2021 Wyoming Nursing Summit & Convention

2021 WYOMING NURSING SUMMIT & CONVENTION
2021 LEGISLATIVE REPORT
Toni Decklever,
MA, RN - Lobbyist
January 12th marked the first day of the 2021 General session for the Wyoming State
Legislature. A total of 421 bills were filed with the Legislative Service Office. 264 were
House Bills and 157 were Senate Files. There were also 20 resolutions filed.
The following are bills that WNA followed that became law.
Local Health Officer – Education requirements – This amended current statue
to read: Any full-time or part-time health officer shall have a degree of doctor of
medicine or be an advanced practice registered nurse. This position shall assist the
state department of health in carrying out the provisions of all health and sanitary
laws and regulation of the state.
Public Health Amendments – This amends how certain public health orders
may be issued. The act applies to each public health order that restricts individuals’ movements or their
ability to engage in an activity, that applies to individuals not under an isolation or quarantine order,
and that is designed to prevent or limit the transmission of a contagious or possibly contagious disease.
These orders, whether issued by the State Health Officer or a local health officer, are limited to ten (10)
days. Subsequent orders, including order extensions, for the same or substantially same purpose may be
issued as follows:
o For orders of the State Health Officer, the Governor may issue subsequent orders not to exceed
sixty (60) days;
o For orders of local health officers, locally elected governing bodies can issue subsequent orders.
• For certain orders issued by local health officers, the act requires forty-eight (48) hours’ notice
to the public and an opportunity to comment.
• This act also amends provisions governing the appointment and oversight of the State Health
Officer. The act requires the Governor to appoint the State Health Officer. The act provides
that either the Governor or the Director of the Department of Health may remove the State
Health Officer. The act removes the option of the Director of the Department of Health to also
serve as the State Health Officer.
Wyoming Investment in Nursing – This bill asked for 264,459.00 to be appropriated to the
Community College Commission for the WyIN program. The funding would be used to support the
faculty salary portion of this program for 2021 and would come out of the Covid Relief fund.
At the end of the session, each committee is given a priority list of issues and topics that will be
researched during the 2021 interim. Priorities for the Labor Health Committee are as follows:
Priority #: 1 Aging.
The Committee will examine services and options to address the challenges facing the growing aging
population in Wyoming. Among other issues, the Committee intends to consider long-term care costs,
options for keeping seniors in their homes, availability of beds in care facilities, reimbursement rate rebasing
and potential updates to the nursing home administrator practice act, W.S. 33-22-101 through -110.
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