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Committee raises municipal court maximums to align with circuit penalties; bill passes 6-3
Summary
House Bill 51 would raise certain municipal-court maximum fines and jail terms to match circuit-court limits. The Judiciary Committee voted 6-3 to report the bill favorably after testimony from law-enforcement and municipal representatives.
The House Judiciary Committee voted 6-3 to advance House Bill 51 after testimony from municipal officials, law-enforcement representatives and the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police.
The bill would increase municipal-court maximums in listed statutes so that fines and incarceration limits for certain misdemeanors are consistent between municipal and circuit courts. As presented by committee staff, the proposal raises the maximum fine to $1,000 and the incarceration maximum to one year where existing state law imposed lower caps for municipal courts.
Why it matters: Witnesses told the committee this change would eliminate inconsistent penalties that vary depending on whether an offense is handled in municipal court or circuit court and…
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