HB0047 Duty to assist during emergencies. | Wyoming Bill

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide specific details about exemptions beyond those explicitly stated in the text.

Duty to Help During Emergencies

The bill proposes a law that requires people to call for help if they know or believe someone is at risk of serious injury or death, and it establishes penalties for failing to do so.

What This Bill Does

Requires individuals who are aware of another person's imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death to attempt to contact law enforcement or an emergency medical care provider, provided that doing so does not put themselves or the other person at risk.

Who It Names or Affects

People who know or believe someone is in immediate danger and are able to call for help without risking their own safety.

Terms To Know

Serious bodily injury

An injury that is very bad, like a broken bone or severe bleeding.

Emergency medical care provider

A doctor, nurse, or other person who can give urgent help to someone who is hurt or sick.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill did not pass and was not signed into law.

It does not apply if the person helping would be at risk of serious bodily injury themselves when calling for help.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

26LSO-0365
2026
STATE OF WYOMING
26LSO-0365
Numbered
2.0

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0047

Duty to assist during emergencies.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Harshman and Filer and Senator(s) Anderson, Cooper and Gierau

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to crimes and offenses; specifying a requirement for persons to assist others at risk of serious bodily injury or death; creating a criminal offense for failure to assist; specifying penalties; and providing for an effective date.

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

Section 1
.

W.S. 6
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9
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204 is created to read:

6
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9
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204.

Duty to assist; failure to assist; penalties.

(a)

A person who knows or reasonably believes that another person is suffering from an imminent risk of serious bodily injury or an imminent danger of death shall, if the person is able, attempt to contact law enforcement or an emergency medical care provider as defined by W.S. 19
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13
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202(a)(i) if doing so does not place the person or the other person at risk of serious bodily injury or in imminent danger of death. A person shall not be required to attempt to contact law enforcement or an emergency medical care provider under this subsection if the person knows or reasonably believes that the other person does not require help or emergency assistance.

(b)

No person shall be liable under this section if:

(i)

The person provides assistance to the other person in accordance with W.S. 1
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1
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120; or

(ii)

The person would incriminate himself by providing information to law enforcement or an emergency medical care provider in complying with subsection (a) of this section.

(c)

A person who fails to assist as required under subsection (a) of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by:

(i)

Imprisonment for not more than six (6) months, a fine of not more than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), or both, if the failure to assist results in the other person suffering serious bodily injury;

(ii)

Imprisonment for not more than one (1) year, a fine of not more than two thousand dollars ($2,000.00), or both, if the failure to assist results in the death of the other person.

Section 2
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This act is effective July 1, 2026
.

(END)

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HB0047