Wyoming Legislative Report - February 11 - KGWN –Cheyenne, WY– Scottsbluff, NE News,Weather, Sports

Wyoming Legislative Report - February 11

The Wyoming Legislature working a host of bills after last week's budget debate. 41 bills on general file in the House Monday, 52 in the Senate and there's a bunch more in committees that will hit the floors in the days to come.

One of the bills we've been following is House Bill 79, which passes the Senate on a first vote. The bill amends the definition of unpaid wages to exclude accrued vacation. Just the opposite of what the law is now. If this bill were to become law, if you're fired or move on to another job, your employer does not have to pay you for any vacation time you didn't use. That policy would have to be in writing and it would rule. Some employers have those policies in place now but they're not enforceable. That would change. Sponsor Tim Stubson says there's been confusion about what happens to your accrued vacation in the bill.

A bill that would give employers more incentive to make their workplaces safer, passes a first Senate vote. Although Senator Larry Hicks is supporting House Bill 52, he has reservations about too many incentives.

U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis revisits her own stomping grounds Monday, the Wyoming Capitol. Lummis served in the Wyoming House and Senate and also two terms as State Treasurer. We asked her what she expects to hear from President Obama in his State of the Union address Tuesday night. She hopes it will be optimism about America. We'll hear more from Lummis on gun control this week.

Another reminder that the lottery bill is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Travel and Recreation Committee Tuesday morning. It's in room 302 at 8 a.m. It's the first time the lottery bill has reached the Senate.