Legislative Report: Bills Live And Die In Senate [AUDIO]

Two education bills move in the Senate and one dies on third reading. Amy Richards has more in Tuesday's Legislative Report.

This Legislative Report is brought to you by Hilltop National Bank.

After another lengthy debate, the Senate killed SF 52, the teacher tenure bill on third and final reading Tuesday. The vote was 12 yes-18 nos. Sen. Charlie Scott says he's disappointed the bill failed.

Sen. Charlie Scott, ed bill:

"I don't think teacher tenure is the central issue, but I think the current system contributes to the problems, and so it ought to be on the list to get solved."

Kathryn Valido, president of the Wyoming Education Association says she is pleased SF 52 failed.

Kathryn Valido, SF 52:

"This vote is going to tell them that the Senate is honestly looking at the issue, and they heard what the teachers had to say. Our teachers have been writing and writing and writing, and I think they'll say they listened to us."

The Senate passed SF 146 and SF 70 on second reading. They will be heard on third and final reading on Wednesday. Valido says the WEA supports both those bills.

The Senate passed a bill on second reading Tuesday that calls for the completion of the state lands plan. Sen. Kit Jennings explains.

Sen. Kit Jennings, SF 105:

"Well, after the Legislature and the governor and everybody got it approved, they forgot to do it. So here we are, about thirty years later, and all we want to do is update the statute, give the responsibility to the Attorney General's Office, have them pull out some records and do some research, and come back to us next year and tell us is there a way or is there not a way. And basically, taking a 30-year-old statute, and kind of making the execution clause work."

A bill that would expand the state's healthy frontiers pilot health care program for low-income residents passed out of the Senate today. (Tuesday.) Sen. Charlie Scott says it's important.

Sen. Scott, healthy frontiers bill:

"It will enable us to go to 500 recipients, which was the original plan, and that gives us an orderly development, of this, and really, we're experimenting; we're trying an entirely new system to deal with the problem of insuring the uninsured."

Senate Minority Whip Sen. Marty Martin says it has been an extremely busy session so far.

Sen. Marty Martin:

"We're dealing with a lot of social issues, which is understandable, and there's concern from people within the state, whether it be the validity of marriage, or just whatever those concerns may be. With that, health care, we've dealt with a lot of health care issues and with the Affordable Health Care Act."

The House passed the abortion-ultrasound information bill on second reading today. House Bill 251 was amended to remove the 24-hour waiting period for someone seeking an abortion and says the patient has the right to view an ultrasound of her fetus before having the abortion, but doesn't make it a requirement. That will be heard on third and final reading on Wednesday.

With the Legislative Report, I'm Amy Richards for K2 Radio News.