Strengths

• Boards may generally only consider offenses “directly related” to an occupation.
• Repealed “good moral character” requirements for multiple licenses, though it did not enact an overarching ban.

Areas of Improvement

• Require multiple factors when considering an applicant’s criminal record, including evidence of rehabilitation.
• Tighten time limit for considering old convictions to three years. 
• Strengthen safeguards for due process by requiring a petition process and placing the burden of proof on the state.

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Under a 2016 reform, Wyoming enacted its first overarching protections for ex-offenders seeking licenses, raising the state’s grade to a C-. The state also imposed a time limit for considering old criminal convictions, but the protection it provides is negligible. Boards are barred from considering convictions older than 20 years, provided that the applicant completed their sentence (including prison, parole, or probation) at least 10 years earlier. Moreover, the crime itself must not be related to the license sought. 

Statute: Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 33-1-304 (2018)