A Cheyenne senator grilled health care experts and individuals who testified in support of a bill Wednesday that would extend Medicaid coverage, asking why Wyoming should move this legislation forward.

Nineteen thousand Wyomingites who, according to state figures, could have gained access to free or low-cost health insurance coverage, will remain without such protections as Wyoming legislators again declined to bring a measure to expand Medicaid coverage to the House floor for a vote.

Gov. Mark Gordon on Saturday signed into law an act that establishes a state task force to study the federal Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and Wyoming’s and other states’ legislation and protections as the act faces court challenges.

Wyomingites who’ve committed nonviolent felony crimes in their past may soon be eligible to have their firearm and other civil rights restored.

In 2017, the Wyoming Legislature allowed one-time felons who have completed their sentences to vote. A bill now advancing through the body would eventually allow those individuals to regain their other rights, too.

Just over a week ago, it appeared the Wyoming Republican Party’s long-running effort to prevent Democrats and unaffiliated voters from participating in the party’s primary election would have to wait another year. But after an unusual resuscitation in the state Senate, a bill that would severely restrict so-called crossover voting may now be heading toward passage.

As another GOP candidate jumped into the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman announced Wednesday her formal endorsement of former President Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON — Nearly two weeks since the U.S. military shot down a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina, and after three more so-called “unidentified aerial objects” were spotted and downed over North America in recent days, President Joe Biden directly addressed the issue for the first time Thursday, seeking to project strength in the face of fierce criticism of his administration’s response.

The Senate on Thursday advanced a bill that would set a minimum age limit for marriage in Wyoming.

Senators voted 23-7 for House Bill 7, also known as “Underage marriage-amendments,” which mandates that persons getting married must be at least 18 years old (except in a few cases) and prohibits marriages for those under the age of 16.

“It certainly is a problem; I think it’s probably well hidden,” Sen. Tara Nethercott (R-Cheyenne), who voted in favor of the bill, said about underage marriages. “But if you don’t believe that the marriage of a 14-year-old girl is not in some form exploitation because I assure you, it is not the fantasy of two teenagers who fall in love. It is much different and much more exploitive…. This body is committed to the protection of children from exploitation.”

The Senate on Wednesday voted in favor of a bill that establishes a trust fund to back 24/7 local suicide prevention services, which mental health advocates believe are critically needed in a state with one of the highest suicide rates per capita.

A Senate committee rejected a bill on Monday that aimed to keep more sex offenders on the state’s registry for a lifetime, saying the topic needs further study. While earlier debate centered on the effectiveness and fairness of the public registry, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee were more concerned about what, if anything, House Bill 90 would actually do.

Wyoming residents who commit the most serious sex offenses may be required to stay on the state’s online sex offender registry for the rest of their lives.

Leaders of the Wyoming Republican Party voted this weekend to formally condemn U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) for her support late last year of a bill codifying protections for same-sex and interracial couples.

WASHINGTON — Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon joined 36 other U.S. state and territory leaders for a meeting with President Joe Biden and key members of his administration at the White House on Friday, as the president seeks to demonstrate his commitment to bipartisanship in an era of hyper-politicization.

WASHINGTON — Republicans in the U.S. House — Wyoming’s Rep. Harriet Hageman among them — launched an offensive against the Biden administration on Thursday with the first hearing of the select subcommittee on the “weaponization” of the government, newly established to investigate alleged targeting of conservatives by the Justice Department, FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday addressed a divided U.S. Congress for the first time since taking office, delivering a State of the Union address which sought to highlight bipartisanship in a time of increased political polarization.

A bill that would require K-12 schools, community colleges and the University of Wyoming to adopt hazing policies barely passed through the Wyoming Senate’s Education Committee on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON — After a slow start to the 118th Congress, the role of Wyoming’s three-person delegation in Washington is coming into focus.

A bill that would mean potential homicide charges for drug dealers whose customers die due to ingesting their products is making its way through the Wyoming Senate.

Wary of requiring Wyoming students to take another test, the state Senate narrowly nixed a bill that would have required all high school graduates to pass the same civics exam given to new U.S. citizens.

For years, state Rep. Cyrus Western has heard the calls to crack down on so-called crossover voting in which voters change their political affiliation so they can participate in another party’s primary election.