Wyoming 2025 Regular Session

Wyoming House Bill HB0207 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	ORIGINAL HOUSE ENGROSSED
2		-	BILL NO. HB0207
3		-	ENROLLED ACT NO. 66, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
4		-	SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
5		-	2025 GENERAL SESSION
6		-	1
7		-	AN ACT relating to religious freedom; creating the
8		-	Religious Freedom Restoration Act; providing definitions;
9		-	limiting specified governmental actions that burden
10		-	religious freedom; authorizing claims and defenses against
11		-	governmental action that burden religious freedom;
12		-	providing exceptions; and providing for an effective date.
13		-	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
14		-	Section 1. W.S. 9-25-101 through 9-25-104 are created
15		-	to read:
16		-	CHAPTER 25
17		-	RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
18		-	ARTICLE 1
19		-	RELIGIOUS FREEDOM RESTORATION ACT
20		-	9-25-101. Religious Freedom Restoration Act; short
21		-	title.
22		-	This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Wyoming
23		-	Religious Freedom Restoration Act."
24		-	9-25-102. Definitions.
25		-	(a) As used in this act:
26		-	(i) "Burden" means any action that, either
27		-	directly or indirectly, constrains, inhibits, curtails or
28		-	denies the exercise of religion including, but not limited
29		-	to:
30		-	(A) Withholding of benefits; ORIGINAL HOUSE ENGROSSED
31		-	BILL NO. HB0207
32		-	ENROLLED ACT NO. 66, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
33		-	SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
34		-	2025 GENERAL SESSION
35		-	2 (B) Assessing criminal, civil or
36		-	administrative penalties;
37		-	(C) Exclusion from governmental programs;
38		-	or
39		-	(D) Denial of access to governmental
40		-	facilities.
41		-	(ii) "Compelling governmental interest" means a
42		-	governmental interest of the highest order that cannot
43		-	otherwise be achieved without burdening the exercise of
44		-	religion;
45		-	(iii) "Exercise of religion" means the practice
46		-	or observance of religion, including an act or refusal to
47		-	act, that is substantially motivated by a sincerely held
48		-	religious belief, whether or not compelled by or central to
49		-	a system of religious belief;
50		-	(iv) "Person" means any natural person,
51		-	association, partnership, corporation, religious
52		-	institution or other legal entity;
53		-	(v) "State action" means the implementation or
54		-	application of any law, including but not limited to state
55		-	and local laws, ordinances, rules, regulations and
56		-	policies, whether statutory or otherwise, or action by the
57		-	state or a political subdivision, local government,
58		-	municipality, instrumentality or public official authorized
59		-	by law in the state of Wyoming;
60		-	(vi) "This act" means W.S. 9-25‑101 through
61		-	9-25-104. ORIGINAL HOUSE ENGROSSED
62		-	BILL NO. HB0207
63		-	ENROLLED ACT NO. 66, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
64		-	SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
65		-	2025 GENERAL SESSION
66		-	39-25-103. Limitation on state action; exception.
67		-	(a) State action shall not substantially burden a
68		-	person's right to the exercise of religion, even if the
69		-	burden results from a rule of general applicability, unless
70		-	it is demonstrated that applying the burden to that
71		-	person's exercise of religion in that particular instance
72		-	is:
73		-	(i) Essential to further a compelling
74		-	governmental interest; and
75		-	(ii) The least restrictive means of furthering
76		-	that compelling governmental interest.
77		-	(b) This act shall apply to all state and local laws,
78		-	ordinances, rules, regulations and policies, and their
79		-	implementation, whether statutory or otherwise and whether
80		-	adopted before, on or after the effective date of this act.
81		-	9-25-104. Claims.
82		-	A person whose exercise of religion has been substantially
83		-	burdened or is likely to be substantially
84		-	violation of this act may assert the violation or impending
85		-	violation as a claim or defense in a judicial or
86		-	administrative proceeding, regardless of whether the state
87		-	or one (1) of its political subdivisions is a party to the
88		-	proceeding. The person asserting the claim or defense may
89		-	obtain appropriate relief, including injunctive relief and
90		-	declaratory relief. ORIGINAL HOUSE ENGROSSED
91		-	BILL NO. HB0207
92		-	ENROLLED ACT NO. 66, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
93		-	SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
94		-	2025 GENERAL SESSION
95		-	4Section 2. This act is effective July 1, 2025.
96		-	(END)
97		-	Speaker of the HousePresident of the SenateGovernorTIME APPROVED: _________DATE APPROVED: _________
98		-	I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.
99		-	Chief Clerk
	1	+	2025
	2	+	STATE OF WYOMING
	3	+	25LSO-02671HB0207
	4	+	HOUSE BILL NO. HB0207
	5	+	Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
	6	+	Sponsored by: Representative(s) Washut, Banks, Heiner,
	7	+	Lawley, Locke, Neiman, Rodriguez-Williams
	8	+	and Williams and Senator(s) Crago,
	9	+	Hutchings, Kolb, Laursen, D, Salazar and
	10	+	Smith, D
	11	+	A BILL
	12	+	for
	13	+	1 AN ACT relating to religious freedom; creating the
	14	+	2 Religious Freedom Restoration Act; providing definitions;
	15	+	3 limiting specified governmental actions that burden
	16	+	4 religious freedom; authorizing claims and defenses against
	17	+	5 governmental action that burden religious freedom;
	18	+	6 providing exceptions; and providing for an effective date.
	19	+	7
	20	+	8
	21	+	9
	22	+	10. W.S. 1-39-124 and 9-25-101 through
	23	+	11 9-25-104 are created to read:
	24	+	12
	25	+	13
	26	+	14 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-02672HB0207
	27	+	1 A governmental entity is liable for damages resulting from
	28	+	2 a violation of W.S. 9-25-103 pursuant to W.S. 9-25-104.
	29	+	3
	30	+	4 CHAPTER 25
	31	+	5 RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
	32	+	6
	33	+	7 ARTICLE 1
	34	+	8 RELIGIOUS FREEDOM RESTORATION ACT
	35	+	9
	36	+	10
	37	+	11
	38	+	12
	39	+	13 This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Wyoming
	40	+	14 Religious Freedom Restoration Act."
	41	+	15
	42	+	16
	43	+	17
	44	+	18 (a) As used in this act:
	45	+	19
	46	+	20 (i) "Burden" means any action that, either
	47	+	21 directly or indirectly, constrains, inhibits, curtails or
	48	+	22 denies the exercise of religion including, but not limited
	49	+	23 to: 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-02673HB02071
	50	+	2 (A) Withholding of benefits;
	51	+	3
	52	+	4 (B) Assessing criminal, civil or
	53	+	5 administrative penalties;
	54	+	6
	55	+	7 (C) Exclusion from governmental programs;
	56	+	8 or
	57	+	9
	58	+	10 (D) Denial of access to governmental
	59	+	11 facilities.
	60	+	12
	61	+	13 (ii) "Compelling governmental interest" means a
	62	+	14 governmental interest of the highest order that cannot
	63	+	15 otherwise be achieved without burdening the exercise of
	64	+	16 religion;
	65	+	17
	66	+	18 (iii) "Exercise of religion" means the practice
	67	+	19 or observance of religion, including an act or refusal to
	68	+	20 act, that is substantially motivated by a sincerely held
	69	+	21 religious belief, whether or not compelled by or central to
	70	+	22 a system of religious belief;
	71	+	23 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-02674HB02071 (iv) "Person" means any natural person,
	72	+	2 association, partnership, corporation, religious
	73	+	3 institution or other legal entity;
	74	+	4
	75	+	5 (v) "State action" means the implementation or
	76	+	6 application of any law, including but not limited to state
	77	+	7 and local laws, ordinances, rules, regulations and
	78	+	8 policies, whether statutory or otherwise, or action by the
	79	+	9 state or a political subdivision, local government,
	80	+	10 municipality, instrumentality or public official authorized
	81	+	11 by law in the state of Wyoming;
	82	+	12
	83	+	13 (vi) "This act" means W.S. 9-25‑101 through
	84	+	14 9-25-104.
	85	+	15
	86	+	16
	87	+	17
	88	+	18 (a) State action shall not burden a person's right to
	89	+	19 the exercise of religion, even if the burden results from a
	90	+	20 rule of general applicability, unless it is demonstrated
	91	+	21 that applying the burden to that person's exercise of
	92	+	22 religion in that particular instance is:
	93	+	23 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-02675HB02071 (i) Essential to further a compelling
	94	+	2 governmental interest; and
	95	+	3
	96	+	4 (ii) The least restrictive means of furthering
	97	+	5 that compelling governmental interest.
	98	+	6
	99	+	7 (b) This act shall apply to all state and local laws,
	100	+	8 ordinances, rules, regulations and policies, and their
	101	+	9 implementation, whether statutory or otherwise and whether
	102	+	10 adopted before, on or after the effective date of this act.
	103	+	11
	104	+	12
	105	+	13
	106	+	14 A person whose exercise of religion has been burdened or is
	107	+	15 likely to be burdened in violation of this act may assert
	108	+	16 the violation or impending violation as a claim or defense
	109	+	17 in a judicial or administrative proceeding, regardless of
	110	+	18 whether the state or one (1) of its political subdivisions
	111	+	19 is a party to the proceeding. The person asserting the
	112	+	20 claim or defense may obtain appropriate relief, including
	113	+	21 relief against the state or its political subdivisions.
	114	+	22 Appropriate relief includes, but is not limited to, 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-02676HB0207
	115	+	1 injunctive relief, declaratory relief, compensatory
	116	+	2 damages, costs and attorney fees.
	117	+	3
	118	+	4. This act is effective July 1, 2025.
	119	+	5
	120	+	6 (END)