[{"_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",6234348,"mediaKeyId","3411493-e2086452d5b75a5610b17271e5de10a8","parentId",3411493,"title","Committee withdraws motion on library obscenity restriction; asks LSO to research digital apps and House Bill 43 applicability","audioSeconds",354,"startMs",25000,"endMs",379000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3411493-e2086452d5b75a5610b17271e5de10a8&start=25&end=379","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3411493-e2086452d5b75a5610b17271e5de10a8/thumbnail_25000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6234348/Wyoming/Committee-withdraws-motion-on-library-obscenity-restriction-asks-LSO-to-research-digital-apps-and-House-Bill-43-applicability","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6234348-b368dfb3bb291bd52e2c6b8104044875/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159087&Signature=Qfwd~pT3WtU40K3HAj~BU7wUcqkT0ci8aTWn6TSX1XcnkYMmboacA9WSYtDeDBgbFnlRtn~YFP7nk~n~kt~8Ao4wy-FSOnazda80DhJITi0uhJw3Vi9cd2rZC4PjAYKWbe6rbQZlqbASyYE9xc93Z4kSdNrf3y0sbhPbwHCfczNatvgSm97seI5LDTiRClEWjQMCzH1wCgu-Fh~xOwNdMzn0Y8Hc4V8Ca-Sj64NmTtpf88StP7TA9pJN-ZFlT7ik-V4tKgjy1UBRvplWgTVZ2bFkpU4~HuOsv90ZXnmYMF7rDR0xWQElWGH6c7QGJ8KNvp6I9VvjRky680CA-qMckw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Wyoming Legislature","date","2025-05-21T00:40:03.243Z","article","A motion to draft legislation to prohibit access by minors to obscene online library materials was withdrawn after lawmakers and counsel asked for more research on whether state law can reach national, private digital platforms used by libraries.

Representative Singh opened the discussion by proposing a bill to draft “some sort of guidelines for the libraries to prohibit the access of obscene materials to those under the age of 18 on the website.” Representative Lane seconded the motion, but later the sponsor withdrew it and asked the Legislative Service Office (LSO) to study the issue and report back at the next meeting.

Representative Chesty questioned how a state bill could affect Libby, a national app operated by a private company, noting “the app is not anything we have any control over.” LSO counsel John Fuller told the committee his reading of House Bill 43 suggests the bill applies to “covered platforms” that generally are for-profit entities that provide harmful material to minors and require age-verification methods; libraries, which are not for-profit, may not be covered under that definition.

Representative Lien urged the motion be broadened to include other digital library platforms, noting local libraries use the Wildcat app for local downloads and that other platforms include Hoopla, Kanopy, TumbleBooks and Libby. After discussion the sponsor withdrew the motion and asked LSO to research the interactions between digital library resources and House Bill 43 and to report back with recommendations for a next course of action.

Committee staff listed the directive in the meeting summary as: research digital resources that affect Wyoming libraries and the potential applicability of House Bill 43 to those resources. The committee did not request immediate bill drafting; the matter will be revisited after staff research.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Joint Judiciary Committee, May 20, 2025-PM","oneSentenceSummary","A motion to draft a bill restricting access to obscene material by minors via library digital resources was withdrawn and LSO was asked to research how existing law (House Bill 43) and age-verification rules might apply to library apps such as Libby, Hoopla and others.","taxTitle","Judiciary, Joint & Standing, Committees, Legislative, Wyoming","taxId",29273,"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},6234353,"Lawmakers favor working group to review Wyoming probate code; no immediate overhaul planned",388,460000,848000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3411493-e2086452d5b75a5610b17271e5de10a8&start=460&end=848","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3411493-e2086452d5b75a5610b17271e5de10a8/thumbnail_460000.jpg","/articles/6234353/Wyoming/Lawmakers-favor-working-group-to-review-Wyoming-probate-code-no-immediate-overhaul-planned","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6234353-ccee5585d09a4bed0b1d73de13464061/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159087&Signature=NtoM-QkTDrFk9RbH8-m4BU4xX3-jML6DcSy5wz9EiUK6Q9XB~07CEg936z-zlrnrPTwGh-lgjDrZMUYtbILhpJZiXkjH51~JeIqXIqHfvGinyZj6efrQ3GtxnonpWG57ti8spm4MGBdTyq0715PbymAXrW1fkppwH3ctYzkYu~tHQ57X2t7yV9OJSO6AQEfczsF5q3HjmMFB0Xji~6pRZ3WMC88pZDxFSP9H~1gwWeVsw7LL3-fn-nfzEmFCLvRfe-UbjbVgqLs4GcubZBAThZBu7ZkYFiF-0goy7qLySr5vQXde3DIXF6sg7c2PUYSKgqmDZbt7JMtZvw0yAsL7Cg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Legislators and probate practitioners on Wednesday agreed the Wyoming probate code could benefit from a structured, measured review and recommended creating a working group to evaluate changes over the interim.

Stakeholders including estate attorneys and trust officers urged the Joint Judiciary Committee to appoint an ad hoc group that would examine probate provisions section by section, identify specific problems and propose targeted fixes instead of pursuing an immediate, full-scale adoption of the Uniform Probate Code.

Lance Harmon, an attorney in Cheyenne who practices probate and estate administration and serves on the estate planning, elder law and probate planning section for the Wyoming State Bar, said the section received broad feedback from about 99 attorneys on a listserv. “Could our probate code be improved? Absolutely,” Harmon said. He recommended a “measured approach” to avoid creating a patchwork of fixes.

Scott Meyer, a committee witness and member of the Uniform Laws Commission, said similar overhauls of LLC and trust statutes had taken multiple years and urged assembling practitioners, trust officers and judiciary representatives to work line by line. “I think Mister Harmon summarizes this pretty well,” Meyer said. “I think it works really well. There are some things that need to be probably done. But I do encourage the idea of having a working group.”

Committee members asked the practice group to reach out to relevant organizations and bring representatives to the committee’s next interim meeting in Casper to meet and roughly outline a plan. The committee discussed who should participate, whether the judicial branch would be willing to join and whether the group should be formally appointed or remain an informal ad hoc working group.

Members flagged ancillary-probate provisions — rules that affect probates opened in other jurisdictions when property is located in Wyoming — as a recurring point of confusion. Harmon noted that some summary-distribution provisions require disclosure if a probate is ongoing elsewhere and that practitioners often attach certified pleadings from the foreign jurisdiction when handling ancillary matters.

The committee did not direct LSO to draft immediate statutory changes to the probate code. Instead, members asked stakeholders to convene a working group, perform preliminary review work outside the legislature where feasible, and return recommendations to the committee in future interim meetings. Members emphasized a preference for “home-cooked” Wyoming solutions rather than simply adopting the Uniform Probate Code wholesale, though they did not rule out considering uniform provisions where appropriate.

The committee chair asked staff to invite the Wyoming Trust Association and other groups to the next meeting and to check whether the judicial branch would participate in the working group. The committee set no firm deadline for final recommendations but discussed a multi-year project timeline consistent with prior statute overhauls.","Practitioners and legislators recommended a measured, section-by-section review of the Wyoming probate code during the interim rather than an immediate wholesale adoption of the Uniform Probate Code. The committee endorsed forming an ad hoc working group of practitioners and stakeholders to report back.",{"_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},6234357,"Wyoming committee asks staff to draft theft bills, seeks new crime for intercounty flight amid rise in organized retail crime",2063,1579000,3642000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3411493-e2086452d5b75a5610b17271e5de10a8&start=1579&end=3642","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3411493-e2086452d5b75a5610b17271e5de10a8/thumbnail_1579000.jpg","/articles/6234357/Wyoming/Wyoming-committee-asks-staff-to-draft-theft-bills-seeks-new-crime-for-intercounty-flight-amid-rise-in-organized-retail-crime","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6234357-f6bfe2c01ae1b6918673260a44891c90/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159087&Signature=gPNGBiqMPjrx4Mpz782gGhk~mNHN8t8GFAYmxwr~K2OGoy4lWuFwlV9DAtG6QrwFqQ3oGYGLFoXeVamWvrIwQKK4AEHsgCVhE~z2ytlJ1MkdYZJERP5q5P2hE5Hs7waRJXVgBdjjBWs2sXO6PrHheu4NDeIN~OACnsWUviv4-tT6XzhxcZWlfjQwHJLr4Dtbp6mFYltYtk-tcmYwJ-pCveapZLMkWhihvB03fr9lsndoCb6tOjI-Ri8yJDwdiHpVlNpNNfQ7Wp4bCgLY7UTL6FCnUPl5~OtaodzzjmXwca3xO75ySD9o7t3tTWZElcx0zxMibQoVm1AQVy88555JRA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Joint Judiciary Committee on Wednesday asked legislative staff to draft changes to Wyoming theft law and to create a new criminal offense for fleeing across county lines after witnesses told the committee organized retail crime is growing and becoming more violent.

Retailers, law enforcement and business groups told the committee the state needs stronger tools to investigate and prosecute repeat and organized shoplifting rings that travel through Wyoming and resell stolen goods.

Testifying for the business community, Dale Steenburgen, president and CEO of the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce and CEO of the Wyoming Chamber of Commerce, described repeat and coordinated thefts that he said are shifting from opportunistic shoplifting to “organized retail crime.” “When more than one person gets together to do this and go out and access, that's organized retail crime,” Steenburgen said, describing teams that “case” stores, steal high-value items and resell them online.

Law-enforcement representatives told the committee current arrest rules for misdemeanors make it harder to investigate suspected retail theft rings. “If they're involved in this retail theft work, there's more than likely going to be visible evidence that will allow us to apply for a search warrant,” said a representative of the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police (WASCOP). He told the committee custodial arrests can give officers time to investigate conspiracy and organized-theft schemes instead of issuing a citation and letting suspects leave.

Business groups including the Wyoming State Liquor Association and retail chains urged statutory changes. Mike Moser of the Wyoming State Liquor Association warned that some retailers have closed and that the crimes have become more violent and organized. Deborah Herron, who manages state and local government affairs for Walmart and Sam’s Club in Wyoming, said Walmart partners with local law enforcement and supports a range of policy responses including task forces, grant programs for multi-jurisdiction enforcement and statutory changes.

Committee action followed: members asked the Legislative Service Office (LSO) for two bill drafts. The first is a draft based on 2025 House Bill 187; LSO counsel summarized that HB187 would (1) change the repeat-offense standard from five strikes to three, (2) lower the felony threshold from $1,000 to $500, and (3) raise the misdemeanor jail maximum from six months to one year.

The second draft requested by the committee would create a new crime for intercounty fleeing in furtherance of a felony (described by a committee member as modeled roughly on federal interstate flight statutes) with a proposed penalty framework discussed in committee as up to a five-year felony. The committee voted in favor of both staff directives.

Witnesses and committee members also discussed existing aggregation language in the theft statute that permits combining amounts “committed pursuant to a common scheme” when determining value, but several testifiers said aggregation is difficult to apply in the field and that evidence review can take substantial time.

Committee members asked LSO and staff to collect comparative statutes and model approaches from other states, and to prepare fiscal and enforcement impact material for future meetings. Members also discussed nonstatutory responses, including a statewide organized-retail-crime task force, law-enforcement grants to support cross-jurisdiction investigations and improved data sharing for arrests and prosecutions.

The committee's staff summary of meeting actions, reviewed at the end of the session, listed the request for a bill draft based on House Bill 187 and a separate bill draft creating a new “intercounty fleeing” offense. The committee scheduled its next meeting for Aug. 12 in Casper to continue work on the subject.

The votes to request the two drafts were made by voice vote; the committee chair called for aye/no and recorded the motions as adopted.","Lawmakers directed staff to prepare a bill based on 2025 House Bill 187 to tighten theft penalties and asked LSO for a new criminal draft penalizing intercounty flight after testimony from retailers, law enforcement and business groups about organized retail crime.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee withdraws motion on library obscenity restriction; asks LSO to research digital apps and House Bill 43 applicability

Lawmakers favor working group to review Wyoming probate code; no immediate overhaul planned

Wyoming committee asks staff to draft theft bills, seeks new crime for intercounty flight amid rise in organized retail crime