Other bills survive Friday deadline
JARED MILLER Star-Tribune capital bureau | Posted: Saturday, February 23, 2008 12:00 am
CHEYENNE - A bill that would add new teeth to Wyoming's drunken driving laws is headed to the Senate.
House Bill 73 easily passed the House Friday. It would make it a felony to receive three drunken driving convictions in seven years or five in the course of a lifetime.
The bill was one of several pieces of legislation that moved forward in the House and Senate Friday, the last days for bills to receive approval on first reading.
HB 73 sponsor Erin Mercer, R-Gillette, said she was thrilled by the support the bill received and hopes the Senate will take it seriously.
"I don't think we've had that kind of a vote on a bill like this one since I've been here, so that's exciting," said Mercer, referring to the vote of 58-0, with two excused, the bill received.
The bill will face a tough challenge in the Senate, which already killed a similar bill this session. Mercer said the key will be educating senators about the bill and combating misinformation.
"Once folks understand what this bill does or does not do, they're more inclined to endorse it," Mercer said. "If we need to make amendments or at least discuss options, that is how this process moves forward."
One bill that did not survive Friday's deadline was House Joint Resolution 5, which would have urged Wyoming's congressional delegates, President Bush and Congress to reconsider the federal Real ID Act. Critics of the bill say it amounts to a national identification card and carries serious privacy issues.
Here's a roundup of some bills that moved forward Friday:
* House Bill 10, which would increase the fees for state parks and historic sites, passed on second reading in the House.
* House Bill 133, which would establish taxation on helium production, passed on second reading in the House.
* House Bill 137, which would prevent civil lawsuits against Wyoming residents who use lethal force to protect themselves, passed on second reading in the House.
* House Bill 75, which would increase the per diem rate for legislators doing state business, was approved on first reading.
* House Bill 92, which would expand an existing property tax refund program, passed on third reading in the House.
* House Bill 142, which would increase drivers license fees, passed on first reading in the House.
* House Bill 108, which would provide state grants to communities wishing to create railroad quiet zones, passed on first reading.
* House Bill 155, which would provide new funding to recruit doctors and dentists, was approved on first reading.
* House Joint Resolution 1, which would change the requirements for putting a citizen initiative on the ballot, passed on first reading in the House.
* Senate File 19, which would establish requirements for cleaning up clandestine drug laboratories, passed on second reading in the Senate.
* Senate File 65, which would provide innocently convicted prisoners an avenue to seek their freedom using DNA evidence, passed on second reading in the Senate.
* Senate File 66, which would create community boards to improve Wyoming's much-criticized juvenile justice system, passed on second reading in the Senate.
* Senate File 85, which would create a pilot program for state-funded health care for low-income residents, passed on second reading in the Senate.
Reach capital bureau reporter Jared Miller at (307) 632-1244 or at {M3jared.miller@trib.com.