Appropriations Committee advances bill allowing expedited business filings with adjustable fee; Secretary asks for one staff position

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday advanced House Bill 47, which would allow the Wyoming Secretary of State to offer expedited processing of business filings for a fee and to set a graduated fee schedule up to a stated maximum.

Chuck Ray, Wyoming secretary of state, told the committee his office supports the bill in its current form and said expedited processing would provide “regulatory certainty” that may attract more business filings to Wyoming. He said the business division has seen a large increase in volume and requests that the bill include authorization for one additional staff position to carry out the new duties: “the 1 position would pay for itself in about 1 and a half days of the revenue that our office brings in,” Ray said.

The bill as presented allows rulemaking to set tiers for expedited service — from an hour to several days — and establishes an upper fee…