I wanted to thank WPMA lobbyist Jonathan Downing for his many hours spent during the session on our issues. This was a harmless session for WPMA and nothing passed that was detrimental to the association or the industry.
The Wyoming Legislature adjourned their 2024 legislative session on March 8.
CWPMA - the bill with the most impact would have been the proposed E-vapor registry bill which for the first time had members on opposing sides of an issue. While the bill ultimately was pulled after being amended, it is important to note that in Wyoming SF107 was spiked due to the impact on small businesses.
Summary:
AN ACT relating to taxation and revenue; requiring manufacturers of electronic cigarettes and vapor material to file certifications as specified; creating a product directory; prohibiting the sale of electronic cigarettes and vapor material that are not included in the product directory; providing penalties; making conforming amendments; requiring rulemaking; requiring reports; making an appropriation; and providing for an effective date.
Further - the interim committee bill that would have set up a regulatory process for remittance of fuel tax equivalence for Level 3 fast chargers failed introduction.
AN ACT relating to taxation and revenue; amending the collection of and process for alternative fuel taxes; providing a per kilowatt hour license tax on electricity used to propel an electric vehicle; amending the taxation method for alternative fuel tax; amending and providing definitions; imposing an annual decal fee for plug-in hybrid vehicles; making conforming amendments; repealing obsolete provisions; requiring rulemaking; and providing for effective dates.
I think the most important bills of the session were property taxes which could be the subject of a special session.
Property tax bills the Governor also signed were:
- House bill 45 puts a permanent 4% cap on all year-to-year property tax increases and will go into effect next year. It is unknown how much this bill will cost the state as it is based on future fluctuations in the market, but if it had been in effect for 2023, it would have reduced property taxes by $49.5 million. In his line-item veto letter, Gordon explained that the legislation goes too far, that people making more than $200,000 a year in Teton County could have qualified for a 25% tax refund, which he believes amounts to a “hand out,” not a “hand up,” as the program originally intended. He also expressed concern that the $20 million he requested in his biennial budget proposal for this program would not be enough money to cover the bill.
- Senate file 0068 on tangible personal property would have raised the allowable exemption from $2,400 to $20,000 failed to pass the Senate Revenue committee on a vote of 4/5. NFIB Wyoming members have always felt the burn of complying with this life-long tax on personal property used in a business. The $2400 exemption was passed in 2021*
Transportation Related Bills - there was interesting transportation bill of note as it pertains to WPMA members which affected hazardous materials endorsed drivers - HB0008 Commercial driver license-hazardous materials endorsement. – This bill allows 18- 20 year olds the ability to receive a hazardous materials endorsement on their CDL for intrastate driving. It' s important to note for CWPMA members that this bill does not have interstate validity.
Other interesting bills:
• HB0023 Vehicle registration e-certificate and grace period. – This bill allows county treasurers to issue electronic proof of registration. Drivers will be able to show that electronic proof of registration to law enforcement, when necessary.
• HB0086 Vehicle lien-amendments. – Requires towing and recovery services to request a title search within 5 business days of a vehicle remaining in the recovery lot after 5 business days. Requires WYDOT to respond within 5 business days. CWPMA note - we have growing concerns with how the tow recovery process is handled.
• SF0113 Light and high-profile vehicle closures-2. – This bill increases the penalties for violations of road closures for light and high-profile vehicles. The original bill had very stringent penalties including a $2,500 fine and suspension of a license on the first offense. The bill was amended to lessen and graduate the penalties for subsequent offenses which made this bill easier to support