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HB0218 • 2025

Public utilities-stays during resolution of lawsuits.

AN ACT relating to public utilities; requiring stays of proceedings of the public service commission pending the resolution of lawsuits as specified; providing exemptions; making conforming amendments; specifying applicability; and providing for an effective date.

Inactive

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

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

Plain English Breakdown

The bill is marked as inactive by Wyoming's legislative process.

Public Utilities - Legal Holds During Court Cases

This act requires that certain proceedings before the Public Service Commission be put on hold if a public utility is involved in specific types of lawsuits, with some exceptions.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the Public Service Commission to pause (stay) any related rate case proceedings when a public utility files for judicial review involving specific legal arguments under W.S. 16-3-114(c)(ii)(A) through (D).
  • Specifies that these stays apply only to cases where certain legal issues are raised and not to other types of disputes or evidence-based decisions.
  • Allows the commission to lift the stay if there is good reason shown by a party involved in the case.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Public utilities seeking judicial review of decisions made by the Public Service Commission involving specific legal arguments under W.S. 16-3-114(c)(ii)(A) through (D).
  • The Public Service Commission when handling public utility cases involving these specific legal issues.

Terms To Know

stay
A pause or delay in a court proceeding or administrative process.
public service commission
An agency that regulates public utilities and services to ensure fair rates and practices for consumers.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The act only applies if specific legal arguments are raised in the judicial review process.
  • It does not apply to disputes based on facts or evidence, limiting its scope.
  • This bill is currently inactive as it did not pass during the current session.

Amendments

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

HB0218HW001

Committee of the Whole • Representative Locke

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes the rules for when a public service commission can pause proceedings related to general rate cases if a utility company is challenging a decision in court.

  • Adds new language allowing the commission to temporarily stop parts of future general rate case proceedings if a utility company is seeking judicial review based on specific legal arguments.
  • Removes certain existing lines and replaces them with new instructions that clarify when stays can be issued.
  • The amendment's text does not provide details about the exact circumstances under which these stays would apply, beyond referencing specific legal provisions.

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-03 Senate

    S:Died in Committee Returned Bill Pursuant to SR 5-4

  2. 2025-02-28 Senate

    S No report prior to CoW Cutoff

  3. 2025-02-24 Senate

    S07 - Corporations:Do Pass Failed 2-3-0-0-0

  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 58-2-2-0-0

  7. 2025-02-11 House

    H 2nd Reading:Passed

  8. 2025-02-10 House

    H COW:Passed

  9. 2025-01-28 House

    H Placed on General File

  10. 2025-01-28 House

    H03 - Revenue:Recommend Do Pass 7-1-1-0-0

  11. 2025-01-24 House

    H Introduced and Referred to H03 - Revenue

  12. 2025-01-17 House

    H Received for Introduction

  13. 2025-01-16 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
25LSO-0394
2025
STATE OF WYOMING
25LSO-0394
ENGROSSED
3.0

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0218

Public utilities-stays during resolution of lawsuits.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Locke, Allemand, Banks, Brown, G, Campbell, K, Heiner, Knapp, Lien, Riggins, Rodriguez-Williams, Strock and Styvar and Senator(s) Pearson and Steinmetz

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to public utilities; requiring stays of proceedings of the public service commission pending the resolution of lawsuits as specified; providing exemptions; making conforming amendments; specifying applicability; and providing for an effective date.

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

Section 1
.

W.S. 37
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2
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130 and 37
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2
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214 are amended to read:

37
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2
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130.

Right of review; stay of proceedings.

(a)

Subject to subsections (b) and (c) of this section, a
person adversely affected or aggrieved by any action, findings, conclusions or decision of the public service commission is entitled to judicial review thereof according to the procedures established by the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act and the Wyoming Rules of Appellate Procedure.

The standards to be applied, to judicial review proceedings, including scope of review, shall be those standards established in the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act.

(b)

Notwithstanding the requirements of W.S. 37
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3
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106(b) and (c), if a public utility seeks judicial review of a general rate case decision under this section that raises an argument under W.S. 16-3-114(c)(ii)(A) through (D), the commission may stay each part of any subsequent general rate case related to the issue under judicial review until resolution of the judicial review including any appeal.

(c)

Subsection (b) of this section shall not apply to any lawsuit or judicial review based on the commission's application of facts or evidence or resolution of disputed facts or evidence or based on an argument raised under W.S. 16
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3
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114(c)(ii)(E).

37
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2
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214.

Rehearing.

Subject to W.S. 37
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2
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130(b) and (c), a
t any time after an order has been made by the commission any person interested therein may apply for a rehearing in respect to any matter determined therein and the commission shall grant and hold a rehearing if in its judgment sufficient reason therefor be made to appear, which rehearing shall be subject to rules as the commission may prescribe. Applications for rehearing shall stay the effect of any order or decision of the commission only as to the portion of the order addressed in the rehearing application until the commission denies the application or enters an order following rehearing, whichever last occurs, provided, however, that upon the request of any party and a showing of good cause therefor, the commission may vacate the stay and allow the order or decision to remain in effect. An order or decision made after the rehearing vacating, amending or modifying the original order or decision shall not, as to the matter considered on rehearing, be open to a further application for rehearing, and shall have the same force and effect as the original order or decision.

Section 2.

This

act shall apply to all requests, applications, rate cases and other matters filed with the public service commission for which litigation specified in this act has been filed before,

on and after the effective date of this act.

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)

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HB0218