Why they voted this way
The lawmaker opposes the bill because it fails to include mental health personnel who also listen to horrific events from victims.
Public statementFloor statement at 2:24:47 Watch the statement
Wyoming2020Enacted
SF0117
First Responder Workplace Mental Injury Coverage
Last scannedAug 25, 2026, 2:25 AM
In one sentence
This law makes mental injuries caused by work a type of injury for which first responders can get worker's compensation, if they have clear proof from a licensed psychiatrist, psychologist, or psychiatric nurse practitioner.
What it does
- Defines when a mental injury is considered an injury that qualifies for workers' compensation benefits for first responders.
- Requires the mental injury to be diagnosed by a licensed psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, or psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.
- Limits benefits for mental injuries to no more than thirty-six months after diagnosis.
- Specifies that certain actions by employers like discipline or termination do not cause compensable mental injuries.
Who it affects
- First responders, including police officers, firefighters, search and rescue workers, and ambulance staff.
- Employers who have first responders as employees.
Limits and unknowns
- Benefits are limited to thirty-six months after the diagnosis of a mental injury.
- The law does not cover mental injuries directly caused by disciplinary actions or terminations from employers.
- It is unclear how this will affect insurance costs for employers.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Compensable injury
- An injury that qualifies for worker's compensation benefits.
- First responder
- A person whose job is to respond first in emergencies, such as police officers and firefighters.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
Bill Summary - 20LSO-0563 Bill No.: SF0117 Effective: 7/1/2020 12:00:00 AM LSO No.: 20LSO-0563 Enrolled Act No.: SEA No. 0056 Chapter No.: 160 Prime Sponsor: Nethercott Catch Title: First responder workplace mental injury coverage. Subject: Worker's compensation mental injury coverage for first responders. Summary/Major Elements: The act specifies that mental injury is a compensable injury for purposes of worker's compensation if the mental injury is experienced by a first responder and established by clear and convincing evidence. The act specifies that mental injuries require diagnosis by a licensed psychiatrist, licensed clinical psychologist or psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and that benefits for mental injuries shall not extend for more than thirty-six (36) months. The act defines "first responder" to include peace officers, firefighters, search and rescue personnel and ambulance personnel. The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent. While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.
Public statements
Why lawmakers voted
Last checked Aug 11, 6:33 PM
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker supports the bill as beneficial for first responders but opposes the amendment because it expands coverage too broadly to include unrelated individuals like drivers passing by accidents.
Public statementFloor statement at 2:27:48 Watch the statement
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker supports both the bill and the amendment, expressing a wish to expand coverage even further to include first-grade teachers who witness traumatic events.
Public statementFloor statement at 2:28:22 Watch the statement
Landon Brown
R · H09
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker supports the bill by emphasizing that it addresses severe trauma faced by first responders, such as identifying corpses and dealing with gruesome injuries.
Public statementFloor statement at 2:28:46 Watch the statement
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker opposes the amendment limiting diagnoses because he believes legislators should not dictate medical conditions between doctors and patients, citing his own experience with traumatic events.
Public statementFloor statement at 2:35:00 Watch the statement
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker supports the amendment because it reasonably narrows the scope of covered mental disorders, avoiding a blanket inclusion of all conditions listed in the DSM-5.
Public statementFloor statement at 2:37:06 Watch the statement
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker opposes the amendment limiting diagnoses because personal experience with her spouse's trauma shows that mental health issues cannot be easily categorized into specific boxes like PTSD or anxiety.
Public statementFloor statement at 2:37:50 Watch the statement
Jared Olsen
R · H11
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker opposes the amendment because workers' compensation already requires injuries to be job-related, making it unlikely that unrelated disorders like schizophrenia would qualify.
Public statementFloor statement at 2:38:53 Watch the statement
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker opposes the amendment because first responders already struggle to seek help, and limiting diagnoses would further discourage them from accessing necessary mental health services.
Public statementFloor statement at 2:40:25 Watch the statement
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker supports the amendment as a reasonable limitation, noting that it currently excludes pathologists who also deal with traumatic work conditions.
Public statementFloor statement at 2:42:11 Watch the statement
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker opposes the amendment because he trusts licensed professionals to determine if a mental injury is related to work incidents, making statutory limitations unnecessary.
Public statementFloor statement at 2:43:12 Watch the statement
Scott M Clem
H31
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker supports the amendment because this represents a radical policy shift, and he believes it is necessary to limit coverage step-by-step rather than opening workers' compensation to all mental disorders.
Public statementFloor statement at 2:43:55 Watch the statement
Brian Boner
R · S02
Why they voted this way
The speaker supports the bill because amendments align terminology with state statutes, limit claim duration to balance fund exposure, and ensure proper administration.
Public statementFloor statement at 5:31:28 Watch the statement
Tara Nethercott
R · S04
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker supports the bill because it provides compensation for first responders suffering mental injuries from work-related trauma, which is currently not covered by workers' compensation. They also note that the financial impact on the budget is minimal.
Public statementFloor statement at 46:41 Watch the statement
If a lawmaker is not listed, we couldn't find a published reason.
Wyoming roll calls
Recorded votes
6 roll calls
S Concur:Passed 24-2-4-0-02020-03-11 · Senate24 yes 2 no
- Yes
- 24
- No
- 2
- Absent
- 0
- Excused
- 4
- Conflict
- 0
Yes 24
Affie EllisS08Anthony BouchardS06Bo BitemanR · S21Brian BonerR · S02Charles ScottR · S30Cheri SteinmetzR · S03Chris RothfussD · S09Dan DockstaderR · S16Drew A PerkinsS29Eli D BeboutS26Fred A BaldwinS14Glenn W MonizS10Jeff WasserburgerS23Jim AndersonR · S28Larry HicksR · S11Liisa L Anselmi-DaltonS12Lynn HutchingsR · S05Michael J Mr. Von FlaternS24Mike GierauD · S17RJ KostS19Stephan PappasR · S07Tara NethercottR · S04Tom JamesS13Wendy SchulerR · S15
H 3rd Reading:Passed 44-16-0-0-02020-03-11 · House44 yes 16 no
- Yes
- 44
- No
- 16
- Absent
- 0
- Excused
- 0
- Conflict
- 0
Yes 44
Albert P Sommers Jr.H20Andrew W SchwartzH23Art WashutR · H36CLIFFORDCarl R LoucksH59Catherine R ConnollyH13Charles F PelkeyH45Charles J GrayH57Clark D StithH48Cyrus WesternH51DAYTON-SELMANDan FurphyH14Dan R KirkbrideH04Dan ZwonitzerH43David E NorthrupH50Donald E Burkhart JrH15Eric BarlowR · H03Evan J SimpsonH21Garry C PiiparinenH49Hans HuntH02James A RoscoeH22Jamie L FlitnerH26Jared OlsenR · H11Jerry A ObermuellerH56Jerry D PaxtonH47John L FreemanH60Landon BrownR · H09Mark S KinnerH29Mike YinD · H16Patrick SweeneyH58Robert A ClausenH06Sandy NewsomeH24Sara BurlingameH44Shelly DuncanH05Stanley L BlakeH39Steve HarshmanR · H37Susan S WilsonH07Theodore J BlackburnH42Thomas D CrankH18Tim SalazarR · H34Tyler E LindholmH01William D HendersonH41William H Mr. HaleyH46William H PownallH52
H10 - Labor:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 6-3-0-0-02020-03-03 · House6 yes 3 no
- Yes
- 6
- No
- 3
- Absent
- 0
- Excused
- 0
- Conflict
- 0
S 3rd Reading:Passed 24-6-0-0-02020-02-26 · Senate24 yes 6 no
- Yes
- 24
- No
- 6
- Absent
- 0
- Excused
- 0
- Conflict
- 0
Yes 24
Affie EllisS08Anthony BouchardS06Bill LandenR · S27Bo BitemanR · S21Brian BonerR · S02Charles ScottR · S30Cheri SteinmetzR · S03Chris RothfussD · S09Dan DockstaderR · S16Drew A PerkinsS29Fred A BaldwinS14Glenn W MonizS10Jeff WasserburgerS23Jim AndersonR · S28Liisa L Anselmi-DaltonS12Lynn HutchingsR · S05Michael J Mr. Von FlaternS24Mike GierauD · S17RJ KostS19Stephan PappasR · S07Tara NethercottR · S04Tom JamesS13Wendy SchulerR · S15Wyatt AgarS20
S10 - Labor:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 5-0-0-0-02020-02-17 · Senate5 yes 0 no
- Yes
- 5
- No
- 0
- Absent
- 0
- Excused
- 0
- Conflict
- 0
S Introduced and Referred to S10 - Labor 29-1-0-0-02020-02-13 · Senate29 yes 1 no
- Yes
- 29
- No
- 1
- Absent
- 0
- Excused
- 0
- Conflict
- 0
Yes 29
Affie EllisS08Anthony BouchardS06Bill LandenR · S27Bo BitemanR · S21Brian BonerR · S02Charles ScottR · S30Cheri SteinmetzR · S03Chris RothfussD · S09Dan DockstaderR · S16David A KinskeyS22Drew A PerkinsS29Eli D BeboutS26Fred A BaldwinS14Glenn W MonizS10Henry R CoeS18Jeff WasserburgerS23Jim AndersonR · S28Larry HicksR · S11Liisa L Anselmi-DaltonS12Lynn HutchingsR · S05Michael J Mr. Von FlaternS24Mike GierauD · S17Ogden DriskillR · S01RJ KostS19Stephan PappasR · S07Tara NethercottR · S04Tom JamesS13Wendy SchulerR · S15Wyatt AgarS20
No 1
Read together
Related bills
Official activity
Bill history
- Assigned Chapter Number 160LSO
- Became Law without Governor's Signature
- H Speaker Signed SEA No. 0056House
- S President Signed SEA No. 0056Senate
- Assigned Number SEA No. 0056LSO
- S Concur:Passed 24-2-4-0-0Senate
- S Received for ConcurrenceSenate
- H 3rd Reading:Passed 44-16-0-0-0House
- H 2nd Reading:PassedHouse
- H 2nd Reading:PassedHouse
- H COW:PassedHouse
- H Placed on General FileHouse
- H10 - Labor:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 6-3-0-0-0House
- H Introduced and Referred to H10 - LaborHouse
- H Received for IntroductionHouse
- S 3rd Reading:Passed 24-6-0-0-0Senate
- S 2nd Reading:PassedSenate
- S COW:PassedSenate
- S Placed on General FileSenate
- S10 - Labor:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 5-0-0-0-0Senate
Changes
Amendments
8 stored
The amendment changes the definition of who can receive worker's compensation for mental injuries to include peace officers specifically.
The amendment adds 'emergency room personnel' to the list of first responders who can receive worker's compensation for mental injuries.
The amendment changes the definition of a compensable mental injury for first responders to include specific types of disorders such as depression, anxiety, acute stress, and post-traumatic stress.
The amendment adds 'corrections officer' to the list of first responders who can receive worker's compensation for mental injuries.
The amendment changes the time limit for first responders to receive worker's compensation for mental injuries from six months to thirty-six months after the injury is diagnosed.
The amendment adds a limit on disability benefits for first responders with mental injuries to ensure that total payments do not exceed what is normally due.
The amendment adds 'psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners' to the list of professionals who can provide mental health services for first responders under worker's compensation.
This amendment removes specific language about when a mental injury is considered compensable for first responders in the worker's compensation context.