Wyoming Public Records Reform Effort Shifts Focus to 2027 Legislative Session

Sarah Squires, managing editor of the Lander Journal, Riverton Ranger and Wind River News, spent the past year building a coalition around a simple premise: Wyoming's Public Records Act is broken, and the people paying the price are anyone who tries to use it. Squires points to a 2016 court ruling allowing local governments to charge for compiling electronic records as opening the door for abuse. "It's absolutely been open season, and they can charge whatever they want," Squires said. "It's just really had a chilling effect, I think, to be government watchdogs and keep an eye on things."

Squires is among journalists, lawmakers, local government representatives, state officials and citizens who spent the past year mulling how to revitalize Wyoming's Public Records Act. The effort produced Senate File 49, "Public records act revisions," but the bill failed introduction on a 15-16 vote during the 2026 legislative session. The compressed budget session left little room for legislation outside appropriations, and SF49 never got off the ground.

Wyoming Public Records Ombudsman Darlena Potter sees room for improving the bill and notes that 2027 will be a general session, which allows more time to refine bills than this year's more compressed budget session. Potter said the timelines for responding to requests in SF49 were too stringent for small offices, where if someone is out sick, there might be no one around to respond within three days. SF49 would have given the ombudsman the power to adjust fees and timelines, including allowing local governments to take more time and charge higher fees. The draft bill also would have added more teeth to compel agencies to release records by increasing the penalty to $2,000, up from $750, for "knowingly or intentionally" violating the public records law.

The Wyoming Press Association, which represents Wyoming newspapers, expects public records to be taken up as a topic during the interim ahead of the next legislative session. "We believe the bill put forward this session provides a strong foundation for us to build better law that improves transparency and accountability for the people of Wyoming," WPA Executive Director Steve Kiggins said in an email. "Public records are vital to our right to know, a safeguard against secrecy and a bedrock for trust. The more we know, and the sooner, the better."

Local governments are also signaling they want a seat at the table. Jerimiah Rieman, executive director of the Wyoming County Commissioners Association, said his organization is "unified around ensuring accountability and transparency," and he expects work on reforming the law to continue this summer. Rieman said in an email, "We welcomed the uniform fee structure proposed in SF49 and appreciate that the legislation offers flexibility when situations differ." The balance, he said, cuts both ways. "Timely access matters, but local governments also have the responsibility to review records carefully and, where required by law, redact or withhold certain information," Rieman said.

Taking a closer look at public records and open meetings laws is the No. 2 priority for the Joint Corporations Committee during the legislative offseason. Management Council, the legislature's administrative arm, will review and approve interim topics on April 1.

Appointed by Gov. Mark Gordon, who's in his last year of office, Potter doesn't know if she'll still have a job next January. But in the meantime, she's dedicated to compiling public input on possible solutions and problems to accessing public records. She invites anyone in Albany County or across Wyoming to contact her directly at pr.ombudsman@wyo.gov or 307-777-5119.