An outdoorsperson’s recap of the 2023 Legislative Session

By AMELIA HOWE TU Wyoming Field Manager Angler Conservation Project

In January, Wyoming Senators and Representatives from across the state traveled to Cheyenne for the 2023 General Session. This year, seasoned lawmakers welcomed 29 new representatives and five new senators to their ranks, saw almost 500 bills, and worked together to pass 196 bills. It was a very busy eight weeks. Along with the legislators, lobbyists and advocates who represent different organizations and citizen’s groups joined in as well. Amelia Howe, Trout Unlimited’s Angler Conservation Program Wyoming Field Manager attended her first legislative session representing TU’s interests.

Trout Unlimited takes a very targeted and focused approach when attending the legislative session. The organization and its employees do not engage in lobbying unless there is a direct impact to our mission. Some examples of topics we pay attention to and engage on are the health of coldwater fisheries, in stream flow, Colorado River authority, and threats to access on public lands for Wyoming sports people. This year, from TU’s perspective, there were lots of interesting things to watch and keep an eye on, but only a few things required direct lobbying, or the urging of lawmakers to vote one way or another.

The topics TU tracked during the 2023 session can be broken into a few different categories based on the offices of the state they pertain to: Office of State Lands and Investments (OSLI), Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD), Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust Fund (WWNRT), State Engineers Office (SEO), and lastly, Office of Outdoor Recreation (WOOR).A few bills that passed during this session and are important for members of TU, anglers, hunting enthusiasts, and conservationists alike are explained below.

HB 74, the Wyoming Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund bill, passed both the House and the Senate and is awaiting the Governor’s signature to be signed into law. This bill will establish a $6 million outdoor recreation trust fund to support outdoor recreation focused projects across the state. This effort could help fund TU chapter and council projects that focus on improving angler experiences across the state. In a big win for conservation across the state of Wyoming, both SF 106, the 2023 Large Project Funding bill and SF 87, the Natural Resource Funding Large Project Threshold Increase passed and were signed into law by Governor Gordon at the end of February. These bills are a big win for conservation groups across the state, and TU in particular, as many of our projects utilize this funding to do great work with our partners across the state. The first bill, SF 106, Approves WWNRT projects that apply for funding for projects that are above the current $200,000 project cost threshold. Many TU projects are funded by the WWNRT, as well as other projects that benefit conservation across the state. You can see a list of projects here Trout Unlimited has two projects in this bill awaiting approval. The second bill, SF 87, will allow the WWNRT to support larger projects without the need for legislative approval by increasing to the project application cost threshold from $200k to $400k. This would be very beneficial for TU as many of our restoration and fish passage projects currently surpass the $200k cost threshold.

HB 147, Unlawful Trespass Signage-taking of wildlife, was also signed into law at the end of February. This bill is a big win for anglers and hunters as it updates Wyoming’s hunter harassment statute to ensure hunters and anglers are protected while they are in the field when they encounter “no trespassing” or similar signs blocking their legal access to public lands.

Lastly, HB 84, or the Regulation of Commercially Guided Boats, was introduced in the House again this session, but was tabled to be heard as an interim session discussion this summer which will allow the legislators who are writing this bill to hear citizen and stakeholder perspectives on this issue more in-depth. You can expect to hear more updates about this bill as it is discussed this summer, but essentially this bill intends to authorize the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) to regulate commercially guided fishing boats. The bill claims that the intent is to “protect the quality of the fishery or aquatic resources and species in this state.” From TU and WGFD’s perspective, there is currently no negative impact on the fishery, however, there is an issue with angler experience.

In addition to the Regulation of Commercially Guided Boats bill, hunting and angling organizations are advocating for a focus of the interim session to be on sustainable access to Wyoming’s public lands and waters. Expect to hear a lot of updates from your favorite hunting and angling groups this summer as we move into the interim session.

TU chapters or members who are interested in learning more about these efforts can reach out toAmelia at amelia.howe@tu.org.