Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Electronic Notices topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee advances bill letting Department of Revenue send electronic notices when taxpayers opt in
Summary
The Joint Revenue Committee advanced 26LSO0262 after LSO and the Department of Revenue said the measure clarifies that written notice may be provided electronically when taxpayers supply electronic contact information; the bill preserves hard‑copy notices for filers who have not opted in and received supportive public comment.
The Joint Revenue Committee advanced a bill clarifying how the Wyoming Department of Revenue may notify taxpayers, with committee members voting to move 26LSO0262 forward.
LSO analyst Josh Anderson told the committee the draft replaces language requiring notices be mailed with text that allows "written notice by the department using contact information provided by the taxpayer" and explicitly allows electronic notice when the taxpayer has provided an electronic option. "Notices required to be mailed by the department under this article, if mailed, shall be sufficient" is struck and replaced with the new written‑notice language, Anderson said.
Brett Fanning, director of the Department of Revenue, said existing online functionality already supports opt‑in electronic correspondence. "This is an opt in that comes forward on our YF's platform," Fanning said, explaining that current hard‑copy filers who have not provided electronic contact information are unaffected. He added that the department envisions a future workflow where an email directs a taxpayer to check an online account that contains the required notice.
A Farm Bureau representative, Brett Moline, testified in support of the bill and emphasized the opt‑in approach. "I really appreciate this bill. I appreciate that it's an opt in, that it's not mandatory," Moline said.
The committee offered no substantive amendments after public comment and conducted a roll‑call vote. Members recorded as voting "Aye" included Senator Case, Senator Dockstader, Senator Eid, Representative Brown, Representative Campbell, Representative Lean, Representative Lucas, Representative Riggins, Representative Storer, Representative Steibar, Co‑Chair McEwen and Chairman Locke; Senators Pappas and Representative Wharf were recorded as excused. The clerk announced the tally as the bill moving forward.
What happens next: By moving the bill out of committee, sponsors can bring it to the full floor for consideration. The Department of Revenue said the draft is intended to allow the agency flexibility to expand use of its online platform for statutorily required notices while preserving paper notices for taxpayers who have not opted in.
Vote at a glance: 26LSO0262 — Department of Revenue, electronic communication; committee roll call recorded a majority of members voting to advance the bill.
