Credit Wyoming LSO
The Wyoming Senate has voted down a bill that would have named a stretch of highway between Meeteetse and Cody after the late Cody Sen. Hank Coe.
Coe died of cancer in January. He retired last year and represented Cody since 1989, including time as the Senate Majority Floor Leader and Senate President.
The bill was seen as a way to honor Coe since he had pushed for raising speed limits on state highways.
Baggs Sen. Larry Hicks said that many great legislators from the state have died and lawmakers haven t gone to this length to memorialize them.
Credit Wyoming Legislature
The Wyoming Senate has narrowly passed the bill that would establish a taskforce to evaluate the state s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senators spent time arguing about if the taskforce is necessary. Baggs Sen. Larry Hicks said it s not the right time, given the pandemic is not over yet. Have you ever read a book report and I only read two-thirds of the book? Because that s what we re doing with this taskforce is we re two-thirds of the way through the response and all this stuff, and now we re going to go back and write a book report, he said.
The Wyoming Senate passed a bill that would create legislative oversight for public health orders.
The bill was amended since its introduction, and now would require the legislature to approve any public health measure that goes beyond 60 days.
County government approval would be needed for any local orders going beyond 30 days.
The changes allow for the legislature to approve an extension virtually. It also includes a 48 hour delay to any order to allow for public feedback.
Senate Appropriations Chairman Drew Perkins said with the amendments, he supports the bill. It brings into effect the practicalities associated with doing this. And so it incorporates the lessons that we ve learned just less than a year ago, what it took to convene a special session in the midst of a pandemic and how you do that, he said.