwater Rocks area.

Angie Bruce, director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, explained the underlying issue: the state plan contemplates possible translocation or natural reoccupation of bighorn sheep in and around the Sweetwater Rocks area, but landowners are concerned that federal land managers could alter grazing permits on adjacent BLM-managed lands if wild sheep are present. The language in last year's session law paired a state-level removal plan (the department could remove sheep under state statute) with an expectation that federal law should provide analogous protections; HB 221 would remove the automatic effective date and instead make the state protections contingent on federal legislation.

Game and Fish, landowners, ranching groups and wildlife organizations offered divergent perspectives. Supporters of waiting for federal action or otherwise keeping the session-law trigger removed argued that federal statutory assurances are necessary to protect permit holders from federal agency actions that could alter grazing. Several public witnesses representing ranching interests, including Pathfinder Ranches and the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation, told the committee they will not support reintroductions without congressional protections for grazing privileges; they urged that federal legislation be completed before state protections become effective.

Representatives of the Wyoming Wildlife Federation and the Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation said the previously enacted session-law language (Senate File 118) represented a negotiated compromise that provided state-level protections if reintroduction or natural movement occurred, and that removing the state enactment clause would \"gut\" those protections. The wildlife organizations said they have worked for years with landowners and the department on plans and disease research; they urged continuing cooperative processes and federal outreach but said state protections were important if sheep move naturally into the area.

Committee members questioned timing and the role of federal processes such as NEPA and federal legislation. Agency testimony said federal legislation (statute) — not NEPA planning alone — would be needed to secure the broad protections stakeholders seek, and that achieving federal law would likely take a year or longer. Witnesses at the hearing estimated the number of landowners potentially affected within the proposed area ranged from about a dozen up to several dozen depending on how the restoration polygon was drawn; Game and Fish referenced habitat and suitability studies (including work by university researchers) showing the Ferris/Seminole herd is nearby.

A proposed amendment from stakeholders and an alternate amendment suggestion from the Wyoming Wool Growers Association to delay an automatic effective date to 2028 were offered during testimony as compromises, but the committee ultimately voted not to pass the bill. Committee members split on whether the state should retain a unilateral state-level trigger or place authority on concurrent federal action; the committee recorded the motion as failing 6–3 (the transcript records several individual roll-call responses and a final tally of 6–3 in opposition).

Outcome: House Bill 221 did not pass in committee (recorded as failing, 6'03).","House Bill 221, which would remove a session-law effective clause and make state protections for landowners conditional on federal legislation, failed in committee after extensive testimony from Game and Fish, landowners, ranching groups and wildlife organizations. The committee vote was recorded as 6–3 against the bill.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6671853,"Committee approves change to give compliant state lessees renewal preference",1243,156000,1399000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2144324-9ef779bf77729e4adc19aa9c7893a384&start=156&end=1399","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2144324-9ef779bf77729e4adc19aa9c7893a384/thumbnail_156000.jpg","/articles/6671853/Wyoming/Committee-approves-change-to-give-compliant-state-lessees-renewal-preference","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6671853-e7aef02cf227a27c5738424522abafd2/orig.mp4?Expires=1775464599&Signature=iP-Vy479IyJ0Oc6ab8sSj85do6piPBUNNWSpFLsKHU16zitFRu4o3O-IqoNuyW9zbbo3d~j5-QiVvqHY9Q8Gau7dycjkYEdLYnfPn~jVR7SlYNinXD9KbOxAUSk-b9dq06kFp9l0E4rfVLqS6WcK5wym7bpizn1EAc-ygfxRJ290TsqlkyPJxIFufWnsLhMefuNd7F2JYdbw~2Nev~hJN1f8YOBN9-zSV52z53whUgx5bm~ds-b00UZS8Nbuf9-OgzRvtyDY34Y8H7vdWeOJHKKpYP9d0RhecykLb~gxcFHup9EvHo97c6cdlRrNxYwwzFILP8yrpYDqXMbScjdlow__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Dalton Banks introduced House Bill 61 to the Agriculture, State & Public Lands & Water Resources Committee to codify an existing practice of giving preference to current lessees of state trust lands when leases are renewed, provided the lessee is not in violation of lease terms.

The change would make explicit that a lessee who is not currently violating lease terms — for example by subleasing without approval, missing rental payments, or failing to follow an approved grazing plan — should receive preference in renewal situations where competing bids arise. Jason Crowder, interim director for the Office of State Lands and Investments, told the committee the bill largely matches current practice and would reduce contested-case confusion about whether past, corrected violations should disqualify a lessee.

The committee heard from agricultural stakeholders who support the clarification. Jim McGavin of Weimstockworth Association urged inserting the word \"currently\" to ensure only active violations at the time of renewal would disqualify a lessee. Brett Moline of the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation also supported adding language to account for lessees who are working to correct violations so they would not be denied renewal unjustly.

Representative Banks moved an amendment to insert the word \"currently\" so the text would read that the lessee \"is not currently in violation of the provisions of the lease.\" The committee adopted the amendment by voice vote, then voted to advance the bill as amended. The committee recorded the final vote in favor of the amended bill as 9-0.

The Office of State Lands and Investments, represented at the hearing by Crowder and Assistant Director Cody Booth, told the committee that most lease infractions are resolved through education and timely correction and that the Board of Land Commissioners has delegated some approvals to the director to reduce timing problems that previously affected renewals.

The bill now moves forward from committee with the committee-approved amendment.

Votes at a glance: House Bill 61 (as amended) — Committee vote: 9–0; amendment adding \"currently\" adopted prior to final passage.","The committee advanced House Bill 61 to give a preference to current, compliant lessees of state trust lands at lease renewal; members amended the bill to clarify the preference applies only when the lessee \"is not currently in violation\" of lease terms. The measure passed unanimously, 9-0.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee advances Working Animal Protection Act over concerns about local control

Committee rejects bill that would delay state protections for landowners until federal action on wild-sheep policy

Committee approves change to give compliant state lessees renewal preference