Back to Wyoming

HB0010 • 2023

County officers-bond amounts and surety requirement.

AN ACT relating to county officers; increasing the amount of the bond that county officers are required to give as specified; eliminating a requirement for multiple sureties for county officers; specifying applicability; and providing for an effective date.

Enacted

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

Sponsor
Judiciary
Last action
2023-02-15
Official status
enrolled
Effective date
7/1/2023

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not specify the exact impact on existing officers.

Increasing Bond Amounts for County Officers

This law increases bond amounts and changes surety requirements for certain county officers.

What This Bill Does

  • Increases the bond amount that clerks of district court, county coroners, county commissioners, county assessors, county clerks, county sheriffs, and county surveyors must provide to $100,000.
  • Removes the requirement for these officers to use more than one surety when providing their bonds.

Who It Names or Affects

  • County clerks of district court
  • County coroners
  • County commissioners
  • County assessors
  • County clerks
  • County sheriffs
  • County surveyors

Terms To Know

Bond
A financial guarantee that a person will perform their job duties honestly and faithfully.
Surety
Someone who agrees to pay the bond if the officer does not fulfill their responsibilities.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law only applies to new terms starting on or after July 1, 2023.
  • It is unclear how existing officers will be affected by this change.

Amendments

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

HB0010HS001

Standing Committee • House Judiciary Committee

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment reduces the bond amount required for certain county officers from $100,000 to $10,000.

  • Changes the bond requirement for specified county officers from $100,000 to $10,000.
  • The amendment does not specify which exact county officers are affected by this change.

Bill History

  1. 2023-02-15 LSO

    Assigned Chapter Number 13

  2. 2023-02-15 Governor

    Governor Signed HEA No. 0010

  3. 2023-02-14 Senate

    S President Signed HEA No. 0010

  4. 2023-02-13 House

    H Speaker Signed HEA No. 0010

  5. 2023-02-09 LSO

    Assigned Number HEA No. 0010

  6. 2023-02-09 Senate

    S 3rd Reading:Passed 29-2-0-0-0

  7. 2023-02-08 Senate

    S 2nd Reading:Passed

  8. 2023-02-07 Senate

    S COW:Passed

  9. 2023-02-07 Senate

    S Placed on General File

  10. 2023-02-07 Senate

    S06 - Travel:Recommend Do Pass 5-0-0-0-0

  11. 2023-02-02 Senate

    S Introduced and Referred to S06 - Travel

  12. 2023-01-24 Senate

    S Received for Introduction

  13. 2023-01-24 House

    H 3rd Reading:Passed 60-1-1-0-0

  14. 2023-01-20 House

    H 2nd Reading:Passed

  15. 2023-01-19 House

    H COW:Passed

  16. 2023-01-18 House

    H Placed on General File

  17. 2023-01-18 House

    H01 - Judiciary:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 9-0-0-0-0

  18. 2023-01-11 House

    H Introduced and Referred to H01 - Judiciary

  19. 2023-01-06 House

    H Received for Introduction

  20. 2022-12-02 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Official Summary Text

Bill Summary - 23LSO-0092
Bill No.:

HB0010

Effective:

7/1/2023

LSO No.:

23LSO-0092

Enrolled Act No.:

HEA No. 0010

Chapter No.:

13

Prime Sponsor:

Joint Judiciary Interim Committee

Catch Title:

County officers-bond amounts and surety requirement.

Subject:

Amending bond and surety requirements for elected county officers.

Summary/Major Elements:

Current law requires elected county officers to furnish a bond before assuming the duties of their offices. These bonds range from one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) (for county commissioners) to ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) (for clerks of district court).

Current law also requires some county officers to furnish the bonds using more than one surety.

This act increases the amount of the bond that clerks of district court, county coroners, county commissioners, county assessors, county clerks, county sheriffs and county surveyors are required to furnish. The increased bond amount is one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00).

The act also eliminates the requirement for county surveyors, county assessors, clerks of district court and county coroners to use more than one surety to secure their bonds.

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
23LSO-0092

ORIGINAL House

Bill No
.
HB0010

ENROLLED ACT NO. 10,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2023 General Session

AN ACT relating to county officers; increasing the amount of the bond that county officers are required to give as specified; eliminating a requirement for multiple sureties for county officers; specifying applicability; and providing for an effective date.

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

Section 1
.

W.S. 5
‑
3
‑
208, 7
‑
4
‑
101 and 18
‑
3
‑
102(a)(i) and (iii) through (vi) are amended to read:

5
‑
3
‑
208.

Amount of bond; conditions.

Each clerk upon entering on the duties of his office, shall give a bond in the penal sum of not less than
ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00)
one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00)
to the county
with two (2) or more sufficient sureties
to be approved by the county commissioners conditioned upon the faithful performance of the duties of his office, the proper collection and turning over all fees and the proper payment of all moneys collected by him and he shall from time to time give such additional bond as the judge of the court may require.

7
‑
4
‑
101.

Election; oath; bond.

A coroner shall be elected in each county for a term of four (4) years. He shall take the oath prescribed by the constitution of the state and give bond to the state of Wyoming, in the penal sum of
one thousand dollars ($1,000.00)
one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00)
, with
a
sufficient
sureties
surety
, to be approved by the board of county commissioners, conditioned that he will faithfully perform all duties required by law.

18
‑
3
‑
102.

County officers required to execute bonds; amount; sureties; penalty.

(a)

All county officers, except county attorneys, before assuming the duties of their office and within twenty (20) days after the commencement of the term for which they were elected or appointed, shall take, subscribe and file the oath of office, and execute and file their official bonds to the state of Wyoming to insure the honest and faithful performance of their duties, in the penal amounts specified and according to the following provisions:

(i)

County assessor: a bond approved by the board of county commissioners of
five thousand dollars ($5,000.00)
one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00)
with
at least two (2) sureties
a sufficient surety
who
are residents
is a resident
of the county or of a responsible surety company;

(iii)

County clerk: a bond filed with the county treasurer of not less than
four thousand dollars ($4,000.00)
one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00)
with
at least two (2) sureties
a sufficient surety
;

(iv)

County commissioners: a bond approved by the clerk of the district court of
one thousand dollars ($1,000.00)
ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00)
;

(v)

County sheriff: a bond approved by the board of county commissioners of
four thousand dollars ($4,000.00)
one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00)
with sufficient surety;

(vi)

County surveyor: a bond of
one thousand dollars ($1,000.00)
ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00)
with sufficient
sureties
surety
;

Section 2.

The provisions of this act shall apply to any clerk of district court, county assessor, county coroner, county clerk, county commissioner, county sheriff or county surveyor whose term of office commences on and after the effective date of this act.

Section 3
.

This act is effective July 1, 2023
.

(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

1