Committee advances bill to let Secretary of State offer paid expedited filings
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Summary
HB16 would allow the Secretary of State to charge fees for expedited business filings and authorize a position if budget provisions don't provide staffing. Agency said tiers could include same-day or two-hour processing for business needs such as mergers.
The committee voted to advance HB16, which authorizes the Secretary of State to offer expedited business filings for a fee and creates a mechanism for staffing if budget-authorized positions are not available.
The Secretary of State's office said Wyoming already has a statutory 15-day deadline for regular filings, but some corporate and financial actors need a date-certain posting on the agency's website for mergers or regulatory purposes. Deputy Crossman and other staff described a tiered expedited service (examples: same-day, two- or three-day, or multi-hour processing for higher fees) and estimated the service could generate meaningful revenue over time once promoted to corporations that rely on rapid filing certainty.
The committee discussed staffing and the proposed amendment that adds one full-time position as a backstop if budget exceptions do not authorize staff. Committee members debated whether the position would be solely dedicated to expedited filings or cross-trained; agency representatives said the role would primarily support expedited filings but could be cross-assigned to related business-division tasks.
Vote The committee recorded a unanimous roll-call vote in favor of reporting HB16 do pass. The sponsor and agency staff will continue to refine the amendment language to ensure consistency with the budget process.