Committee rejects repeal of nursing‑home certificate‑of‑need after divided testimony on access, workforce and rural impact

Senate File 89, a bill to repeal Wyoming’s certificate‑of‑need provisions for nursing‑home bed capacity, failed to advance out of the Labor, Health & Social Services Committee after intense, split testimony that highlighted tradeoffs between competition, quality and rural hospital viability. The committee rejected the repeal on a 3‑to‑2 roll‑call vote.

Sponsor Senator Gary Crum said the statute (currently codified in W.S. 35‑29‑06 and related sections) limits new construction and expansion by conditioning approval on an 85 percent occupancy threshold, a 30‑mile geographic analysis and limits on incremental increases. Crum told the committee these restrictions contribute to constrained long‑term care capacity and a lack of incentive for facility modernization; he said repeal would permit new entrants and encourage upgrades.

The Department of Health…