By KARLA POMEROY
The Wyoming Senate and House are expected to devote most of next week working on the new biennium budget bill. In the meantime, Sen. Gerald Geis (R-Worland) said there are 129 House Bills, 10 House Joint Resolutions, 79 Senate Files and one Senate Joint Resolution that received introduction and will be considered during the 20-day budget session.
Geis said the deadline for introduction has passed and no other bills will be introduced this session.
The Senate is making quick work of the Senate Files introduced last week with eight bills approved on third and final reading last week and five more on Monday. Senate File 20, which prohibits texting while driving by all licensed drivers in Wyoming, passed the Senate on third reading Monday with a 23-7 vote. Geis voted in favor of the bill although he described it in his weekly interview as “warm and fuzzy” legislation that will be hard to enforce but should bring awareness to the dangers of distracted driving through texting. He said it will be a difficult law to enforce because it will be difficult for officers to determine if a person is texting or dialing to make a call.
The legislation does not prohibit calls on cell phones and does allow texting when a vehicle is parked or for emergencies.
The Senate also passed on third reading Monday SF19, which amends the time in which a driver may not exceed the maximum blood alcohol level for driving impaired from three hours to two hours. The bill passed on a 29-1 vote. The law states that a person is guilty of DUI if they have an alcohol concentration of .08 or more and “has an alcohol concentration of .08 or more, as measured within two hours after the time of driving or being in actual physical control of the vehicle following a lawful arrest resulting from a valid traffic stop.”
The legislation also changes the definition of a controlled substance to “any drug or psychoactive substance.” Changes alcohol to “any substance containing any form of alcohol” and provides for chemical testing through blood, breath, urine or other bodily fluids.”
The legislation increases the time period for enhanced penalties to take effect on second and third offenses from five years to 10 years, meaning if DUI offender commits another DUI offense within 10 years (rather than the previous five years) the offender will be eligible for enhanced penalties.
The same changes are made for youth DUI offenders found guilty of driving with blood alcohol level of more than .02.
Geis said while he voted for the bill he is not fully in support of increasing penalties. He said the state needs to look at providing additional treatment options for persons with alcohol problems.
Other bills that have been defeated or advanced during the first week of the session in the Senate include:
• SF38 an act relating to the licensure of denturists. The bill has been advocated for several years by Basin denturist Gary Vollan. Rep. Lorraine Quarberg has sponsored the bill the past few years in the House but it has failed to ever get to the Senate. Geis said the group of supporters asked him to sponsor the bill this year.
Prior to the session starting Geis said, “I gave them no guarantees. I just want the Senate to give it a fair chance and give it the two-thirds for introduction and then give it a fair hearing from there.”
The bill came up for introduction on Wednesday and failed with a 7-23 vote. Geis said this week that the senators did not feel there was any urgency to the bill to consider it during this budget session.
“I’ll go back to the supporters and see if they want me to bring it back next year,” he said.
• The Transportation Committee approved SF35, which enables the state to develop a plan for placing a toll on Interstate 80. The committee approved the file on a 4-1 vote with Geis opposed. It has been re-referred to the Appropriations Committee. They were scheduled to consider the bill during Monday evening’s committee meeting.
Geis said three toll roads around the country have gone bankrupt with the bonding companies handling the toll operations giving the operations back to the state.
“Tolling is not the answer. If we toll I-80, we need to toll I-25 and I-90,” Geis said. He added that the $350,000 could be better spent on other projects.
• Geis voted against SF45, which limits the liability for those not wearing seat belts on school buses. The file passed third reading Monday.
• Geis voted against SF11 which will allow the State Parks and Recreation Department to dispose of any “outdoor recreation area or facility” through sale, lease or other means. Geis said if the state initially felt the areas were important to protect and keep then they should not place the burden maintaining sites on other entities.