Wyoming Senate Bill SF0105

Wyoming 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/29/25
• Report Pass: 2/6/25
• Failed: 2/10/25

Caption

An Act to Preserve State Territorial Sovereignty.

Summary

SF0105 would prohibit any person from selling or transferring real property in Wyoming to the federal government unless the person first obtains consent from the Wyoming Legislature. The bill defines “real property” broadly to include fee interests, leases, easements, rights-of-way, subsurface and airspace interests, water rights, and mineral interests, and defines the “federal government” to include the United States and its agencies or instrumentalities. To obtain legislative consent, a seller must submit a notice of intent and evidence that the federal acquisition would occur under an enumerated constitutional power, potentially including eminent domain, before entering into a legally binding agreement. The Legislature, or the Management Council when the Legislature is not in session, must approve or reject the notice within 10 days; if it does not act in time, the notice is deemed rejected. The bill also requires rulemaking by the Legislature and Management Council and applies to agreements entered into on or after July 1, 2025.

Impact

The bill would add a new state-law restriction on private transactions involving transfers of Wyoming real property to the federal government, creating a pre-approval process and a civil penalty equal to the net proceeds of any sale or transfer completed without timely notice. It would affect landowners, sellers, title and real estate transactions, and any federal land acquisition efforts in Wyoming, while also giving the Legislature and Management Council a direct role in reviewing such transactions. The measure would be codified in Title 34 and would take effect July 1, 2025.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests the bill received generally favorable initial committee support, passing the Senate Agriculture Committee 4-1. The bill’s title and structure indicate a strong sovereignty-oriented policy goal, and the lack of recorded transcript discussion limits insight into broader debate. Overall, the available record points to support from most committee members, with at least one dissenting vote.

Contention

The main point of contention is the bill’s requirement that private parties obtain legislative or Management Council approval before selling or transferring property to the federal government, which could be viewed as an unusual constraint on private property transactions. Another likely area of dispute is the bill’s broad definition of real property and its application to federal acquisitions based on enumerated constitutional powers, including eminent domain, which may raise questions about federal-state authority and the practical administration of the approval process. The single recorded no vote in committee suggests at least one member objected to some aspect of the proposal.