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HB0023 • 2021
Highway safety-child restraints.
AN ACT relating to child safety restraints; requiring rear-facing infant seats and child safety restraint systems for children under the age of two (2); making conforming amendments; increasing fines for a violation; and providing for an effective date.
Children
Parental Rights
Did Not Pass
The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.
- Sponsor
- Transportation
- Last action
- 2021-03-03
- Official status
- inactive
- Effective date
- 3/1/2021
Plain English Breakdown
The official source material does not provide information on whether second or subsequent violations would be considered moving violations leading to license suspension.
Child Safety Restraints for Infants
The bill requires children under the age of two to use rear-facing car seats and increases fines for not following this rule.
What This Bill Does
- Requires children under the age of two to use rear-facing infant seats when riding in a vehicle.
- Increases the fine for violating child safety restraint rules from $50 to $100 for first-time offenders, and up to $200 for repeat offenses.
Who It Names or Affects
- Parents and guardians of children under the age of two who ride in vehicles.
- Drivers who violate child safety restraint rules.
Terms To Know
- Child Safety Restraint System
- A device designed to protect a child from injury during a car accident, such as a car seat or booster seat.
Limits and Unknowns
- The bill did not pass and therefore has no legal impact.
- It only applies if the bill becomes law in the future.
Amendments
These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.
Plain English: The amendment removes a previous committee amendment related to child safety restraints from the bill.
- Removes the Baker, et al. committee's earlier amendment (HB0023HW001.01/A) that was part of the bill.
- The exact content and impact of the removed amendment are not provided in this text.
HB0023HW001
Committee of the Whole • Representative Baker
Divided
Plain English: The amendment changes the term 'fines' to 'penalties' and modifies the consequences for repeated violations of child safety restraint laws.
- Changes the word 'fines' to 'penalties' in the bill text.
- Adds a new provision that treats a second or subsequent violation as a moving violation, which can lead to driver's license suspension.
- The amendment removes specific language from page 3 line 6 but does not provide details on what was removed, making it unclear exactly what has been deleted.
- It is unclear how the new penalties and license suspensions will be enforced or what the exact criteria are for determining repeat violations.
Plain English: The amendment changes the term 'fines' to 'penalties' in the bill text.
- Changes the word 'fines' to 'penalties' where it appears on page 1, line 4 of the bill.
- This amendment does not provide further details about what constitutes these penalties.
Plain English: The amendment removes new language and replaces it with text that treats repeated violations of child safety restraint laws as moving violations for the purpose of suspending a driver's license.
- Removes all newly added language from the bill.
- Adds a provision stating that a second or subsequent violation of child safety restraint requirements will be treated as a moving violation, allowing for suspension of a driver’s license under specific state law.
- The amendment does not specify what new language was removed and how it affects the overall bill's intent.
- It is unclear from this text alone how the removal of all new language impacts other parts of the bill.
Bill History
-
2021-03-03
House
H 3rd Reading:Failed 26-34-0-0-0
-
2021-03-02
House
H 2nd Reading:Passed
-
2021-03-01
House
H COW:Passed
-
2021-02-02
House
H Placed on General File
-
2021-02-02
House
H08 - Transportation:Recommend Do Pass 9-0-0-0-0
-
2021-02-01
House
H Introduced and Referred to H08 - Transportation
-
2021-01-12
House
H Received for Introduction
-
2020-12-21
LSO
Bill Number Assigned
Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
21LSO-0013
2021
STATE OF WYOMING
21LSO-0013
Numbered
2.0
HOUSE BILL NO. HB0023
Highway safety-child restraints.
Sponsored by: Joint Transportation, Highways & Military Affairs Interim Committee
A BILL
for
AN ACT relating to child safety restraints; requiring rear-facing infant seats and child safety restraint systems for children under the age of two (2); making conforming amendments; increasing fines for a violation; and providing for an effective date.
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
Section 1.
W.S. 31
‑
5
‑
1303(a) and 31
‑
5
‑
1304(a) are amended to read:
31
‑
5
‑
1303.
Child safety restraint system; required use; exception.
(a)
Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b) of this section, no person shall operate a passenger vehicle in this state unless each child who is a passenger in that vehicle and who has not reached his ninth birthday is properly secured in a child safety restraint system in a seat of the vehicle other than the front seat, except if the vehicle is only equipped with one (1) row of seats, or if all safety belts in the rows of seats behind the front seat are in use by other child passengers in the vehicle, the child may be properly secured in a child safety restraint system in the front passenger seat of the vehicle, except that a rear
‑
facing infant seat
or child safety restraint system
shall not be placed in front of an active airbag.
For each child who has not reached his second birthday, the infant seat or child safety restraint system required by this subsection shall be rear
‑
facing.
31
‑
5
‑
1304.
Penalty.
(a)
Any person who violates this article shall be issued a citation and fined not more than
fifty dollars ($50.00)
one hundred dollars ($100.00)
for the first offense, provided that the fine shall be waived by the court upon receipt of proof by the court that the offender, after the offense occurred, has purchased, leased or otherwise acquired a child safety restraint system which meets the requirements of this article. For a second or subsequent violation of this article, the offender shall be fined not more than
one hundred dollars ($100.00)
two hundred dollars ($200.00)
.
Section 2
.
This act is effective July 1, 2021
.
(END)
1
HB0023