Transcript Highlights:

• <00:06:05.039> reports committee number nine minerals reports committee number nine minerals
• > the<01:33:49.120> superintendent process and and the superintendent process and and the
• interest, whether you're a mineral interest, whether you're a mineral company<01:43:09.760> or
• We get to normally drafting process.
• Um, a little more process works.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:08:04.480> to deliberate in bringing our process to deliberate in bringing our process
• familiar with the term it's the process familiar with the term it's the process of<01:47:14.599>
• program is within their minerals program is within their minerals division<01:49:35.760> which
• mapping came from the minerals mapping came from the minerals coordinating<01:49:50.280> commission
• largely stopped funding the minerals largely stopped funding the minerals coordinating<01:50:19.440

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:30:04.920> Minerals<00:30:05.240> are value other than minerals.
• Minerals are value other than minerals.
• Liability and claims process.
• <01:04:43.760> their gas producers that also process their gas producers that also process
• So, you know, you got processing part.

Keywords: 916, all

Summary: The Joint Revenue committee met with a quorum and heard a series of interim topic proposals focused on tax policy. Representative Brown raised two ideas: reinstating an exemption reporting requirement for corporations and entities receiving tax exemptions, with loss of the exemption for the current and prior year if they fail to report, and revising property tax treatment for wind turbines and related infrastructure by shifting the taxed footprint from agricultural to industrial classification. Senator Case and others then discussed energy taxation more broadly, including a possible generation tax for electricity, how to handle large data-center electricity loads, and whether sales tax revenue from very large electrical loads should be shared statewide rather than concentrated locally. The committee referenced prior bills and studies, including House Bill 300 and Senate File 76, and discussed using a mechanism that would keep local electricity bills net neutral while redirecting revenue distribution. The committee also took up problematic gaming and program funding. Senator Case described personal experiences with gambling addiction and the lack of available resources, while the presenter said the topic had been requested in multiple committees and that the biggest concern from House Bill 171 was protecting county and municipal funding. Members discussed whether the issue belonged in Revenue, Health, Labor, or Transportation, and several suggested it should stay with the standing committee handling gaming. Ideas raised included using gaming-related revenue for prevention and treatment, fully funding the 988 lifeline, and creating a broader trust fund for addiction-related services and law enforcement. The committee appeared to agree to continue the topic for educational purposes and to examine taxation of HHR and other gambling activity. Senator Case then proposed a severance tax on wind energy, arguing that wind development creates permanent landscape impacts and that the state should be compensated similarly to coal, oil, and gas extraction. Curt Meier, the state treasurer, supported reviewing lease agreements and said Wyoming should get more from wind resources, noting the state’s unique wind potential and the loss of viewshed. Finally, the committee heard a proposal to reform property tax relief by extending it to motor vehicle registration. Former Revenue director Dan Noble argued that vehicle taxes should be treated like other property taxes, using fair market value, depreciation, the residential assessment ratio, and local mill levies, which he said could provide broad relief but would be expensive, with an estimated fiscal impact of about $120 million. Representative Chestek followed with a related reform proposal based on Pennsylvania’s base-year assessment model, arguing that Wyoming’s current statewide relief measures treat symptoms rather than the underlying problem of rapidly rising local valuations.

Transcript Highlights:

• And um Uh, it is a really expensive and arduous process.
• amendment. or were there other 4 minutes so there's something about ah I think Texoga mentioned about mineral
• And for some strange reason, um, they want to exempt mineral interests.
• So I go into the investigative process and I find that an individual had filed fraudulent deed, quick
• The notary is a critical component in this whole process, obviously.

Bills: SB15

Keywords: real property, fraud, theft, elderly, disabled, statute of limitations, criminal offense, property rights

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, agency 014, Miners >> All right.
• <00:45:48.880> these talented staff at DEEQ can process these talented staff at DEEQ can process
• And so the governor's process.
• And subject to the statutory process.
• statutory process that we're foregoing? statutory process that we're foregoing?

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• members, as passed the House, House Bill 2755 allows the State Land Commissioner to renew an existing mineral
• or mineral...
• HB 2755 allows the State Land Commissioner to renew an existing mineral or mineral materials lease without

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The minerals article is included.
• The<00:02:56.800> minerals<00:02:57.280> article<00:02:57.720> is<00:02:57.840><
• The minerals article is included. The minerals article is included.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The House considered the conference committee report on House File 2438, the 2026 tax bill. Representative Gomez outlined the main provisions, saying most fiscal changes were tied to federal tax conformity. He also described several other items in the report, including a two-year extension of the pass-through entity tax workaround, a sustainable aviation fuel provision, a one-time $125 million increase in homestead credit property tax refunds, a one-year removal of the cap on the beginning farmer tax credit, a four-year tax exemption for PGA tickets, permanent aid to certain school districts, a direct file program, changes related to homestead resort classification thresholds, local property tax and income tax provisions, local government aid for the new city of Northern, a four-year extension of local homeless prevention aid, and Department of Revenue policy, technical, TIF, local, and public finance items. After the report was presented, the House adopted the conference committee report and ordered the bill repassed as amended by conference. The clerk then gave the bill its third reading as amended. Following third reading, Representative Niska moved to lay House File 2438 on the table. The motion prevailed, and the bill was tabled.

Transcript Highlights:

• Other states are already starting that planning process.
• Other states are already starting that planning process.
• They do a purification process, and 90% of it is reusable.
• They do a purification process, and 90% of it is reusable, 90% of it.
• process.

Bills: SB78, SB235, SB22, SB310

Keywords: nuclear energy, renewable energy, sustainability, carbon emissions, energy regulation, microgrid, zero carbon resources, Public Regulation Commission, energy generation, electric utilities, motor vehicle manufacturers, licensing, dealers, franchise agreements, consumer protection, water supply, sewage improvements, environment, funding, Mora County

Transcript Highlights:

• process for doing that is not the most nimble and quick process on the planet so that sometimes takes
• process. positions and probably also not a secret that the state's process for doing that is not the
• Going through things, our processes can be complicated.
• The state processes are not, they, they, it’s our understanding that the state processes were really
• federal processes.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The subcommittee heard an extensive discussion on the Governor’s proposal to eliminate vacant positions across several environmental and natural resources departments, including Fish and Wildlife, Parks, the Coastal Commission/BCDC, DPR, DTSC, CalRecycle, and the State Water Resources Control Board. The Legislative Analyst’s Office explained that the JLBC had already not concurred with 650 of roughly 1,000 positions under review, citing concerns that many of the vacancies support core functions such as law enforcement, permitting, public safety, sea-level rise planning, and implementation of recently enacted laws. The Department of Finance defended the vacancy reduction exercise as a way to capture savings from a statewide pool of about 40,000 vacancies, arguing that departments need flexibility to manage operations and that some vacancies are used to cover operating costs or hard-to-fill roles. Several department representatives testified that the cuts would reduce capacity and could slow permitting or enforcement, though they said they would try to reclassify positions and prioritize the highest-need work. No vote was taken and all items were held open for a future hearing. Members focused heavily on the practical effects of the cuts. Senators questioned whether vacant positions should be treated as a budget savings tool, whether special-fund positions should be eliminated when they do not affect the General Fund, and whether long-vacant positions should simply be removed if they have not been filled for years. Fish and Wildlife and Parks described impacts to permitting, wildlife conflict response, and law enforcement; Parks said its academy can train only about 50 rangers a year, leaving many vacancies even after the proposed reductions. The Coastal Commission said the affected positions support SB 272 sea-level rise planning with local governments. DPR said the proposed cuts would affect multiple branches involved in pesticide registration, enforcement, and safety review, while DTSC said it was still hiring from a large 2022 reform package and had reduced its vacancy rate from about 30 percent to 15 percent before the drill. The State Water Board said its proposed reductions would be spread across programs and could lead to slower permitting and backlogs, though it would protect drinking water functions as much as possible. The committee then moved to a State Water Resources Control Board overview and a new budget proposal tied to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Sackett decision. Chair Esquivel described the board’s responsibilities for water quality, water rights, drinking water, and financial assistance, and said the board is updating the Bay-Delta Plan while also pursuing voluntary agreements and broader water-rights administration. He said federal workforce reductions and the Sackett ruling have increased pressure on state programs. The board requested $2.6 million and 12 permanent positions from the Waste Discharge Permit Fund to address permitting and enforcement gaps created by the narrowing of federal Clean Water Act jurisdiction. The LAO said the request met its high bar for new proposals because it was supported by the board’s data and would help maintain water-quality protections, though it noted that state processes are less efficient than the federal framework they are now partially replacing.

Transcript Highlights:

• developing models for potential therapeutics to create new specific chemical structures to take the process
• Rural Affairs; HB 2770, Home Confining; HB 2771, Communities, Judiciary; HB 2776, Private Property Process
• ; HB 2780, Due Process.
• HB 2780, Due Process; HB 2791, Cultural Affairs; HB 2792, Annexation, Government; HB 2794, DOR Transactions
• Vettering Continuation; HB 2262, Edgone Geological; HB 2263, Colorado River; HB 2266, Foreign Mining Mineral

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The House convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, approved the prior day’s journal, and recognized the Doctor of the Day, Dr. John Lynch of Legislative District 12. Members also introduced a number of guests and visiting groups, including Arizona electric co-op representatives, March of Dimes advocates, CRNAs, AEA retirees, a University of Arizona legislative fellow, and other constituents and visitors in the gallery. The chamber then handled routine floor business: attendance was recorded at 58 present, one absent, and one excused; committee substitutions were announced; HB 2677 was removed from the Judiciary Committee and additionally referred to Public Safety and Law Enforcement; and a large slate of House bills and one concurrent resolution were first read and referred to committees. The clerk also read a lengthy list of bills on second reading, covering a wide range of topics including education, health care, housing, taxation, elections, water, labor, public safety, and other policy areas. No substantive debate or votes on legislation occurred during the floor session beyond the referral actions and procedural announcements. Members made announcements about upcoming blood donations, a Veterans Caucus coffee and donuts event, and several committee meetings scheduled for later in the day or the following day. The House then adopted a motion to adjourn until 10 a.m. on Thursday, January 22, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• legislation, the Visitor Center Advisory Committee amendments, to move forward in the legislative process
• We had to work through the established environmental processes and procedures, and we're already making
• She leaned in and has been very helpful in this process.
• I'm in the process of hiring a deputy, very much focused on creating the right measurables, outcomes,
• these areas can... ...critical minerals, different items that we know where these areas can grow.

Keywords: 985, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Ultimately, it's it's created just thing from digestion processes.
• And it is a routine, a process that they have dedicated staff working on all time.
• Is there anything we can do at the state level to expedite the process?
• Today, solar will continue to be a really prominent part of our generation planning processes.
• I want to say, I love this process here in Tallahassee.

Transcript Highlights:

• Next bill for our minerals.
• So, all we're trying to do is speed up the process in an area that the process has already been vetted
• in an area do is is speed up the process in an area that<01:42:57.440> the<01:42:57.600> process
• without being destroyed by the process. without being destroyed by the process.
• process. Thank you. process. Thank you.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We are in the process of developing our schedules and training our drivers.
• But on the IGA, when does Indian Affairs start that process? Mr.
• Yeah, so it's not my fault, but just the whole process and so forth.
• I think that could also expedite the process as well.
• What is the process for the approval for that?

Transcript Highlights:

• We need to adopt a version today to keep the process moving.
• I'm still, I'm logistically trying to process what type of authority we are given.
• or in addition to the court process.
• But it's to sort of go through the process. We have to adopt a budget quite soon.
• of what I think I understand how this whole process works.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We’re trying to speed the process of demolition, but at the same time, I think we’ve got verbiage that
• We want to expedite that process. That’s what’s happening here.
• We want to expedite that process. done. We want to expedite that process.
• Um, the bill also ensures that the state keeps its mineral rights.
• ensures that the state keeps its mineral ensures that the state keeps its mineral rights.<00:25:

Keywords: Public Property - Room 409, 29 January, 2026; 2:30 P.M., 925, all

Summary: The Public Property Committee held its organizational meeting and elected Senator Ladner as secretary. It then took up Senate Bill 2203, which would centralize leasing authority for state agencies in privately owned space under DFA and, when cheaper, move certain agencies into the capital complex area to encourage consolidation and cost savings. Senator Seymour questioned specific references in the bill, including a corporation mentioned in current law and whether the measure could affect ports, the Gulf Coast Coliseum, universities, community colleges, or local offices outside Metro Jackson. Blunt said the bill was intended only for state agencies in the Metro Jackson area and not for local county offices or other institutions, and he later identified the corporation reference as the Mississippi Home Corporation. The committee adopted a title-sufficient do-pass motion and reported the bill out. The committee next considered a bill by Senator Hobson authorizing the Soil and Water Conservation Commission to construct a levee project in Yazoo County using federal funds, at an estimated cost of more than $100 million. Hobson said the project would address significant flooding and complete a portion of levee work near Carter and Satartia. With no questions, the committee again adopted a title-sufficient do-pass motion and reported the bill out. Senator Williams then presented Senate Bill 2594, the Mississippi Antiquities Law bill, which would streamline demolition of abandoned, vacant, or blighted buildings on public university and community college campuses while preserving historic properties. He said the measure would require coordination with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, define blight, require engineering analysis in some cases, and give MDH 90 days to respond before demolition or further inspection proceeds. Several senators raised concerns that the bill’s language was too broad, especially the definitions of blight and other causes, and that it might let institutions tear down too much without sufficient oversight. Williams said the bill was meant to balance preservation with practical needs and agreed to work on a floor amendment to tighten the language. The committee then voted to report the bill out. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 2340, authorizing DFA to sell, lease, or convey the former DPS property at 1900 East Woodrow Wilson Avenue in Jackson. The committee substitute would direct proceeds to the general fund rather than DPS, while preserving mineral rights, allowing repurchase under certain conditions, and requiring DFA review of proposals. Senators discussed possible redevelopment uses, including University Medical Center, and the bill’s restrictions on uses such as heavy industrial, adult entertainment, casinos, liquor stores, and solid waste facilities. No final vote on this bill was reflected in the portion of the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think that's a pretty robust process. Process. And there are things that get lost.
• through the process on this.
• This has not been vetted throughout the process. We always talk about circumventing the process.
• The capital process.
• And that process, Mr.

Transcript Highlights:

• It would be tasked with the following: examining the viability, process, and necessity of implementing
• We follow this process. We're insured. We have this, that, and the other thing.”
• >> Representative<00:49:38.559> Miner, >> Representative Miner, >> Representative
• Miner, >> yes.
• Representative Miner, yes. Clerk Reinford, yes. Representative Paige, yes.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We built a lot of buildings, we did a lot for our schools, and part of this, it was excess federal mineral
• We built a lot of buildings, we did a lot for our schools, and part of this, it was excess federal mineral
• part of this uh it was<00:26:24.320> excess<00:26:24.720> federal<00:26:25.039> mineral
• <00:26:25.360> royalty<00:26:25.919> that was excess federal mineral royalty that was
• excess federal mineral royalty that would<00:26:26.240> have<00:26:26.320> went<00:26:

Bills: SF0018, SF0036, SF0047

Keywords: K-12 education, part-time attendance, public schools, student enrollment, education funding, scholarship, Hathaway, academic eligibility, financial aid, Hathaway scholarship, education, state funding, college access, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ,<00:46:19.520> but process, but process, but Representative<00:46:20.840> Nicholas<00:
• Natural resources, geologic survey, locations of uranium, rare earth minerals, conflicts between mineral
• Natural resources, geologic survey, locations of uranium, rare earth minerals, conflicts between mineral
• And even minerals, yes.
• And even minerals, yes.

Keywords: 916, all

Summary: The committee opened by taking roll for the Joint Transportation, Highways, and Military Affairs Committee and noting that 20 topics had been submitted for discussion, including one late addition. Members were asked to number the topics for reference, and the chair explained that each presenter should give a brief overview before the committee returned to the dais for questions and possible ranking or action. No votes were taken during the portion provided. The first topic was a request from the Associated General Contractors of Wyoming to have TRIP, a third-party transportation research organization, present a report on Wyoming’s highway system. The report is intended to identify transportation needs and 25 priority projects, and the committee generally supported hearing the report and methodology directly from TRIP. The next topic combined two similar railroad safety proposals. Representative Chestek described a bill addressing train length, wayside detectors, and track inspections, citing the East Palestine derailment and concerns about reduced inspection frequency. Committee members raised questions about federal preemption and enforcement authority; Chestek said states can be more protective of safety where federal rules leave gaps, and WYDOT said it would need additional expertise and staffing to administer such a program. No public testimony was offered on the railroad topic. The committee then heard two proposals from the Wyoming Military Department. One would study Tricare subsidies for mental health providers by comparing Tricare reimbursement rates with other insurers, gathering de-identified data on eligible members and provider participation, and then returning to the committee with findings before any legislative recommendation. Members discussed whether the issue might fit better in Labor, Health, and Social Services, but the military department said it believed the committee had a strong connection to the topic. The second military topic would study Service Group Life Insurance for state active duty, comparing state and federal death benefits for Guard members to identify any shortfalls. The committee also briefly discussed a VSO program review raised by Representative Neff, focusing on the number of veterans service officers and retention, but no action was taken in the excerpt.