HB0177 • 2025

Statutory standing committee-federal review.

AN ACT relating to the legislature; creating the joint and standing committee on federal review; establishing powers and duties of the joint and standing committee on federal review; specifying the date for appointment of members to the joint and standing committee on federal review; providing a contingent sunset date; and providing for an effective date.

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Inactive

Wyoming marks this bill as inactive, which usually means it is no longer moving in the current session.

Sponsor: Representative Wharff
Last action: 2025-03-03
Official status: inactive
Effective date: 3/1/2025

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on how the committee will interact with federal courts or what happens if violations are found but cannot be changed.

Creating a Committee to Review Federal Actions

This act creates a joint and standing committee in the legislature to review federal actions that may affect state sovereignty or citizens' rights.

What This Bill Does

Creates a new committee called the 'Federal Review Joint and Standing Committee'.
Appoints five senators and nine representatives to serve on this committee.
Gives the committee the power to examine if federal laws, rules, and actions are harming Wyoming's sovereignty or citizens' rights as legally defined during the ratification debates of the United States Constitution.
Requires the committee to report its findings and recommendations to the legislature.

Who It Names or Affects

Members of the Wyoming State Legislature
Citizens of Wyoming

Terms To Know

Federal action: All new, proposed or existing federal laws, resolutions, rules, regulations, decrees, orders, mandates, executive orders and any other federal dictate having the force and effect of law.
Sovereignty: The independent authority of a state to govern itself without external interference as legally defined during the ratification debates of the United States Constitution.

Limits and Unknowns

It is unclear how the committee will interact with federal courts and their decisions.
The bill does not specify what happens if the committee finds a violation but cannot change it.

Amendments

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

HB0177H3001

3rd reading • Representative Brady

Withdrawn

Plain English: The amendment removes the entire first line of text from page 1 of HB0177, which is related to creating a joint and standing committee on federal review.

Removes the first line of text from page 1 of the bill.

The exact content of the removed line is not provided, so it's unclear what specific information or provisions were in that line.

Bill History

2025-03-03 Senate
S:Died in Committee Returned Bill Pursuant to SR 5-4
2025-02-28 Senate
S No report prior to CoW Cutoff
2025-02-18 Senate
S Introduced and Referred to S01 - Judiciary
2025-02-03 Senate
S Received for Introduction
2025-02-03 House
H 3rd Reading:Passed 32-25-5-0-0
2025-01-31 House
H 2nd Reading:Passed
2025-01-30 House
H COW:Passed
2025-01-27 House
H Placed on General File
2025-01-27 House
H07 - Corporations:Recommend Do Pass 8-1-0-0-0
2025-01-21 House
H Introduced and Referred to H07 - Corporations
2025-01-14 House
H Received for Introduction
2025-01-14 LSO
Bill Number Assigned

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

25LSO-0446
2025
STATE OF WYOMING
25LSO-0446
Numbered
2.0

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0177

Statutory standing committee-federal review.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Wharff, Allemand, Bear, Brown, G, Guggenmos, Johnson, Neiman, Pendergraft, Webber and Winter and Senator(s) Ide, Laursen, D and McKeown

A BILL

for

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

Section 1.

W.S. 28
‑
11
‑
801 is created to read:

CHAPTER 11
STANDING AND SELECT COMMITTEES

ARTICLE 8
FEDERAL REVIEW STANDING COMMITTEE

28
‑
11
‑
801.

Creation of the federal review joint and standing committee; powers and duties; reporting; definitions.

(a)

There is created the federal review joint and standing committee.

The president of the senate shall appoint five (5) members of the senate and the speaker of the house shall appoint nine (9) members of the house of representatives to serve on the committee not later than March 31 following each general election.

(b)

The senate and the house of representatives federal review joint and standing committee shall:

(i)

Review any federal actions to determine if the sovereignty of the state of Wyoming and the powers, rights and liberties of its citizens, as legally defined during the ratification debates of the several states in ratifying the United States Constitution of 1787, are being infringed upon or diminished and ensure the Wyoming legislature meets its constitutional obligation of recognizing all infractions to the constitution of which the state of Wyoming is a party;

(ii)

Ascertain and make findings as to which federal actions are not consistent with the enumerated roles, responsibilities and powers of the United States government in the United States constitution. This duty shall be exercised without regard for any United States supreme court or other judicial decisions that attempt to interpret federal actions, such as unconstitutional assertions assumed by the federal judiciary that undermine our republican form of government, because only legislatures can create and revoke laws;

(iii)

Report to and submit recommendations to the legislature, including sponsoring legislation, declarations, resolutions and communications with sister states, consistent with any determinations and findings made by the committee concerning the constitutionality of federal actions.

(c)

For purposes of this section, "federal action" means all new, proposed and existing federal laws, resolutions, rules, regulations, decrees, orders, mandates, executive orders and any other federal dictate having the force and effect of law.

(d)

This section shall be repealed upon the repeal of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Section 2
.

The president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint members to the federal review joint and standing committee not later than January 6, 2026.

Section 3.

House and Senate need to adopt rules to implement this act.

Section 4.

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)

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HB0177