Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/479293
SPRING 2015 | WEAnews 20 HB0185—Severance tax distributions. Would have diverted a portion of severance tax from the Permanent Wyoming Mineral Trust Fund to highways, school capital construction & local governments for FYs 2016-2021. HB0192—Education-Hathaway scholarship program. Would have allowed students who are doing well in college to petition to receive a higher level of Hathaway payment if they met certain conditions. HB0198—Education-compulsory attendance. Would have changed the compulsory attendance age to 16/completion of 10 th grade for private school students, & to 17/completion of 11 th grade for public school students. HB0218—Minimum wage-federal minimum amount. Would have required employers to pay at least the federal minimum wage. HB0238—Flaring of natural gas. Would have taxed natural gas that is vented or flared after 90 days. SF0015-Children in need of supervision-2. Would have allowed the determination for some cases of Child In Need of Supervision status to be handled outside of the courts. SF0041—Employee online privacy. Would have prohibited an employer from requesting or requiring access to a personal Internet account of an employee or prospective employee except as provided. SF0078—Education-dual language immersion programs. Would have created a new program to provide funding to schools for dual language immersion programs. SF0087—Education-school finance cost-of-living adjustment. Would have changed the computation of the WY Cost- of-Living Index as specified. SF0110—State education accountability and assessment-2. Would have made numerous changes to the WY accountability system and assessments. [Many of the pieces from this bill were amended into SF0008, which passed.] SF0115—Discrimination. Would have prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity as specified; provided a religious exemption. SF0121—Career and technical training grants. Would have established a career and technical training grants program. SF0131—Minimum wage-staged increase. Would have required incremental increases to the state minimum wage. BILLS WEA OPPOSED THAT PASSED–NONE. BILLS WEA OPPOSED THAT FAILED HB0090—Student religious liberties. Would have allowed, among other things, students at school to pray or engage in religious activities/expression before, during, & after the school day, & to organize prayer groups or religious clubs, to the same extent as non-religious activities/expression. HB0101—Education-charter schools. Would have changed the authorizer and overseer of charter schools from local school districts to the WY Community College Commission. HB0114—Wyoming Repeal Gun Free Zones Act. Would have allowed concealed carry in schools and several other public venues. HB0196—Civics proficiency examination. Would have required students to pass the US Citizenship Test in order to graduate from high school. HB0221—Education-parental rights. Wide-ranging bill concerning the collection & retention of all personally identifiable student info. held by a school/district; allowed parents to opt their child out of any assessment required by state or fed. law; allowed any parent to deem a student absence as "excused"; etc. HB0232—Open meetings. Would have made it legal under the open meetings law for a governing body to take action on a confidential matter during executive session. HB0242—Education-continuing contract teacher. Would have made continuing contract status a district choice. BILLS WEA MONITORED THAT PASSED HB0086—Board of cooperative educational services meetings. Requires BOCES boards to meet at least quarterly, not once a month. HB0159—Education-writing assessment. Effective immediately, eliminates the state writing assessment in its entirety.