Gov. signs resolution asking for wind and solar revenue
Legislation regulating food, property rights also signed into law
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CHEYENNE – Governor Matt Mead signed a number of bills into law on Wednesday, including a joint resolution requesting 50 percent of royalties from the federal government on any revenue created in Wyoming by federal wind or solar powering producing developments on federal land.
Joint Resolution No. 1 references the current federal practice of paying the state 50 percent of royalties and rents in connection with fossil fuels and geothermal energy produced in the state, and argues that the same should apply to wind and solar power. The resolution was sent to Congress for consideration by the office of the secretary of state.
Enrolled Act No. 26, also known as the Wyoming Food Freedom Act and signed on Wednesday, stipulates that except for raw, unprocessed fruit and vegetables, “food shall not be sold or used in any commercial food establishment unless the food has been labeled, licensed, packaged, regulated or inspected as required by law.” The act exempts farmers markets from the law, and does not include farms or ranches that sell their products from a separate retail space.
Enrolled Act No. 68 revises the state hunting laws, adding a subsection that states, no person shall enter upon the private property of any person to hunt, fish, collect antlers or horns, or trap without the permission of the owner or person in charge of the property. Violation of this act will be treated as a misdemeanor and punishable by law.
Related to state fishing regulations, Enrolled Act No. 71 establishes a new, five-day fishing license for nonresidents, at a cost of $54.
The state’s bark beetle problem is addressed in Enrolled Act No. 51, allocating up to $500,000 per year, from the state’s emergency fire suppression account for bark beetle mitigation on private and public land.
Enrolled act No. 44 stipulates that if an election recount is required in any county, that county will pay the full cost of the recount, regardless of the outcome of the recount.
Addressing health care for Native Americans in Wyoming and elsewhere, the governor signed a joint resolution requesting Congress to uphold the federal trust responsibility to provide health care for American Indians.
The resolution points out that the Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage reimburses 100 percent of all medical services for American Indians, and any change to the law would put those citizens of Wyoming at risk. The resolution was sent to Congress by the secretary of state’s office.
