Rep. Martha Lawley outlines tax, health and emergency-service priorities during Big Horn County meeting

Representative Martha Lawley (House District 27) visited the Big Horn County Commission on Dec. 2, 2025, to outline her legislative priorities for the upcoming Wyoming session.

Lawley told county officials she plans to pursue property tax reductions and legislative measures to provide revenue backfill for hardship counties. She also emphasized rural health care needs and said she expects federal funding to flow to Wyoming through what she described as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” and she urged county officials to identify local priorities for that funding.

Lawley highlighted affordable housing needs in the Big Horn Basin and said the region lacks adequate legal representation for some matters, a concern she raised with the commissioners. She also pressed for emergency services to be designated as critical services and raised concerns about how mineral tax payments and distributions are handled and whether those formulas disadvantage local governments.

The briefing was attended by County Attorney M. Bean, Deputy Attorney J. Kirk, District Court Clerk S. Lipp, Treasurer N. Vigil, Assessor G. Anderson, Deputy C. Winters and Emergency Management Coordinator L. Dobbs, in addition to commissioners and county administrative staff. The commission did not take formal action on Lawley’s proposals during the meeting; the remarks were presented as a legislative priorities briefing ahead of the session.

Lawley’s presentation provided local officials with a preview of bills and funding items they may see in Cheyenne next year and offered a forum for county staff to raise localized concerns they want lawmakers to consider.