CHEYENNE —A bill that would add language to Wyoming’s current executive session statute to allow for boards to discuss safety and security planning in an executive session has passed in both the Senate and the House.
Today, Senate File 23, which is sponsored by the Judiciary Committee, passed its third reading in the House today with a 59-1 vote, according to bill tracking information on the Wyoming Legislature’s website. The bill, which made it through without any amendments, will now go before Governor Mark Gordon for review.
SF 23 was first introduced to the Senate back in January and has since made its way through the Senate Judiciary Committee with a 5-0 vote and all three readings in the Senate. The bill passed its third reading with a 29-1 vote on March 8 and later that day it was introduced on the House floor and assigned to the House Judiciary Committee on March 12.
The bill was passed with the following language, which will be added to the executive session Wyoming State Statute 16-4-405 (a).
"(xii) To consider, discuss and conduct safety and security planning that, if disclosed, would pose a threat to the safety of life or property."
Representative Chad Banks, D-Rock Springs, reacted to the passage of this bill.
“I supported the bill so security plans could be discussed and made in executive session,” Banks said in an interview with SweetwaterNOW. “I’m a big fan of public involvement, but clearly the inner workings of a security plan should be private.”
“I can’t think of anything I’ve been involved with yet where this has come up, but can see where it would be useful, especially as the world we live in evolves more where more and more security is required for various things,” Banks said.