SF0095 • 2020

Wyoming Colorado River committee.

AN ACT relating to water; creating and providing duties for a Wyoming Colorado River committee; making conforming amendments; requiring a report; providing appropriations; and providing for an effective date.

Budget Labor

Did Not Pass

The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.

Sponsor: Senator Hicks
Last action: 2020-03-10
Official status: inactive
Effective date: 3/1/2020

Plain English Breakdown

The bill did not pass in its session as indicated by the last action date.

Wyoming Colorado River Committee Act

The bill creates a committee to study water management in the Colorado River basin and provides funding for its operations.

What This Bill Does

Creates a Wyoming Colorado River Committee with twelve members, including government officials and representatives from various sectors.
Requires the committee to investigate ways to manage water demand and supply in the Colorado River basin.
Directs the state engineer's office to inform the committee about ongoing water management activities.
Appropriates $50,000 from the general fund for the committee’s operations until June 30, 2022.

Who It Names or Affects

The governor and other state officials who will serve on or support the committee.
Water users in the Colorado River basin including farmers, industries, municipalities, and conservation groups.
Residents of Wyoming who rely on water resources from the Colorado River basin.

Terms To Know

Demand Management Program: A program that aims to reduce water usage temporarily through voluntary actions by users in order to manage water supply more effectively.
Consumptive Uses: The amount of water used for a purpose and not returned to the river system, such as evaporation or incorporation into products.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill did not pass in its session.
Some parts of the committee's duties will be repealed on July 1, 2028.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

SF0095HW001

Committee of the Whole • Representative Western

Filed

Plain English: The amendment removes specific language related to committee duties and reporting requirements from the bill.

Removes text after 'least' on page 2, line 3.
Deletes a sentence about 'and' on page 2, line 4.
Eliminates the phrase 'thereafter' on page 2, line 5.
Strikes out language regarding committee service and membership on page 2, lines 13-14.
Removes references to 'River basin' and deletes a paragraph about reporting requirements from page 2, line 15 and page 5, lines 15 through 23.

The exact impact of these deletions on the committee's duties is not fully explained in the amendment text.

SF0095HS001

Standing Committee • House Appropriations Committee

Filed

Plain English: The amendment modifies the bill to remove references specific to the Upper Colorado and the River Basin Compact, adjust a date from 2028 to 2027, and add provisions about nonlegislative committee members' compensation.

Removes 'under the Upper Colorado' and replaces 'River Basin Compact' with 'for Colorado River operations'.
Changes the year from 2028 to 2027 in a specific section of the bill.
Adds new language stating that nonlegislative committee members who are public employees or authorized by the state to receive per diem or compensation shall not be provided additional payments.

The amendment text does not provide full context for all changes, which may make it difficult to understand the broader implications without reviewing the original bill.

SF0095S3001

3rd reading • Senator Hicks

Corrected, Corrected, Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes specific numbers, wording, and content related to the duties of a Wyoming Colorado River committee.

Changes 'eleven' to 'twelve' in several places where member counts or population thresholds are mentioned.
Adds requirements for quarterly meetings during the first two years of the committee's operation.
Modifies the number and representation criteria for committee members, including adding a new requirement for one member representing a smaller population area.
Inserts new sections detailing the committee’s responsibilities regarding investigating and recommending demand management programs in Wyoming.

The amendment text is technical and may require additional context to fully understand all implications.

SF0095SS001

Standing Committee • Senate Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment removes certain lines from the bill related to duties for a Wyoming Colorado River committee and adds a new subsection that repeals another part of the bill in 2028.

Removes specific lines on page 5, lines 12 through 23, which contain details about the duties of the Wyoming Colorado River committee.
Eliminates lines 1 and 2 from page 6, which likely contained additional information or requirements related to the committee's operations.
Adds a new subsection (e) on page 6 that will repeal subsection (d) of the bill starting July 1, 2028.

The exact content and significance of the deleted lines are not provided in the amendment text, making it hard to explain their full impact.
Without knowing what subsection (d) contains, we cannot fully describe its repeal or understand its implications.

SF0095SS002

Standing Committee • Senate Appropriations Committee

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment adds a specific funding provision for the Wyoming Colorado River committee and modifies language related to appropriations.

Changes 'an appropriation' to 'appropriations' in the bill's text.
Inserts new section (b) after Section 3, which appropriates $40,000 from the general fund to the state engineer for payments to non-legislative committee members of the Wyoming Colorado River committee.
Specifies that this appropriation is valid until June 30, 2022.

The amendment does not provide details on how the funds will be used beyond providing payments to non-legislative committee members.

Bill History

2020-03-10 House
H COW:H Did not consider for COW
2020-03-06 House
H Placed on General File
2020-03-06 House
H02 - Appropriations:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 5-1-1-0-0
2020-03-03 House
H Introduced and Referred to H02 - Appropriations
2020-03-02 House
H Received for Introduction
2020-02-27 Senate
S 3rd Reading:Passed 19-11-0-0-0
2020-02-26 Senate
S 3rd Reading:Laid Back
2020-02-25 Senate
S 2nd Reading:Passed
2020-02-24 Senate
S COW:Passed
2020-02-18 Senate
S Placed on General File
2020-02-18 Senate
S02 - Appropriations:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 4-0-1-0-0
2020-02-14 Senate
S COW:Rerefer to S02 - Appropriations
2020-02-14 Senate
S Placed on General File
2020-02-14 Senate
S05 - Agriculture:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 4-1-0-0-0
2020-02-12 Senate
S Introduced and Referred to S05 - Agriculture 29-0-1-0-0
2020-02-11 Senate
S Received for Introduction
2020-02-10 LSO
Bill Number Assigned

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

20LSO-0381
2020
STATE OF WYOMING
20LSO-0381
ENGROSSED
3.0

SENATE FILE NO. SF0095

Wyoming Colorado River committee.

Sponsored by: Senator(s) Hicks, Anselmi-Dalton and Baldwin and Representative(s) Crank, Freeman, Paxton and Sommers

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to water; creating and providing duties for a Wyoming Colorado River committee; making conforming amendments; requiring a report; providing appropriations; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.

W.S. 41
‑
11
‑
207 is created to read:

41
‑
11
‑
207.

Wyoming Colorado River committee; purpose; creation; duties.

(a)

The Wyoming Colorado River committee is created to consist of twelve (12) members. The committee shall be administratively housed within the state engineer's office
which shall provide the committee with staff resources, administrative support and technical expertise. The committee shall meet at least quarterly for the first two (2) years of the committee and two (2) times per year thereafter and shall meet additionally as necessary or upon request of the state engineer. Committee membership shall consist of:

(i)

The governor, or his designee;

(ii)

The state engineer, or his designee;

(iii)

Two (2) legislators, who shall serve ex
‑
officio, representing districts within the Colorado River basin, one (1) appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and one (1) appointed by the president of the senate; and

(iv)

Eight (8) members appointed by the governor as follows:

(A)

Two (2) shall be agricultural irrigators holding valid water rights within the Colorado River basin;

(B)

One (1) shall be a representative of a special district with primary responsibilities for irrigation within the Colorado River basin;

(C)

One (1) shall be an industry representative representing industries holding valid water rights within the Colorado River basin;

(D)

One (1) shall be a person who recreates or participates in conservation activities within the Colorado River basin;

(E)

One (1) shall be a representative of a municipality or joint powers board that holds a valid water right within the Colorado River basin and that represents a population of at least twelve thousand (12,000) and one (1) member who shall be a representative of a municipality or joint powers board that holds a valid water right within
the Colorado River basin and that represents a population of less than twelve thousand (12,000); and

(F)

One (1) shall be a county commissioner from a county within the Colorado River basin.

(b)

Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, members appointed by the governor shall serve a term of four (4) years and may be removed by the governor as provided in W.S. 9
‑
1
‑
202(a). The governor shall designate three (3) of the initially appointed members to serve a term of two (2) years.

(c)

The committee, through work conducted by the state engineer's office and any commissioner appointed pursuant to W.S. 41
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11
‑
201 or designated pursuant to W.S. 41
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11
‑
202 to represent the state of Wyoming in negotiations with any other upper Colorado River basin state, shall:

(i)

Investigate the feasibility of implementing an upper Colorado River basin demand management program in Wyoming based upon temporary, voluntary and compensated
reductions in consumptive uses or augmentation of water supplies in the Colorado River basin;

(ii)

Make recommendations to the governor, state engineer and state of Wyoming upper Colorado River basin commissioner regarding the feasibility of a demand management program in Wyoming.

(d)

The state engineer's office, state engineer and state of Wyoming upper Colorado River basin commissioner shall keep the committee informed regarding the formal review of 2007 interim guidelines under the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact.

(e)

Committee meetings and recommendations under this section shall be coordinated with and compliment the demand management program activities and outreach as conducted by the state engineer's office, state engineer or state of Wyoming upper Colorado River basin commissioner.

(f)

Subsections (c) and (d) of this section are repealed effective July 1, 2028.

Section 2.

W.S. 41
‑
11
‑
205 is amended to read:

41
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11
‑
205.

Mileage, per diem and compensation for Wyoming Colorado River committee members, commissioners and assistant commissioners.

Each
Wyoming Colorado River committee member
and every commissioner and assistant commissioner appointed to represent the state of Wyoming on an interstate compact or in the negotiation thereof shall be paid per diem and compensation in the same amount as provided for members of the Wyoming legislature and mileage at the rate set in W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
103 for each mile actually and necessarily traveled in the performance of his duties except state of Wyoming officers and employees shall only be reimbursed for mileage and per diem while away from their regular stations, as in other cases provided. The state engineer is charged with the responsibility for expenditure of such sums as are necessary under this
act
article, except for expenditures necessary for legislative committee members
.

Section 3.

(a)

There is appropriated ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) from the general fund to the legislative service office for purposes of providing payments authorized by section 2 of this act to legislative committee members of the Wyoming Colorado River committee. This appropriation shall be for the period beginning with the effective date of this act and ending June 30, 2022. This appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this appropriation shall revert as provided by law on June 30, 2022.

(b)

There is appropriated forty thousand dollars ($40,000.00) from the general fund to the state engineer for purposes of providing payments authorized by section 2 of this act to nonlegislative committee members of the Wyoming Colorado River committee. This appropriation shall be for the period beginning with the effective date of this act and ending June 30, 2022. This appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this appropriation shall revert as provided by law on June 30, 2022.

Section 4
.

This act is effective July 1, 2020
.

(END)

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