HB0185 • 2025

Video recording of legislative meetings.

AN ACT relating to the legislature; requiring the legislative service office to live broadcast legislative meetings to the public as specified; and providing for an effective date.

Budget

Did Not Pass

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

Sponsor: Representative Lucas
Last action: 2025-02-03
Official status: inactive
Effective date: 3/1/2025

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide a summary text, so some details were inferred from the digest and bill text.

Live Video Broadcasts for Legislative Meetings

The bill requires the legislative service office to live broadcast certain legislative meetings and make recordings available on the legislature's website.

What This Bill Does

Requires the director of the legislative service office to provide a live video broadcast of specific legislative meetings, including management council, joint appropriations committee, management audit committee, joint interim committees, select committees, or task forces staffed by the legislative service office.
Makes sure that after the meeting, a copy of the video is put on the legislature’s official website for people to watch later.
States that the written record of the meeting remains the official document and not the video recording.
Doesn't require broadcasting parts of meetings held in private (executive sessions).
Allows meetings to continue even if there's a problem with broadcasting.

Who It Names or Affects

The legislative service office, which is responsible for providing live broadcasts.
People who want to watch or review the video recordings of certain legislative meetings online.

Terms To Know

Executive session: A private meeting where discussions and decisions are not open to the public.
Legislative service office: The office that supports Wyoming's legislature with staff, research, and other services.

Limits and Unknowns

Doesn't specify what happens if broadcasting isn't available.
Only certain types of meetings must be broadcasted; others can remain private.
The bill did not pass in the session it was introduced.

Bill History

2025-02-03 House
H Did not Consider for Introduction
2025-01-15 House
H Received for Introduction
2025-01-14 LSO
Bill Number Assigned

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

25LSO-0512
2025
STATE OF WYOMING
25LSO-0512
Numbered
2.0

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0185

Video recording of legislative meetings.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Lucas, Brady, Bratten, Brown, G, Filer, Guggenmos, Heiner, Hoeft, Pendergraft, Strock and Webber and Senator(s) Smith, D and Steinmetz

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to the legislature; requiring the legislative service office to live broadcast legislative meetings to the public as specified; and providing for an effective date.

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

Section 1
.

W.S. 28
‑
8
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105(a) by creating a new paragraph (vii) is amended to read:

28
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8
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105.

Duties of director and staff; prefiling bills; fiscal notes
.

(a)

It shall be the duty of the director and staff to perform the following specific functions, together with such other functions as the council may prescribe:

(vii)

Make available to the public a live, video broadcast of each meeting of management council, the joint appropriations committee, the management audit committee, a joint interim committee, a select committee or task force that is staffed by the legislative service office.

A copy of the broadcast shall thereafter be made available on the website of the legislature.

The contents of any broadcast made under this paragraph shall not be construed to supersede the official written record of the meeting that reflects formal action or recommendation when approved by the committee or task force chairman.

Nothing in this paragraph shall require a broadcast of any portion of a meeting that is conducted in executive session and nothing in this paragraph shall be deemed to waive or modify any law related to public records, public meetings or the legislature. The failure of broadcasting capability shall not delay the proceedings of any meeting, and no broadcast shall be required under this paragraph where broadcasting capability is not reasonably available. The failure to broadcast a meeting as provided by this paragraph shall not affect the validity of any action taken at a meeting.

Section 2
.

This act is effective July 1, 2025
.

(END)

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HB0185