Wyoming’s joint Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Committee voted narrowly last month to sponsor legislation in the 2021 session that would allow cities and counties to move notices for meeting minutes and employee salaries from newspapers to their own websites. The committee advanced the bill on a 7-6 vote after hearing testimony that it would save cash-strapped local governments $400,000 in annual expenditures. Six Republicans and the only Democrat on the committee voted in favor of the bill.

In its previous meeting in September, the committee voted 10-3 to direct the Legislative Service Office to draft a version of the bill for its consideration. Before it voted on the draft last month, the committee approved an amendment that also allows school districts to electronically publish such notices, and leaves open the possibility that before the bill passes special government districts will be granted that authority as well.

Wyoming Press Association (WPA) Executive Director Darcie Hoffland says she isn’t sure why three committee members changed their vote in favor of preserving newspaper notice. “Sometimes members vote just to be able to see a bill drafted, but then vote against the bill once they see the details,” she says. Hoffland also notes WPA was blindsided by the original vote but has had two months since then to try to convince committee members that ending newspaper notice is a bad idea.

According to Hoffland, both chairs of the joint committee voted against the bill, which would have boded well if the vote had been tied since the chairs are responsible for resolving deadlocks. However, the committee was reduced to an odd number when one of its members died from COVID on Nov. 2.

The legislature recently announced it would delay its 2021 session, which normally begins the second week of January, in the hope that spread of the virus slows as the year progresses. The session is now tentatively scheduled to begin later in the first or second quarter of 2021.