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HB0190 • 2025

Bond election language process.

AN ACT relating to elections; amending requirements for the bond question; creating a civil cause of action; and providing for an effective date.

Elections
Did Not Pass

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

Sponsor
Representative Lien
Last action
2025-02-28
Official status
inactive
Effective date
3/1/2025

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific details on the implementation of this act since it did not become law.

Amending Bond Election Requirements

The bill changes the requirements for bond questions in elections and allows voters to sue if these requirements are not met.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires that bond questions clearly state their purpose, amount, duration, and interest rate.
  • Allows voters to challenge a bond question in court if it does not meet these requirements.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Voters who participate in bond elections
  • Local governments that hold bond elections

Terms To Know

Bond election
A vote where citizens decide whether to approve a loan for a project.
Civil cause of action
The right to sue someone in court over a legal issue.

Limits and Unknowns

  • It is not clear how often bond questions will be challenged.
  • Details about the implementation of this act are unclear since it did not become law.
  • The bill did not pass and was not signed into law.

Amendments

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

HB0190H2001

2nd reading • Representative Yin

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes how bond election language is processed by adding provisions for a civil cause of action if the purpose of the bond is not stated clearly.

  • Removes existing text about state requirements for bond questions.
  • Adds new language allowing voters to sue if the bond's purpose is not described accurately and fairly.
  • Inserts 'creating a civil cause of action' in two places where it wasn't before.
  • The amendment removes several lines but does not provide details on what those removed sections contained, making their exact impact unclear.
HB0190H2002

2nd reading • Representative Campbell, E

Withdrawn

Plain English: The amendment changes references to the secretary of state in the bill to the board of county commissioners.

  • Replaces 'secretary of state' with 'board of county commissioners' on page 1, line 2.
  • Changes 'before' to 'after' on page 2, line 4.
  • Replaces 'secretary of state' with 'board of county commissioners' on page 2, lines 6 and 8.
  • The amendment text does not provide context for the full implications of these changes.
HB0190H3001

3rd reading • Representative Lien

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment adds a requirement that a bond cannot be issued until after a civil lawsuit challenging it has been completed.

  • Adds language requiring that any bond challenged under the new section of HB0190H2001 must not be issued until after a civil action is complete.
  • The amendment does not specify what happens if there are multiple challenges or how long the civil action process might take.
HB0190SS001

Standing Committee • Senate Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivi

Filed

Plain English: The amendment changes the language related to bond elections by removing certain phrases and adding new requirements for court actions involving bond printing and sale.

  • Removes references to 'general or primary election' and replaces them with 'and for required bond language'.
  • Deletes the phrase 'A bond' from the text.
  • Modifies the legal action section to allow courts to enjoin activities related to bond issuance until a specific condition is met.
  • The amendment's text does not provide clear context for all changes, making it difficult to fully explain some aspects without additional information.

Bill History

  1. 2025-02-28 Senate

    S COW:S Did not consider for COW

  2. 2025-02-26 Senate

    S Placed on General File

  3. 2025-02-26 Senate

    S07 - Corporations:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 5-0-0-0-0

  4. 2025-02-14 Senate

    S Introduced and Referred to S07 - Corporations

  5. 2025-02-13 Senate

    S Received for Introduction

  6. 2025-02-12 House

    H 3rd Reading:Passed 54-5-3-0-0

  7. 2025-02-11 House

    H 2nd Reading:Passed

  8. 2025-02-10 House

    H COW:Passed

  9. 2025-02-07 House

    H Placed on General File

  10. 2025-02-07 House

    H02 - Appropriations:Recommend Do Pass 6-1-0-0-0

  11. 2025-01-28 House

    H Introduced and Referred to H02 - Appropriations

  12. 2025-01-15 House

    H Received for Introduction

  13. 2025-01-14 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
25LSO-0629
2025
STATE OF WYOMING
25LSO-0629
ENGROSSED
3.0

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0190

Bond election language process.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Lien, Campbell, K and Hoeft

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to elections; amending requirements for the bond question; creating a civil cause of action; and providing for an effective date.

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

Section 1
.

W.S. 22
‑
21
‑
103 is amended to read:

22
‑
21
‑
103.

How bond question to be submitted to electors; contents; civil cause of action; approval.

Each bond question shall be submitted to a vote of the qualified electors of the political subdivision. Every bond election shall be held on the same day as a primary election or a general election, or on the Tuesday next following the first Monday in May or November, or on the Tuesday next following the third Monday in August. Not less than one hundred ten (110) days before a bond election, the political subdivision shall provide written notification to the county clerk specifying the date of the election and the bond question. The bond question shall state the purpose of the bonds
in a true and impartial manner
, the maximum principal amount thereof, the maximum number of years allowed for the indebtedness and the maximum rate of interest to be paid thereon. The secretary of state may promulgate reasonable rules for conducting bond elections where the election is not held at the same time as the general or primary election.

A qualified elector of the political subdivision may bring a civil cause of action challenging a violation under this section to state the purpose of the bond in a true and impartial manner. A bond challenged under this section shall not be issued until after a civil action is complete.

Section 2
.

This act is effective July 1, 2025
.

(END)

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HB0190