Legislation - 2025
HB0054 - Chancery court judges-district and circuit court assistance.
The current version of the bill text is displayed below. To view all versions of the bill with page and line numbers, use the PDF documents located to the right, under "Bill Versions & Resources."
ORIGINAL House ENGROSSED
Bill No. HB0054
ENROLLED ACT NO. 16, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2025 General Session
AN ACT relating to courts; authorizing the assignment of cases and proceedings from circuit courts and district courts to chancery court judges; specifying requirements for transfers; authorizing retired chancery court judges to provide judicial service as specified; making conforming amendments; and providing for an effective date.
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
Section 1. W.S. 5‑1‑106(f), 5‑3‑112(a)(intro) and (iii), 5‑9‑131(a)(intro) and 5‑13‑116 by creating new subsections (b) and (c) are amended to read:
5‑1‑106. Retirement of judges of the supreme court or district courts; pension; assignment of retired judges.
(f) Any justice of the supreme court, chancery court judge or district court judge of this state, who has retired pursuant to the provisions of this section, and who is not practicing law, may, notwithstanding his retirement, be called upon, with his consent, at the request of a district court judge or circuit court judge, with the consent of the chief justice, or by the chief justice, and assigned to service on any court. A retired justice or judge shall receive as a salary during any period of assignment an amount equal to the current compensation of a judge of the court to which he is assigned. The salary received by a retired justice or judge during any period of assignment shall not affect the receipt of any retirement allowance received by the retired justice or judge during the period of assignment. Assignments of retired justices or judges under this section shall only be made in a manner that does not jeopardize the qualified status of state retirement plans established by the Wyoming legislature. When called to serve, a retired judge or justice shall receive the same per diem and travel allowances as allowed active judges or justices. Per diem, allowances and compensation shall be paid from the contingent fund of the court to which the judge or justice is assigned.
5‑3‑112. Assignment to circuit court judge or chancery court judge.
(a) A judge of the district court may assign to a circuit court judge or a chancery court judge any case or proceeding within the jurisdiction of the district court subject only to the following restrictions:
(iii) Consent of each plaintiff and each defendant in a civil action; wherein the amount in controversy is greater than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00); and
5‑9‑131. Assignment to district court judge or chancery court judge.
(a) A circuit court judge may assign to a district court judge or a chancery court judge any case or proceeding within the jurisdiction of the circuit court subject only to the following restrictions:
5‑13‑116. Powers generally; expenses of judges when acting in a circuit court or in a district court.
(b) A judge of the chancery court may hear any case or proceeding assigned to the chancery court by a district court in accordance with W.S. 5‑3‑112(a) or a circuit court in accordance with W.S. 5‑9‑131.
(c) The expenses of any chancery court judge holding court in any circuit court pursuant to assignment under W.S. 5‑9‑131 or in any district court pursuant to assignment under W.S. 5‑3‑112(a), including the judge's traveling expenses, and the judge's expenses while holding court, shall be charged to the fund of the court where the judge is holding court pursuant to assignment under W.S. 5‑3‑112(a) or 5‑9‑131.
Section 2. This act is effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.
(END)
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Speaker of the House |
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| President of the Senate |
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| Governor |
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| TIME APPROVED: _________ |
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| DATE APPROVED: _________ |
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I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.
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Chief Clerk |
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Sponsor:
JudiciaryCo-Sponsor:
Bill Versions and Resources:
Last Action:
Assigned Chapter Number 11Last Action Date:
02/24/2025Scheduled Committee Meetings
Scheduled Floor Sessions
Session Laws Chapter Number:
| Date | Action | Location | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/24/2025 | Assigned Chapter Number 11 | LSO | |
| 02/24/2025 | Governor Signed HEA No. 0016 | Governor | |
| 02/20/2025 | S President Signed HEA No. 0016 | Senate | |
| 02/20/2025 | H Speaker Signed HEA No. 0016 | House | |
| 02/18/2025 | Assigned Number HEA No. 0016 | LSO | |
| 02/18/2025 | H Concur:Passed 60-0-2-0-0 | House | Details |
| 02/14/2025 | H Received for Concurrence | House | |
| 02/14/2025 | S 3rd Reading:Passed 31-0-0-0-0 | Senate | Details |
| 02/13/2025 | S 2nd Reading:Passed | Senate | |
| 02/12/2025 | S COW:Passed | Senate | |
| 02/12/2025 | S Placed on General File | Senate | |
| 02/12/2025 | S01 - Judiciary:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 5-0-0-0-0 | Senate | Details |
| 02/10/2025 | S Introduced and Referred to S01 - Judiciary | Senate | |
| 02/04/2025 | S Received for Introduction | Senate | |
| 02/04/2025 | H 3rd Reading:Passed 58-1-3-0-0 | House | Details |
| 02/03/2025 | H 2nd Reading:Passed | House | |
| 01/31/2025 | H 2nd Reading:Laid Back | House | |
| 01/30/2025 | H COW:Passed | House | |
| 01/27/2025 | H Placed on General File | House | |
| 01/27/2025 | H01 - Judiciary:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 8-1-0-0-0 | House | Details |
| 01/17/2025 | H Introduced and Referred to H01 - Judiciary | House | |
| 01/02/2025 | H Received for Introduction | House | |
| 12/17/2024 | Bill Number Assigned | LSO |
House Amendments
| Amendment | Origin | Sponsor | Status |
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| HB0054H2001 | 2nd reading | Representative Nicholas | Adopted |
| HB0054HS001 | Standing Committee | House Judiciary Committee | Adopted |
Senate Amendments
| Amendment | Origin | Sponsor | Status |
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| HB0054SS001 | Standing Committee | Senate Judiciary Committee | Adopted |
Chancery court judges-district and circuit court assistance. | 25LSO-0285, 1.0 |
FISCAL NOTE
No significant fiscal or personnel impact.
Prepared by: Catherine Camarotte, LSO Phone: 777-7881
(Information provided by Claire Smith, Supreme Court, 307-777-7502)
HB0054
Ayes: BRADY, BRATTEN, CHESTEK, FILER, KELLY, SINGH, WEBB, WASHUT
Nays: LIEN
Excused:
Absent:
Conflict:
Total: Ayes: 8 Nays: 1 Excused: 0 Absent: 0 Conflict: 0
Ayes: Andrew, Angelos, Bear, Bratten, Brady, Brown, G, Brown, L, Campbell, E, Campbell, K, Byron, Chestek, Clouston, Connolly, Davis, Eklund, Erickson, Filer, Geringer, Guggenmos, Haroldson, Harshman, Heiner, Hoeft, Jarvis, Johnson, Kelly, Knapp, Larsen, Larson, Lawley, Lien, Locke, Lucas, McCann, Nicholas, Ottman, Pendergraft, Posey, Provenza, Rodriguez-Williams, Schmid, Sherwood, Singh, Smith, Storer, Strock, Tarver, Thayer, Washut, Wasserburger, Webb, Webber, Wharff, Williams, Winter, Wylie, Yin, Neiman
Nays: Styvar
Excused: Allemand, Banks, Riggins
Absent:
Conflict:
Total: Ayes: 58 Nays: 1 Excused: 3 Absent: 0 Conflict: 0
Ayes: CRAGO, CRUM, HICKS, KOLB, OLSEN
Nays:
Excused:
Absent:
Conflict:
Total: Ayes: 5 Nays: 0 Excused: 0 Absent: 0 Conflict: 0
Ayes: Anderson, Barlow, Boner, Brennan, Case, Cooper, Crago, Crum, Dockstader, Driskill, French, Gierau, Hicks, Hutchings, Ide, Jones, Kolb, Landen, McKeown, Laursen, Nethercott, Olsen, Pappas, Pearson, Rothfuss, Salazar, Schuler, Scott, Smith, Steinmetz, Biteman
Nays:
Excused:
Absent:
Conflict:
Total: Ayes: 31 Nays: 0 Excused: 0 Absent: 0 Conflict: 0
Ayes: Allemand, Andrew, Angelos, Banks, Bear, Brady, Bratten, Brown, G, Brown, L, Byron, Campbell, E, Campbell, K, Chestek, Clouston, Connolly, Davis, Eklund, Erickson, Filer, Geringer, Guggenmos, Haroldson, Harshman, Heiner, Hoeft, Jarvis, Johnson, Kelly, Knapp, Larsen, Larson, Lawley, Lien, Locke, McCann, Nicholas, Ottman, Pendergraft, Posey, Provenza, Rodriguez-Williams, Schmid, Sherwood, Singh, Smith, Storer, Strock, Styvar, Tarver, Thayer, Washut, Wasserburger, Webb, Webber, Wharff, Williams, Winter, Wylie, Yin, Neiman
Nays:
Excused: Lucas, Riggins
Absent:
Conflict:
Total: Ayes: 60 Nays: 0 Excused: 2 Absent: 0 Conflict: 0
HB0054 | Chancery court judges-district and circuit court assistance. |
Sponsored By: Joint Judiciary Interim Committee
AN ACT relating to courts; authorizing the assignment of cases and proceedings from circuit courts and district courts to chancery court judges; specifying requirements for transfers; authorizing retired chancery court judges to provide judicial service as specified; making conforming amendments; and providing for an effective date.
12/17/2024 Bill Number Assigned
1/2/2025 H Received for Introduction
1/17/2025 H Introduced and Referred to H01 - Judiciary
1/27/2025 H01 - Judiciary:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 8-1-0-0-0
ROLL CALL
Ayes: Representative(s) Brady, Bratten, Chestek, Filer, Kelly, Singh, Washut, Webb
Nays: Representative Lien
Ayes 8 Nays 1 Excused 0 Absent 0 Conflicts 0
1/27/2025 H Placed on General File
HB0054HS001/ADOPTED
Page 3-line 4 After "judge" insert "or chancery court judge". Washut, Chairman
1/30/2025 H COW:Passed
1/31/2025 H 2nd Reading:Laid Back
HB0054H2001/ADOPTED
Page 4-line 18 Delete entirely and insert:
"Section 2. This act is effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.". Nicholas
2/3/2025 H 2nd Reading:Passed
2/4/2025 H 3rd Reading:Passed 58-1-3-0-0
ROLL CALL
Ayes: Representative(s) Andrew, Angelos, Bear, Brady, Bratten, Brown, G, Brown, L, Byron, Campbell, E, Campbell, K, Chestek, Clouston, Connolly, Davis, Eklund, Erickson, Filer, Geringer, Guggenmos, Haroldson, Harshman, Heiner, Hoeft, Jarvis, Johnson, Kelly, Knapp, Larsen, Larson, Lawley, Lien, Locke, Lucas, Mccann, Neiman, Nicholas, Ottman, Pendergraft, Posey, Provenza, Rodriguez-Williams, Schmid, Sherwood, Singh, Smith, Storer, Strock, Tarver, Thayer, Washut, Wasserburger, Webb, Webber, Wharff, Williams, Winter, Wylie, Yin
Nays: Representative Styvar
Excused: Representative(s) Allemand, Banks, Riggins
Ayes 58 Nays 1 Excused 3 Absent 0 Conflicts 0
2/4/2025 S Received for Introduction
2/10/2025 S Introduced and Referred to S01 - Judiciary
2/12/2025 S01 - Judiciary:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 5-0-0-0-0
ROLL CALL
Ayes: Senator(s) Crago, Crum, Hicks, Kolb, Olsen
Ayes 5 Nays 0 Excused 0 Absent 0 Conflicts 0
2/12/2025 S Placed on General File
HB0054SS001/ADOPTED (TO ENGROSSED COPY)
Page 4-line 3 After "circuit court" insert "or in a district court". Olsen, Chairman
2/12/2025 S COW:Passed
2/13/2025 S 2nd Reading:Passed
2/14/2025 S 3rd Reading:Passed 31-0-0-0-0
ROLL CALL
Ayes: Senator(s) Anderson, Barlow, Biteman, Boner, Brennan, Case, Cooper, Crago, Crum, Dockstader, Driskill, French, Gierau, Hicks, Hutchings, Ide, Jones, Kolb, Landen, Laursen, Mckeown, Nethercott, Olsen, Pappas, Pearson, Rothfuss, Salazar, Schuler, Scott, Smith, Steinmetz
Ayes 31 Nays 0 Excused 0 Absent 0 Conflicts 0
2/14/2025 H Received for Concurrence
2/18/2025 H Concur:Passed 60-0-2-0-0
ROLL CALL
Ayes: Representative(s) Allemand, Andrew, Angelos, Banks, Bear, Brady, Bratten, Brown, G, Brown, L, Byron, Campbell, E, Campbell, K, Chestek, Clouston, Connolly, Davis, Eklund, Erickson, Filer, Geringer, Guggenmos, Haroldson, Harshman, Heiner, Hoeft, Jarvis, Johnson, Kelly, Knapp, Larsen, Larson, Lawley, Lien, Locke, Mccann, Neiman, Nicholas, Ottman, Pendergraft, Posey, Provenza, Rodriguez-Williams, Schmid, Sherwood, Singh, Smith, Storer, Strock, Styvar, Tarver, Thayer, Washut, Wasserburger, Webb, Webber, Wharff, Williams, Winter, Wylie, Yin
Excused: Representative(s) Lucas, Riggins
Ayes 60 Nays 0 Excused 2 Absent 0 Conflicts 0
2/18/2025 Assigned Number HEA No. 0016
2/20/2025 H Speaker Signed HEA No. 0016
2/20/2025 S President Signed HEA No. 0016
2/24/2025 Governor Signed HEA No. 0016
2/24/2025 Assigned Chapter Number 11
Chapter No. 11 Session Laws of Wyoming 2025
Bill No.: HB0054 Effective: Immediately
LSO No.: 25LSO-0285
Enrolled Act No.: HEA No. 0016
Chapter No.: 11
Prime Sponsor: Joint Judiciary Interim Committee
Catch Title: Chancery court judges-district and circuit court assistance.
Has Report: No
Subject: Authorizing chancery court judges to preside over cases and proceedings from district courts and circuit courts.
Summary/Major Elements:
- This act authorizes the assignment of cases and proceedings from circuit courts and district courts to chancery court judges.
- This act also authorizes retired chancery court judges to provide judicial service when requested by a district court judge, circuit court judge, or the Chief Justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court.
- Similar to district court judges and circuit court judges who serve on assignment, chancery court judges are entitled to expenses, which are charged to the court where the chancery court judge is holding court under the assignment.
The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent. While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill. |
