The 68th Wyoming Legislature convened for the 2025 General Session on Tuesday this week. After opening ceremonies and swearings-in, the introduction of bills began right away.
It’s probably safe to say that the average Wyomingite doesn’t follow the legislative session very closely. And we understand that. Politics can be challenging to understand, and, let’s be real, fairly boring for many of us. Legislative sessions are long and complicated, with a host of bills introduced at the beginning, many of which won’t go far, and many of which will be changed enough to be almost unrecognizable from where they began. Trying to make sense of and keep up with all the developments can be difficult and frustrating.
We understand the struggle, believe us. But we also want to extend a challenge to everyone — don’t give up, and don’t ignore the legislative session.
This year especially, controversial bills on a number of topics ranging from energy to the environment to education to the rights of individuals are up for discussion and debate. We need to pay attention to those we’ve elected to represent us, know what decisions they’re making and what ideas they’re promoting, and hold them accountable for their choices. Many of these bills could have serious impacts on our daily life here in Wyoming and Sweetwater County. We should know what those impacts are, and make our voices heard.
When it comes to staying informed, there are multiple resources to use. At the Star, we do our best to share major updates regarding things that affect our county and concerns that our local legislators express. However, as a weekly newspaper in Green River, we’re also unfortunately limited in how much of the legislative session we can cover. To help, we share stories by many of our partner newspapers throughout the state via the Wyoming News Exchange, both in the paper and even more on our Facebook page. These papers are often closer to the action and able to provide more frequent updates. Those wishing to stay involved and informed can also go straight to the source. The State Legislature website, wyoleg.gov, has numerous resources, as well as access to all the bills for this session. All the legislature’s floor proceedings and committee meetings will also be broadcast and can be watched through the Wyoming Legislature’s YouTube channel, which is named “Wyoming Legislature.”
Staying informed requires extra time and effort, but it’s worth the struggle. If the government is designed to represent “we the people,” we need to know what’s happening, and we need to share our perspectives on what is important to us.
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