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Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Five House elections bills fly through Senate committee, head to the floor
CHEYENNE — A record number of elections-related bills were filed for the 2025 general session, and a majority of them are still in play. One bill, Senate File 78, 'Distribution of unsolicited absentee ballot request forms,' is already headed to the governor's desk, and others are not far behind. The Legislature's Senate Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee passed five election-related House bills Wednesday night, finishing the work they started last Friday morning. The proposals in these bills would require proof of residency for voter registration, heighten requirements for independent candidate filings, create a statewide ban on all ballot drop boxes, prohibit the activity of ballot harvesting and amend current laws related to voter fraud. Committee members had their work cut out for them, having spent three cumulative meetings (one last week and two on Wednesday) taking public testimony and discussing and amending each of the five bills sent over by the House of Representatives. Last Friday, committee members didn't even get through the first of the five bills, House Bill 131, 'Ballot drop boxes-prohibition,' before time ran out and senators rushed upstairs for the start of the floor session. Ballot drop box ban A House bill banning ballot drop boxes in Wyoming received a total of three hours of public testimony, spanning over the course of two meetings, before it was passed Wednesday morning on a 3-2 vote. Chairman Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, and Sen. Bill Landen, R-Casper, voted against the bill. Around a dozen or so members of the public, including county clerks, offered anecdotes either in support of or against the ban on ballot drop boxes. Those who testified in support of the bill argued ballot drop boxes are a breach in the 'chain of custody' of elections. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Chris Knapp, R-Gillette, told committee members on Feb. 14 that voters should return to a full reliability on the U.S. Postal Service. Rep. Christopher Knapp, R-Gillette (2025) Rep. Christopher Knapp, R-Gillette 'Wyoming is extremely vulnerable due to the low population,' Knapp said. 'I think it's very important that the chain of custody be true in any election, and especially in Wyoming.' Knapp and supporters of the bill said the Postal Service is a safe and secure way of delivering absentee ballots to the county clerk. Secretary of State Chuck Gray recounted recent attempts to tamper with or destroy ballot drop boxes in Montana, Washington and Oregon. Chuck Gray mug Chuck Gray A video went viral on social media last October of a person, allegedly aligned with the Democratic Party, attempting to remove a ballot drop box from a wall in Glacier County, Montana. However, the person was not successful in removing the ballot drop box from its secured position, 'The National News Desk' reported on NBC Montana. A spokesperson for Montana Secretary of State Christi Jackson told TNND the individual failed to remove the box and was turned over to Montana law enforcement. Also last October, ballot boxes were set on fire in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, destroying hundreds of ballots, the Associated Press reported. The FBI is offering a $25,000 reward for information related to the ballot drop box fires. 'These incidents illustrate the inherent risks posed by relying on drop boxes, which could undermine public trust in elections and compromise the secure handling of ballots,' Gray said. 'Banning ballot drop boxes would eliminate these vulnerabilities, ensuring that ballots are returned through more secure and regulated channels, such as direct submission and election offices, or via the U.S. Postal Service.' Wyoming county clerks have previously testified there's never been a reported incident of tampering with ballot boxes in their counties, and they insist these are a safe, secure way of delivering absentee ballots. Platte County Clerk Malcolm Ervin confirmed to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle there have been no reported tampering incidents with ballot drop boxes in the state. The only anecdote he provided was in Fremont County, where some individuals were concerned with the security of a ballot drop box, but did not tamper with it. Fremont County Clerk Julie Freese said she has never had an incident of tampering with the ballot drop box since it was installed in 2016. 'Something to note is that former-Secretary (of State Ed) Buchanan's directives regarding drop boxes were the first time security requirements were attached to the use of drop boxes,' Ervin said in an email to the WTE. 'Once those directives expired, the counties who utilized drop boxes agreed upon certain security measures, which were consistent with former-Secretary Buchanan's directives.' Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee said a combined 5,600 ballots were delivered to the ballot drop box in the 2022 and 2024 election cycles. The 2024 election cycle accounted for more than 2,000 of those ballots. In contrast, 770 ballots for the 2024 election were returned in person to the county clerk, Lee said. Debra Lee portrait after Canvassing Board meeting (copy) Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee poses for a photo after the Laramie County Canvassing Board meeting, where they certified the results of the primary election in the Historic County Courthouse on Aug. 23 in Cheyenne. 'Chain of custody has been mentioned as a reason for this bill, and I would argue chain of custody is a reason to have a drop box,' Lee said. The Postal Service also announced additional cuts of rural mail carriers last fall, Lee said, which means slower delivery of absentee ballots. With a new change in Wyoming election code creating a shorter window for absentee ballot mail, this could put voters at risk of not getting their ballot counted on Election Day, she said. 'This just underscores, I would say, the need for us to have alternative methods for voters,' Lee said. Sen. Brian Boner, R-Douglas, successfully brought an amendment to the bill that would allow for a 'secured receptacle' to be placed on the exterior of a courthouse for receiving ballots. Case also successfully amended the bill to provide reimbursement to counties for the removal or relocation of ballot drop boxes. Firearm v. election regulations Twice, Chairman Case asked bringers of two different election bills whether firearms should be regulated as heavily as they're pushing to regulate elections. Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander (2025) Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander 'So, do you think the right to vote is as important as the right to keep and bear arms?' Case asked. Knapp responded that certain rights rise to that level of importance, before Case interjected. 'Which one's more important?' Case asked. 'I think one ensures that the other one stays important,' Knapp answered. The chairman repeated his line of questioning Wednesday night, during discussion of another bill, HB 156, that requires proof of residency in voter registration. Critics of the bill argued the new proof of residency requirements could disenfranchise qualified electors, such as senior citizens and individuals without homes, from voting. If these same regulations were being discussed on gun rights, instead of elections, elected officials and members of the public would be 'prickling right now,' Case said. 'We're talking about people that have the right to vote, and we're making them jump through hoops, unlike with gun rights,' Case said. 'In my mind, the right to vote and the right to carry a firearm are equivalent constitutional rights, guaranteed by different amendments, but fundamental to our democracy. 'So, the more restrictions you put on someone, it's no different than putting restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms, as well.'
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Net-metering bill passes through Senate committee
CHEYENNE — Lawmakers have thrown support behind a bill to revise the state's net metering compensation model, or the rate at which utilities buy surplus energy from small-scale customers with solar panels in Wyoming. The Senate Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee voted 4-1 to approve Senate File 111, 'Net metering revisions,' on Monday. 'Net metering' means measuring the difference between the electricity supplied by an electric utility and the electricity generated by a small customer who generates their own electricity, that is then fed back to the electric utility over an applicable billing period. SF 111 would revise how net metering compensation applies to new small customer generators, authorizing the Public Service Commission to use a different system of compensation for excess energy production, if that service is being subsidized by other customers. Under SF 111, existing small customers who own an electrical production system before Dec. 31, 2025, would be exempted at existing rates, according to bill co-sponsor Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander. Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, speaks on the Senate floor last week. Case is a co-sponsor on SF 111, 'Net metering revisions.' 'We have tried to wrestle with the issue of net metering and how it's applied by statute in Wyoming' for years, Case told the committee on Friday. 'There's a lot of confusion about the concept of net metering. It's frequently promoted as a way to 'stick it to the man,' or to 'stick it to your electric utility,' to go off the grid to be energy independent.' However, net metering simply involves installing a special electric meter or reprogramming an existing meter so that electrical flow can be measured in both directions: electricity flowing from the utility company to the customer, and vice versa, according to the University of Wyoming. Some see it as a way to reduce their monthly electric bill, and some electricity provided by a renewable, local or alternative-generating resource. Opponents argue that net metering has the potential to reduce revenue for utility companies, which will then pass that loss on to other customers in the service area. Every utility in Wyoming has a tariff structure consisting of a connection charge, as well as a charge for energy, according to Case. The energy charge does recover the cost of the network, and an additional 'customer charge' comes in at $20 to $50, depending on the utility. 'That subsidy is built in. It's not something I like, but it has one purpose, and that's to provide very small users with small bills, so it is a fixed cost that doesn't get recovered from net metering producers,' Case said. Bills similar to SF 111, Case said, have been debated before, but did not include pre-exemptions. 'This bill is virtually the same as the bills that you've seen before, but there's one significant difference,' Case said. 'Somebody that has an existing system ... is grandfathered under the current system for as long as they have it under existing rates, for as long as they own the system. That's the bottom line.' If SF 111 is to pass, anyone with a system installed after Jan. 1, 2026, will face new rates set by the Public Service Commission (PSC). Chris Petrie, deputy chairman of the PSC, told the committee on Monday during public comment that the commission exists 'primarily to ensure just and reasonable rates.' Chris Petrie Then Wyoming Public Service Commission Chairman Chris Petrie, center, speaks in May 2022 at the PSC. 'We've looked at this bill, and with that in mind, I think that it, in fact, does create a path to establishing just and reasonable rates for utilities, and the treatment of net-metering customers,' Petrie said. New customer generators would face a rate set according to the PSC's usual public process, according to Petrie. Bruce Asay with MDU Resources said he believes the revision would provide a 'necessary compromise' in the system. However, many others commented against the proposed legislation on Monday, saying it was a solution in search of a problem. John Burrows of the Wyoming Outdoor Council said the bill directs a foregone conclusion that rooftop solar owners are being subsidized by other ratepayers. 'We think it is premature to require the PSC to revise rates for this small group of customers, when net metering represents such a tiny fraction of electricity generated in Wyoming,' Burrows said. The idea that rooftop solar owners are 'not paying their share' of a utility's network cost, he said, does not adequately portray the system already in place. 'Consider the example of rural customers who depend on miles and miles of grid network, but still pay the exact same rate as customers who live next to a substation in town,' Burrows said. 'Cost shifting from an urban to a rural customer is a common and accepted practice.' Natalie Johansen, a renewable energy community organizer for the Powder River Basin Resource Council, said the bill would create 'unnecessary barriers' for rural families who may want to invest in solar energy. Net-metered systems in Wyoming only make up about 0.2% of the system, and so Johansen said the 'bill is solving no real problem.' Wyoming resident Stef Kessler testified on Zoom, similarly saying SF 111 'addresses a problem that doesn't exist, and affects small users.' 'I urge you to consider the little people of Wyoming,' Kessler said. 'I have only ever seen utilities themselves and regulators speak in favor of these bills.' Sen. Bill Landen, R-Casper, said he would support SF 111. Sen. Bill Landen, R-Casper (2025) Sen. Bill Landen, R-Casper 'I am ready to support this one, because we grandfather everybody in at this point, (protecting) those who are passionately involved in this now,' Landen said. Further, Landen said he trusts the PSC to create a system that is also fair for future users, who he said will likely still see returns for investing in their own energy infrastructure. Sen. Dan Dockstader, R-Afton, said he also would vote in favor of SF 111, citing faith in the PSC process. Also voting in favor were Case and Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Torrington. Only Sen. Brian Boner, R-Douglas, voted against the measure Monday morning.
