Wyoming House rejects delaying action on Fifth Amendment bill after heated floor debate over alleged payments

The Wyoming House on Thursday rejected a motion to postpone consideration of House Bill 141, the Fifth Amendment Protection Act, after an extended and often emotional floor debate that repeatedly returned to allegations about checks distributed at a recent meeting.

Representative Yen introduced the motion under House Rule 10-7, asking members to hold any future action on HB141 until the House had received the investigative committee's report. "I move to postpone any future consideration of House Bill 141 . . . until after the House acts upon the report of the investigative committee," Yen said, arguing that the committee's findings could change how the Legislature should proceed.

Opponents of the postponement pressed the House to proceed with its business, saying deadlines in the budget session and the principle of innocent-until-proven-guilty counseled against pausing legislation. Representative Wing urged members to "take this bill up just as if it had been," adding, "innocent until proven guilty." Supporters of the delay warned of reputational harm if the body voted while a sheriff's criminal investigation and the House's own inquiry remained unresolved. Representative Stohr said the ongoing investigations went "to the heart" of public trust and argued the bill should be set aside while they proceed.

At several points, members raised points of order and the previous question. Representative Heiner demanded the previous question, triggering a parliamentary sequence that led to a roll call on whether to end debate. The chair instructed the chief clerk to call the roll; after votes and clarification, the House recorded a roll-call result on the question of ending debate and proceeded to a final vote on Yen's postponement motion. That motion was not adopted.

The exchanges included pointed accusations and warnings about public perception. Representative Larson described "pretty emotional testimony" about preserving the integrity of the Legislature; Representative Chastick noted that the sheriff had opened an investigation. Other members emphasized due process and the risks of acting while inquiries are ongoing. "What I don't want to do is make any action on it while the committee is still in progress," Yen said. "If the committee comes out, the bill is fine."

After the vote, the House moved on to other business, resolving into Committee of the Whole to consider a long list of bills.

What happens next: HB141 remained on the docket; the investigative committee's report and any parallel law-enforcement developments will determine whether and how the House takes the measure up again.