House Bill 47 would let businesses pay for faster filings; Secretary of State asks committee to attach one position
January 17, 2025 | Appropriations Committee, House of Representative, Committees, Legislative, Wyoming
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The Appropriations Committee voted to recommend do pass, as amended, on House Bill 47, a bill to create an expedited corporate filing option in the Secretary of State’s office and to attach one position to the bill for one year.
The measure was presented to the committee by the Secretary of State’s office (name not specified in the record), which said Wyoming already operates under a statutory 15‑day filing deadline but that some businesses want an option to pay for faster, same‑day or next‑day service. “We are all about increasing service in the Wyoming Secretary of State's office,” the Secretary said, adding that some complex filings — notably in mergers and acquisitions — need manual, senior‑level intervention.
The Secretary’s office explained why staffing and funding are the central issues. The agency said Wyoming handles roughly 70% of Delaware’s filings per capita while having about 10% of Delaware’s staff, and that new duties (including anti‑fraud work) have strained cross‑divisional support. The office requested three new positions in its budget; for this bill it asked the committee to attach a single senior classified position (BACA‑08 equivalent) to HB 47 but included a trigger saying the attachment would disappear if the positions are included in the supplemental budget or HB 1.
Committee members pressed staff for fiscal clarity. The agency’s initial administrative impact estimate listed $43,000 (described as a half‑year, half‑FTE figure), while the committee amendment carried an $93,179 one‑year amount. Agency representatives and staff explained the $43,000 reflected a partial‑FTE estimate and the larger amount reflects use of the higher BACA‑08 classification plus fixed costs such as telecom and hardware; the agency said it would confirm the remaining $3,000 discrepancy.
Representative Sherwood moved to fund the position from special revenue generated by general business filings; the motion failed for lack of a second. Representative Haroldson moved to accept the fiscal note as written (the $93,179 figure) and the committee recommended do pass as amended; the roll call showed Representatives Aleman, Angelos, Haroldson, Pendergraft, Sherwood, Smith and Chairman Bair voting aye.
The agency said the bill would be effective July 1, 2025, and that the one‑year appropriation in the amendment is intended to bridge to the next budget cycle. The Secretary emphasized that if funding were tied only to revenue from expedited filings initially, the special revenue stream would be insufficient to fund a classified position immediately; that is why the office prefers general‑funding or inclusion in the supplemental budget.
The committee closed public testimony after questions and advanced the bill to the next stage for floor consideration. The Secretary’s office committed to provide a final reconciliation of the fiscal figures to the committee.
The measure was presented to the committee by the Secretary of State’s office (name not specified in the record), which said Wyoming already operates under a statutory 15‑day filing deadline but that some businesses want an option to pay for faster, same‑day or next‑day service. “We are all about increasing service in the Wyoming Secretary of State's office,” the Secretary said, adding that some complex filings — notably in mergers and acquisitions — need manual, senior‑level intervention.
The Secretary’s office explained why staffing and funding are the central issues. The agency said Wyoming handles roughly 70% of Delaware’s filings per capita while having about 10% of Delaware’s staff, and that new duties (including anti‑fraud work) have strained cross‑divisional support. The office requested three new positions in its budget; for this bill it asked the committee to attach a single senior classified position (BACA‑08 equivalent) to HB 47 but included a trigger saying the attachment would disappear if the positions are included in the supplemental budget or HB 1.
Committee members pressed staff for fiscal clarity. The agency’s initial administrative impact estimate listed $43,000 (described as a half‑year, half‑FTE figure), while the committee amendment carried an $93,179 one‑year amount. Agency representatives and staff explained the $43,000 reflected a partial‑FTE estimate and the larger amount reflects use of the higher BACA‑08 classification plus fixed costs such as telecom and hardware; the agency said it would confirm the remaining $3,000 discrepancy.
Representative Sherwood moved to fund the position from special revenue generated by general business filings; the motion failed for lack of a second. Representative Haroldson moved to accept the fiscal note as written (the $93,179 figure) and the committee recommended do pass as amended; the roll call showed Representatives Aleman, Angelos, Haroldson, Pendergraft, Sherwood, Smith and Chairman Bair voting aye.
The agency said the bill would be effective July 1, 2025, and that the one‑year appropriation in the amendment is intended to bridge to the next budget cycle. The Secretary emphasized that if funding were tied only to revenue from expedited filings initially, the special revenue stream would be insufficient to fund a classified position immediately; that is why the office prefers general‑funding or inclusion in the supplemental budget.
The committee closed public testimony after questions and advanced the bill to the next stage for floor consideration. The Secretary’s office committed to provide a final reconciliation of the fiscal figures to the committee.
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