2025 – Constitutional Competence Category #4: Ninth and Tenth Amendments
2025 bills reviewed for this category:
- HB0046 Homeschool Freedom Act
- HB0032 What is a Woman Act.
- SF0125 Defining health care and protecting the people’s welfare.
- SF0044 Fairness in sports-intercollegiate athletics.
All bills required an “Aye” vote.
NINTH AMENDMENT
United States Constitution, Amendment 9
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
HB0046 Homeschool Freedom Act
Required an “Aye” vote to support parent’s rights to homeschool their children, and to eliminate the requirement that parents submit a home-based educational program curriculum to the local school board. Parents are required however to meet the requirements of a basic academic educational program.
Parental rights are acknowledged as individual rights by the Ninth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Additionally, and more succinctly, parental rights are acknowledged as a fundamental right in WY State Statutes:
§14-2-206
(a) “The liberty of a parent to the care, custody and control of their child is a fundamental right that resides first in the parent.”
House Third Reading Vote
1/23/2025 H 3rd Reading:Passed 54-6-2-0-0
ROLL CALL
Ayes: Representative(s) Allemand, Andrew, Angelos, Banks, Bear, Brady, Bratten, Brown, G, Brown, L, Byron, Campbell, E, Campbell, K, Clouston, Connolly, Davis, Erickson, Filer, Geringer, Guggenmos, Haroldson, Harshman, Heiner, Hoeft, Jarvis, Johnson, Kelly, Knapp, Larsen, Larson, Lawley, Lien, Locke, Lucas, Mccann, Neiman, Ottman, Pendergraft, Posey, Rodriguez-Williams, Schmid, Singh, Smith, Strock, Styvar, Tarver, Thayer, Washut, Wasserburger, Webb, Webber, Wharff, Williams, Winter, Wylie
Nays: Representative(s) Chestek, Nicholas, Provenza, Sherwood, Storer, Yin
Excused: Representative(s) Eklund, Riggins
Ayes 54 Nays 6 Excused 2 Absent 0 Conflicts 0
Senate Third Reading Vote
2/24/2025 S 3rd Reading:Passed 28-2-1-0-0
ROLL CALL
Ayes: Senator(s) Anderson, Barlow, Biteman, Boner, Brennan, Cooper, Crago, Dockstader, Driskill, French, Gierau, Hicks, Hutchings, Ide, Jones, Kolb, Laursen, Mckeown, Nethercott, Olsen, Pappas, Pearson, Rothfuss, Salazar, Schuler, Scott, Smith, Steinmetz
Nays: Senator(s) Case, Landen
Excused: Senator Crum
Ayes 28 Nays 2 Excused 1 Absent 0 Conflicts 0
TENTH AMENDMENT
United States Constitution, Amendment 10
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
HB0032 What is a Woman Act.
Required an “Aye” vote to authorize the WY legislature to define what a “woman” is. American founding fathers and Wyoming founding fathers never imagined they would need to define this word. Today however it is necessary.
House Third Reading Vote
1/20/2025 H 3rd Reading:Passed 50-9-3-0-0
ROLL CALL
Ayes: Representative(s) Allemand, Andrew, Angelos, Banks, Bear, Brady, Bratten, Brown, G, Brown, L, Campbell, K, Clouston, Connolly, Davis, Eklund, Erickson, Filer, Geringer, Guggenmos, Haroldson, Harshman, Heiner, Hoeft, Johnson, Kelly, Knapp, Larsen, Larson, Lawley, Lien, Locke, Lucas, Mccann, Neiman, Ottman, Pendergraft, Rodriguez-Williams, Schmid, Singh, Smith, Strock, Styvar, Tarver, Thayer, Washut, Wasserburger, Webb, Wharff, Williams, Winter, Wylie
Nays: Representative(s) Byron, Campbell, E, Chestek, Jarvis, Nicholas, Provenza, Sherwood, Storer, Yin
Excused: Representative(s) Posey, Riggins, Webber
Ayes 50 Nays 9 Excused 3 Absent 0 Conflicts 0
Senate Third Reading Vote
1/20/2025 H 3rd Reading:Passed 50-9-3-0-0
ROLL CALL
Ayes: Representative(s) Allemand, Andrew, Angelos, Banks, Bear, Brady, Bratten, Brown, G, Brown, L, Campbell, K, Clouston, Connolly, Davis, Eklund, Erickson, Filer, Geringer, Guggenmos, Haroldson, Harshman, Heiner, Hoeft, Johnson, Kelly, Knapp, Larsen, Larson, Lawley, Lien, Locke, Lucas, Mccann, Neiman, Ottman, Pendergraft, Rodriguez-Williams, Schmid, Singh, Smith, Strock, Styvar, Tarver, Thayer, Washut, Wasserburger, Webb, Wharff, Williams, Winter, Wylie
Nays: Representative(s) Byron, Campbell, E, Chestek, Jarvis, Nicholas, Provenza, Sherwood, Storer, Yin
Excused: Representative(s) Posey, Riggins, Webber
Ayes 50 Nays 9 Excused 3 Absent 0 Conflicts 0
SF0125 Defining health care and protecting the people’s welfare.
Required an “Aye” vote to authorize the WY legislature to define what “healthcare” is. Generally this bill defines the word healthcare as the medical treatment of people to support or save life. The bill differentiates that abortion does not save life and therefore is not “healthcare”.
We believe that the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution authorizes the WY legislature to define this word to clarify law and policy. Additionally, WY State Constitution Article 1, Section 38 (c) states: The legislature may determine reasonable and necessary restrictions on the rights granted under this section to protect the health and general welfare of the people or to accomplish the other purposes set forth in the Wyoming Constitution. We believe this provision further authorizes the WY legislature to define “healthcare”.
Interestingly, Governor Gordon vetoed this bill while approving of HB0032 What is a Woman Act described above. Thus Governor Gordon approves of the legislature defining “woman” but not defining “healthcare”. We disagree with the Governor.
House Third Reading Vote
3/4/2025 H 3rd Reading:Passed 51-9-2-0-0
ROLL CALL
Ayes: Representative(s) Allemand, Andrew, Angelos, Banks, Bear, Brady, Bratten, Brown, G, Brown, L, Campbell, K, Clouston, Connolly, Davis, Eklund, Erickson, Filer, Geringer, Guggenmos, Haroldson, Harshman, Heiner, Hoeft, Johnson, Kelly, Knapp, Larsen, Larson, Lawley, Lien, Locke, Mccann, Neiman, Ottman, Pendergraft, Riggins, Rodriguez-Williams, Schmid, Singh, Smith, Strock, Styvar, Tarver, Thayer, Washut, Wasserburger, Webb, Webber, Wharff, Williams, Winter, Wylie
Nays: Representative(s) Byron, Campbell, E, Chestek, Jarvis, Nicholas, Posey, Provenza, Sherwood, Yin
Excused: Representative(s) Lucas, Storer
Ayes 51 Nays 9 Excused 2 Absent 0 Conflicts 0
Senate Third Reading Vote
2/12/2025 S 3rd Reading:Passed 24-6-1-0-0
ROLL CALL
Ayes: Senator(s) Barlow, Biteman, Boner, Brennan, Cooper, Crago, Crum, Dockstader, French, Hicks, Hutchings, Ide, Jones, Kolb, Landen, Laursen, Mckeown, Nethercott, Olsen, Pearson, Salazar, Schuler, Smith, Steinmetz
Nays: Senator(s) Anderson, Case, Driskill, Gierau, Rothfuss, Scott
Excused: Senator Pappas
Ayes 24 Nays 6 Excused 1 Absent 0 Conflicts 0
SF0044 Fairness in sports-intercollegiate athletics.
Required an “Aye” vote for competitions in intercollegiate (UW and community colleges) athletic sports to be based on biological sex. Generally this bill would prevent unfairness as well as potential subsequent injuries from biological men competing against women.
House Third Reading Vote
3/4/2025 H 3rd Reading:Passed 52-8-2-0-0
ROLL CALL
Ayes: Representative(s) Allemand, Andrew, Angelos, Banks, Bear, Brady, Bratten, Brown, G, Byron, Campbell, K, Clouston, Connolly, Davis, Eklund, Erickson, Filer, Geringer, Guggenmos, Haroldson, Harshman, Heiner, Hoeft, Johnson, Kelly, Knapp, Larsen, Larson, Lawley, Lien, Locke, Mccann, Neiman, Nicholas, Ottman, Pendergraft, Riggins, Rodriguez-Williams, Schmid, Singh, Smith, Strock, Styvar, Tarver, Thayer, Washut, Wasserburger, Webb, Webber, Wharff, Williams, Winter, Wylie
Nays: Representative(s) Campbell, E, Chestek, Jarvis, Posey, Provenza, Sherwood, Storer, Yin
Excused: Representative(s) Brown, L, Lucas
Ayes 52 Nays 8 Excused 2 Absent 0 Conflicts 0
Senate Third Reading Vote
1/22/2025 S 3rd Reading:Passed 27-3-1-0-0
ROLL CALL
Ayes: Senator(s) Anderson, Barlow, Biteman, Boner, Brennan, Cooper, Crago, Crum, Dockstader, Driskill, French, Hicks, Hutchings, Ide, Jones, Landen, Laursen, Mckeown, Nethercott, Olsen, Pappas, Pearson, Salazar, Schuler, Scott, Smith, Steinmetz
Nays: Senator(s) Case, Gierau, Rothfuss
Excused: Senator Kolb
Ayes 27 Nays 3 Excused 1 Absent 0 Conflicts 0