Wyoming 2025 Regular Session

Wyoming Senate Bill SF0014 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	2025
2	2	STATE OF WYOMING
3	3	25LSO-02291SF0014
4	4	SENATE FILE NO. SF0014
5	5	Wyoming imagination library program.
6	6	Sponsored by: Joint Education Interim Committee
7	7	A BILL
8	8	for
9	9	1 AN ACT relating to education; establishing the Wyoming
10	10	2 imagination library program; providing funding for the free
11	11	3 distribution of books to young children as specified;
12	12	4 providing definitions; creating an account; requiring
13	13	5 rulemaking; providing an appropriation; and providing for
14	14	6 an effective date.
15	15	7
16	16	8
17	17	9
18	18	10. W.S. 21-2-205 is created to read:
19	19	11
20	20	12
21	21	13
22	22	14 (a) As used in this section:
23	23	15 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-02292SF00141 (i) "County based affiliate program" means a
24	24	2 local affiliate of the Wyoming imagination library program
25	25	3 that operates within a county;
26	26	4
27	27	5 (ii) "Participating county" means a county with
28	28	6 not less than one (1) county based affiliate program;
29	29	7
30	30	8 (iii) "Registered eligible child" means a child
31	31	9 from birth to five (5) years of age who resides in this
32	32	10 state and who is registered in a county based affiliate
33	33	11 program.
34	34	12
35	35	13 (b) The Wyoming imagination library program is
36	36	14 created to be administered by the department of education.
37	37	15 The purpose of the program shall be to promote the
38	38	16 development of a comprehensive statewide initiative for
39	39	17 encouraging children from birth to five (5) years of age to
40	40	18 develop a love of reading and learning.
41	41	19
42	42	20 (c) The department of education shall coordinate with
43	43	21 a nonprofit entity, qualified under section 501(c)(3) of
44	44	22 the Internal Revenue Code and organized solely to promote
45	45	23 and encourage reading by children, to: 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-02293SF0014
46	46	1
47	47	2 (i) Provide at least one (1) age appropriate
48	48	3 book to each registered eligible child in each
49	49	4 participating county monthly at no cost to families;
50	50	5
51	51	6 (ii) Promote the statewide development of county
52	52	7 based affiliate programs and advance and strengthen the
53	53	8 county based affiliate programs to increase enrollment;
54	54	9
55	55	10 (iii) Develop a public awareness campaign to
56	56	11 promote the program and ensure the public is aware of the
57	57	12 opportunity to register eligible children to receive free
58	58	13 books through the program;
59	59	14
60	60	15 (iv) Administer the county based affiliate
61	61	16 program funding match requirement as specified in
62	62	17 subsection (d) of this section and coordinate the
63	63	18 collection and remittance of books;
64	64	19
65	65	20 (v) Solicit donations, gifts and other funding
66	66	21 to financially support county based affiliate programs.
67	67	22 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-02294SF00141 (d) Each participating county based affiliate program
68	68	2 shall contribute fifty percent (50%) of the funds required
69	69	3 for the program to operate in the county directly to the
70	70	4 department of education. The department of education shall
71	71	5 manage the funds received by each participating county
72	72	6 based affiliate program. To the extent that funds are
73	73	7 available in the Wyoming imagination library program
74	74	8 account created in subsection (e) of this section, the
75	75	9 department of education shall provide to each participating
76	76	10 county based affiliate program an additional amount from
77	77	11 the Wyoming imagination library program account not to
78	78	12 exceed the amount of funds received from each participating
79	79	13 county based affiliate program.
80	80	14
81	81	15 (e) There is created the Wyoming imagination library
82	82	16 program account. The account shall include all legislative
83	83	17 appropriations and all monies received from grants, gifts,
84	84	18 transfers, bequests and donations to the account. The
85	85	19 account is authorized to accept grants, gifts, transfers,
86	86	20 bequests and donations. All monies received shall be
87	87	21 deposited into the account. Notwithstanding W.S. 9-2-1008,
88	88	22 9-2-1012(e) or 9-4-207, unobligated and unexpended funds in
89	89	23 the account shall not lapse or revert and shall remain in 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-02295SF0014
90	90	1 the account and be available for distribution as provided
91	91	2 in this section.
92	92	3
93	93	4 (f) Monies deposited into the Wyoming imagination
94	94	5 library program account shall be continuously appropriated
95	95	6 to and expended by the department of education to
96	96	7 administer the Wyoming imagination library program
97	97	8 established under subsection (b) of this section and to
98	98	9 provide the state's share of any matching funds as required
99	99	10 under subsection (d) of this section.
100	100	11
101	101	12 (g) Funds in the Wyoming imagination library program
102	102	13 account shall be invested by the state treasurer pursuant
103	103	14 to law and the investment earnings shall be credited to the
104	104	15 account.
105	105	16
106	106	17 (h) The department of education shall promulgate
107	107	18 rules necessary to carry out this section.
108	108	19
109	109	20. There is appropriated three hundred twenty
110	110	21 thousand dollars ($320,000.00) from the general fund to the
111	111	22 Wyoming imagination library program account created in
112	112	23 section 1 of this act. This appropriation shall be for the 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-02296SF0014
113	113	1 period beginning with the effective date of this act. This
114	114	2 appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any
115	115	3 other purpose. Notwithstanding W.S. 9-21008, 9-2-1012(e)
116	116	4 and 9-4-207 this appropriation shall not revert. It is the
117	117	5 intent of the legislature that this appropriation shall be
118	118	6 included in the department of education's standard budget
119	119	7 for the immediately succeeding fiscal biennium.
120	120	8
121	121	9. This act is effective July 1, 2025.
122	122	10
123	123	11 (END)