HB0076 • 2021

Uniform statewide payment processing.

AN ACT relating to the administration of government; amending requirements for statewide payment processor services; requiring disclosure of fees; requiring a report; and providing for an effective date.

Budget Technology

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Representative Brown
Last action: 2021-04-01
Official status: enrolled
Effective date: 4/1/2021

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide information on penalties for non-compliance.

Uniform Statewide Payment Processing

This law requires state agencies to use a single payment processing service and sets rules for fees and reporting.

What This Bill Does

Requires the Department of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) to contract with one statewide payment processor for all executive branch agencies.
Establishes uniform rates and fees for payment transactions across all state agencies using this service.
Requires collecting agencies to clearly disclose any debit or credit card fees at the time they are charged.
Requires affected agencies to report on savings, efficiencies, or inefficiencies by May 31, 2022.
Requires ETS to compile and submit a summary of these reports to the Joint Appropriations Committee by June 30, 2022.

Who It Names or Affects

All executive branch agencies in Wyoming
The Department of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS)
Payment processors working with state agencies

Terms To Know

Department of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS): A department within the Wyoming government responsible for technology services.
Negotiable paper: Money orders, checks, drafts, and other forms of payment that can be transferred or exchanged.

Limits and Unknowns

The law does not specify what happens if an agency cannot use the statewide payment processor.
It is unclear how this change will affect non-executive branch agencies like universities and community colleges.

Amendments

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

HB0076HS001

Standing Committee • House Appropriations Committee

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes the bill to allow for a report on the effects of statewide payment processor services instead of requiring it, specifies that fees apply to debit or credit cards, and adds details about reporting requirements.

Changes 'shall' to 'may' in the requirement for a report, making it optional rather than mandatory.
Adds language specifying that fees apply to both debit and credit card payments.
Includes new reporting requirements where affected state entities must report savings or inefficiencies by May 31, 2022, and the Department of Enterprise Technology Services will summarize these findings for a joint appropriations committee by June 30, 2022.

The amendment text does not provide details on how fees are to be disclosed or what specific savings or inefficiencies must be reported.

Bill History

2021-04-01 LSO
Assigned Chapter Number 48
2021-04-01 Governor
Governor Signed HEA No. 0037
2021-03-30 Senate
S President Signed HEA No. 0037
2021-03-30 House
H Speaker Signed HEA No. 0037
2021-03-26 LSO
Assigned Number HEA No. 0037
2021-03-26 Senate
S 3rd Reading:Passed 29-0-1-0-0
2021-03-25 Senate
S 3rd Reading:Laid Back
2021-03-24 Senate
S 2nd Reading:Passed
2021-03-23 Senate
S COW:Passed
2021-03-22 Senate
S Placed on General File
2021-03-22 Senate
S02 - Appropriations:Recommend Do Pass 5-0-0-0-0
2021-03-17 Senate
S Introduced and Referred to S02 - Appropriations
2021-03-09 Senate
S Received for Introduction
2021-03-08 House
H 3rd Reading:Passed 56-4-0-0-0
2021-03-05 House
H 2nd Reading:Passed
2021-03-04 House
H COW:Passed
2021-03-03 House
H Placed on General File
2021-03-03 House
H02 - Appropriations:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 7-0-0-0-0
2021-02-05 House
H Introduced and Referred to H02 - Appropriations
2021-01-26 House
H Received for Introduction
2021-01-21 LSO
Bill Number Assigned

Official Summary Text

Bill Summary - 21LSO-0127
Bill No.:

HB0076

Effective:

Immediately

LSO No.:

21LSO-0127

Enrolled Act No.:

HEA No. 0037

Chapter No.:

48

Prime Sponsor:

Brown

Catch Title:

Uniform statewide payment processing.

Subject:

Requires the Department of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) to contract for a uniform payment processing service.

Summary/Major Elements:

Currently, ETS contracts with payment processors for state agencies on an individual basis, resulting in a patchwork of different rates and fees across state agencies.

This act requires ETS to contract for a uniform payment processing service for all agencies and to establish uniform rates and fees across state agencies.

The collecting agency is required to clearly and conspicuously disclose any debit or credit card fees assessed for processing payment transactions at the time the fees are collected.

Comments:

The act requires any agency affected by this act to report to ETS regarding any savings, efficiencies or inefficiencies generated by this act, and this act requires ETS to subsequently compile that information and report its findings to the Joint Appropriations Committee by June 30, 2022.
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.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

21LSO-0127

ORIGINAL House

Bill No
.
HB0076

ENROLLED ACT NO. 37,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2021 General Session

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

Section 1.

W.S. 9
‑
4
‑
217(h) is amended to read:

9
‑
4
‑
217.

Uniform state accounting system; uniform statewide payment processing.

(h)

The department of enterprise technology services shall contract with a payment processor for
uniform
statewide payment processing services that each
executive branch
agency
as defined by W.S. 9
‑
2
‑
1002(a)(i), including the game and fish department and the Wyoming department of transportation,
shall utilize, except as specifically prohibited by law or as otherwise provided in this subsection, to allow any tax, assessment, license, permit, fee, fine, or other money owing to the state or collectible by the state on behalf of another unit of government to be paid by negotiable paper, or in payment of any bail deposit or other trust deposit.

The statewide payment processor contract shall establish a uniform rate or uniform fee for the costs of processing payment transactions for all agencies.

If the administrative head of a division within
a department
an agency
determines that it is not feasible to utilize the statewide payment processor contract
,
the administrative head
shall
may
request a waiver from the state chief information officer.

If the waiver is granted, the
division
agency
may, except as otherwise prohibited by law, contract with a payment processor for the purposes specified in this subsection and as reasonably limited by the waiver.

The University of Wyoming, Wyoming community
colleges and the judicial and legislative departments of state government may, except as otherwise prohibited by law, contract with a payment processor or utilize the statewide payment processor contract for the purposes specified in this subsection.

As used in this subsection, "negotiable paper" means money orders, paper arising from the use of a lender credit card as defined in W.S. 40
‑
14
‑
140(a)(ix), checks and drafts, including, without limitation, sales drafts and checks and drafts signed by a holder of a lender credit card issued by a bank maintaining a revolving loan account as defined in W.S. 40
‑
14
‑
308, for lender credit card holders.

The acceptance of negotiable paper by the state or any of its agencies under this subsection shall be in accordance with and subject to the same terms and conditions provided by W.S. 18
‑
3
‑
505. Any fees assessed for processing a payment under this subsection
may
shall
be borne by the
agency or
person tendering payment.

Any fees borne by the person tendering payment pursuant to this subsection
may
shall only
be used by
the state auditor or
the
collecting
agency
responsible for the collection of such fees
to pay the processing costs of rendering the payment transaction.
The collecting agency shall clearly and conspicuously disclose any debit or credit card fees assessed for processing payment transactions under this subsection at the time the fees are collected, which shall include disclosure on any website used by the agency to accept payments.

As used in this subsection:

(i)

"Agency" means as defined by W.S. 9
‑
2
‑
1002(a)(i);

(ii)

"Negotiable paper" means money orders, paper arising from the use of a lender credit card as defined in W.S. 40
‑
14
‑
140(a)(ix), checks and drafts, including, without limitation, sales drafts and checks and drafts signed by a holder of a lender credit card issued by a bank maintaining a revolving loan account as defined in W.S. 40
‑
14
‑
308, for lender credit card holders.

Section 2
.

Any office, department, board, commission or operating unit of the executive branch of state government affected by amendments made to W.S. 9
‑
4
‑
217(h), as provided by this act, shall report to the department of enterprise technology services by May 31, 2022 regarding any savings, efficiencies or inefficiencies resulting from implementation of this act. The department of enterprise technology services shall summarize the findings and provide a report of the findings to the joint appropriations committee by June 30, 2022.

Section 3.

This act is effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.

Chief Clerk