Lawmakers look at domestic violence and carbon capture

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) - As legislation works to protect women and children, one new bill may help protect both while moving through the judicial system. At the same time, another hope for clean energy gets dashed by lawmakers.

”Many domestic violence survivors sometimes leave the county or the state and so asking them to have to appear before a judge ina physical court can cause problems for the victim and making them travel back,” said Karlee Provenza, H.D. 45.

The House Judiciary Committee discussed the Domestic Violence Protection Hearings-remote appearance bill.

This bill would authorize parties to attend hearings for orders of protection remotely.

The court would grant this right for a remote appearance at the hearing if victims or perpetrators lived remotely or if the victims were under threat to their safety.

This would apply to domestic violence cases or protection hearings. The bill passed the committee 8-1 and went to the House next.

Next, the House Appropriations Committee killed the Carbon Capture and Sequestration bill.

According to lawmakers, the bill would have brought in an estimated $1.2B over 20 years. It would have resulted in a carbon capture operation in a retiring power plant, saving jobs.

Lawmakers say the regulated public utility refused to cooperate, and the required switch-over would have used no state funds to invest.

Beforehand this bill passed the Senate 25 to 6.

”They were unwilling to tell a large utility company what to do. So there’s a lot of people talk a good game on economic development and on trying to get things like carbon capture done, but when it comes to do something they aren’t there,” said Charles Scott, S.D. 30.