politics

7:00 p.m. MST: President Trump is delivering a State of the Union address after a delay due to the government shutdown. Watch his speech live, followed by a Democratic response delivered by former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.

Wyoming is one of just five states without laws pertaining to the parental rights of perpetrators of sexual assault. House Bill 107 would change that.

A controversial bill that some say infringes on first amendment rights has passed a Wyoming legislative committee and will move to the House floor.

A bill that would abolish the Death Penalty easily passed the Wyoming House Friday. Supporters say it's time to end government-sanctioned killing and they argue that it's a waste of taxpayer money.

Women would have to wait 48 hours to have an abortion under a bill that was approved Friday by the Wyoming House of Representatives.

The American Lung Association's new State of Tobacco Control report gave Wyoming failing grades for its tobacco policies. Among the criteria was funding for prevention programs, smoke-free workplace laws, tobacco tax rates, services to help quit and the minimum age to buy tobacco. In Wyoming the minimum is 18.

A bill passed out of a legislative committee yesterday that would make it easier for counties to collect ad valorem taxes. A report last year found counties were missing out on over $50 million in delinquent ad valorem taxes, often due to bankruptcies.

Speaker of the House Steve Harshman convinced the House to take another step towards school safety.

The Wyoming Senate voted to restore $1.5 million it removed from the state breast and cervical cancer program. The cut was made earlier in the week after members of the Appropriations Committee complained that it allowed non-poor people to access the funds.

Leadership from the Minerals, Business & Economic Development Committee announced plans to update and modernize oil and gas regulations. They plan to work with the public and private sector along with Governor Mark Gordon during the interim session. The committee will study how to better align rules with current practices.

A bill that would require a 48 hour waiting period before someone can get an abortion has received initial support in the Wyoming House. Opponents of the bill call it government overreach and an intrusion on reproductive rights. Cheyenne Representative Sue Wilson said she struggled with the bill initially, but now fully supports it.

A number of people packed a large legislative committee room testifying on a bill that would create criminal offenses, including murder, for the harm of what the bill calls an unborn child. Senate File 128 is the Unborn Victims of Violence act.

A bill that would increase penalties for interfering with the operation of critical infrastructure like pipelines or oil and gas facilities is held up in the Minerals Committee. Wyoming legislators gathered Monday to discuss the Crimes Against Critical Infrastructure bill and delayed a vote until Friday after hearing considerable public comment.

A bipartisan bill that would make Wyoming the first state to legally classify digital assets as property, is heading to the Senate floor.

Wyoming lawmakers are considering a bill that would add a work requirement to those who receive Medicaid.

The new state auditor, Kristi Racines, promises to bring better transparency to the state's expenditures.

While many school districts across the state already create safety and security plans, there's nothing currently in statute requiring them to do so. A school safety and security bill moving through the state legislature would make such plans mandatory.

Legislatures across the region are considering heavy restrictions to abortion. Activity by opponents of abortion rights at the state level could be related to the recent shift at the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Wyoming Senate has defeated a bill that would have allowed the state to explore an alternative voting method. Laramie Senator Chris Rothfuss was proposing that the state switch to an open primary where voters could vote for all candidates seeking a particular office and the top two vote-getters could advance to the general election, no matter their party affiliation.

A bill restricting women's access to abortion received initial approval Tuesday from the House Judiciary Committee.