THERMOPOLIS — Freshman legislator Rep. John Winter (R-Thermopolis) said in a weekly report that he is still learning his new role.

“This new role is very interesting, to say the least, and I am still on a learning curve. The bills are just starting to come out of committee for voting so last week was just the beginning.”

Winter is a member of the Travel, Recreation and Wildlife Committee and the Agriculture Committee in the House.

Winter is a co-sponsor of Senate File No. SF0075 with Senator Wyatt Agar and several others on repealing gun free zones. The bill was assigned to the Judiciary Committee on Friday. The bill would allow a concealed carry firearm into a governmental entity including the legislature or legislative committee meeting as well as public schools and college campuses.

Rep. Mike Greear (R-Worland) said he has heard about the act but is waiting until it passes the Senate and come to the House before he takes a close look at the bill and forms any opinion. “I’m a Second Amendment advocate,” he said, but added that he also knows that caution needs to be taken.

Winter is also sponsoring a House Joint Resolution on Delisting of Grizzly Bears. This was introduced and referred to the travel committee on Jan. 9. The committee was scheduled to debate the resolution on Monday.

The committee also had scheduled for Monday, House Bill 12 and 28 regarding collection of shed antlers and horns.

AG COMMITTEE

During ag committee work, Winter said they debated one bill involving re-recording brands, House Bill 48. The bill was passed out of committee unanimously but it failed on Committee of the Whole 5-55 with Winter among those in favor. The bill would have allowed email notification of the expiration of a brand.

Greear said he was one who did not favor the bill because another bill, House Bill 134 addresses the issue better. He said brands come up for renewal every 10 years and a Crook County rancher had missed the renewal notice due to the county renumbering addresses. The rancher ended up having to buy back the brand that was picked up by someone else.

He said after that incident the law was changed to require certified mail. HB 48 would have changed it to regular mail or email at a savings of $8,000.

HB 134 that has been introduced would make a brand “delinquent” for three years but that gives ranchers time before they could lose their brand.

“If they are using the brand they’ll know soon enough they are delinquent,” Greear said.

The bill was introduced today and referred to the ag committee.

In other legislative news, Winter said, “We are very fortunate to have Senator Agar as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. I believe that the Wyoming Pioneer Home and the Retirement Center in Basin are now on the right track for solvency and will continue to serve their respective communities as they were intended. The future of these two facilities is uppermost on our minds and on our radar.”

On Friday, the Senate Appropriations Committee killed a bill that would have authorized yet another study on the Wyoming Pioneer Home in Thermopolis and the Wyoming Retirement Center in Basin failed in the Appropriations Committee Friday.

Sen. Agar (R-Thermopolis) reported to the Daily News on Friday following the committee vote that the Wyoming Retirement Center, “cash flows with the exception of major maintenance.” The Pioneer Home, he said they asked after the previous study to adjust rates, seek federal funding for parts of the operation where federal funds could be applied and to work on getting the census at full capacity. Defeating the bill in committee gives the Pioneer Home time to complete that work and will help the WRC work to get their census at full capacity as well.

SENATE NEWS

Today, the Senate Ag Committee will take up Senate File 68, co-sponsored by Agar, relating to the definition of meat. The bill states that no person shall, “Represent a product as meat in labeling, advertising or other sales promotion unless the product is derived from harvested livestock, poultry or exotic livestock,” as defined by current state statute.

The bill also states, “Meatlike product that is not derived from harvested livestock, poultry or exotic livestock as those terms are defined in [Wyoming statute] shall clearly label the product as an ‘imitation food’.”