HB0047 authorizes the Wyoming secretary of state to charge an expedited-filing fee for certain documents, creating a new fee authority within the secretary of state’s existing filing and business-entity administration functions. The bill is aimed at allowing applicants to pay for faster processing of filings handled by the secretary of state’s office, likely including corporate and other administrative filings, though the bill text itself does not specify the exact filing categories in the excerpt provided.
The bill also authorizes up to one full-time position for the secretary of state for implementation through June 30, 2026, and appropriates $93,179 from the general fund for that position. The appropriation is limited to that purpose, any unused funds revert, and the legislature states an intent to include and double the funding in the next biennium’s standard budget request. The staffing and funding provisions are contingent: they do not take effect if House Bill 0001 or Senate File 0001 already authorizes at least one additional full-time secretary of state position compared with the 2024 authorized level.
Impact
HB0047 would amend Wyoming law governing secretary of state fees by adding authority to collect an expedited-processing fee, thereby creating a new revenue source tied to faster service. It also temporarily expands the secretary of state’s staffing authority and provides a one-time general fund appropriation to support implementation, with a sunset-like fiscal period ending June 30, 2026. The bill affects the secretary of state’s administrative operations and could impact businesses, filers, and others seeking quicker document processing from the office.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been generally well received in committee and on the floor, with unanimous or near-unanimous committee recommendations and strong passage in both chambers. The House passed the bill 60-0, and the Senate passed it 29-2, suggesting broad support for the policy and the limited fiscal request. The later failed concurrence vote indicates some disagreement after Senate amendments, but the overall voting pattern reflects favorable sentiment toward the bill’s core purpose.
Contention
The main point of contention appears to have been the concurrence stage after the Senate amended the bill, where the House declined to concur by a 13-47 vote. That suggests disagreement was less about the concept of expedited filings and more about the amended form of the bill, likely including the staffing, appropriation, or contingency language. The contingency tying the position and appropriation to whether other legislation already authorizes an additional secretary of state position may also have been a point of legislative concern because it links this bill’s implementation to the outcome of separate budget legislation.