🏛️ CHRIS KATZL: CAMPAIGN PLATFORM & LEGISLATIVE MANIFESTO

Candidate for Wyoming State Senate, District 15

Section 1: The Fighter of District 15 ("I Will Fight For You")

Ten years ago, a federal agency attempted to strip away my home, equity, and peace. Like many of you who have felt the crushing weight of bureaucratic overreach, I felt like a lone David standing against a multi-billion-dollar Goliath. In my darkest hour, I kneeled and asked for guidance. The answer was absolute: Do not walk away.

Even while facing a recent medical crisis and cancer diagnosis, I did not back down. I spent sleepless nights compiling evidence, tracing hidden escrow checks, and exposing the bad-faith deceptions of predatory foreclosure lawyers. I fought because our homes are our castles and our constitutional right to life and liberty. If a bureaucracy can use fraud and unlawful maneuvers to silence a disabled teacher and candidate, they can do it to anyone in District 15. If elected, I will fight for your families and your property rights with the same ferocity I’ve used to protect my own.

Section 2: Restoring Wyoming’s Shield of Asset Protection

While Wyoming was once the gold standard for trust law, we have allowed other states to pull ahead. It is time to reclaim our title as the absolute leader in asset protection.

In Cheyenne, I will work with top legal experts to modernize our state trust statutes. We must block wrongful foreclosure abuses, cap predatory civil enforcement, and establish non-negotiable legal buffers that grant sick, elderly, or disabled citizens an absolute right to a fair hearing before any entity can touch their property. No out-of-state lender or aggressive creditor should ever be allowed to use legal loopholes to seize a Wyoming family’s legacy.

Section 3: Mandating Independent Escrow & Inspections

We must overhaul how escrow accounts are managed. Right now, predatory entities are allowed to control a resident's escrow and insurance funds, creating a massive conflict of interest where your money can be disbursed behind your back.

Under my proposed legislation, all escrow funds must be held by a strictly neutral third party. Furthermore, no funds can be released to a contractor unless an independent inspector verifies—mathematically and physically—that the construction work was actually completed honestly. We will end the era of stripping home equity to pay for defective work.

Section 4: The Wyoming Citizen Property Protection Act

I have seen the cost of "dodgeball" justice: local legal connections protecting predatory contractors while vulnerable residents lose their homes. My flagship legislation, the Wyoming Citizen Property Protection Act, will:

• Create a fast-track, zero-cost state arbitration board for home construction disputes.

• Treat backroom judicial collusion as a felony.

• Institute automatic treble (triple) damages against any contractor found using fraudulent lien tactics to seize a resident's home.

Section 5: Protecting Our Seniors—Total Property Tax Security

With the Homeowner’s Primary Residence Property Tax Exemption Initiative appearing on the November 2026 ballot, it is clear that Wyomingites are demanding change. My goal is a permanent, total property tax sanctuary for long-term Wyoming seniors (65+). Your primary residence should be an iron-clad asset, completely immune from displacement. If you have paid into our state's foundation, you deserve the peace of mind that you will never be priced out of your own home.

Section 6: Ending Fiscal Hoarding—Returning Your Surplus

Wyoming is currently sitting on billions in various reserve funds while our families struggle to pay their monthly bills. For too long, the state has operated on a policy of "hoarding" taxpayer money, treating your earnings as a state savings account instead of returning the excess to those who earned it.

My Plan for Fiscal Accountability:

• The Surplus Dividend: I propose a mandatory "Surplus Return" mechanism. When state reserves exceed a prudent threshold, the excess must be returned to taxpayers as a direct dividend or a property tax benefit.  It will be your choice as a biennial ballot referendum.  Every two years on a general election day the entire state will decide which you would prefer.

• Funding Local Needs: We will prioritize using existing reserves to fund the essential infrastructure that our local communities in Uinta County have been forced to beg for. Each county will receive it's share. This will begin with a large lump sum and then scale down to a percentage of the fund's assets each year thereafter.

• Forensic Audits: We need a full audit of all reserve funds to expose how much is truly "necessary" and how much is simply money being withheld from Wyoming citizens.

Section 7: Defending the 2nd Amendment & Ending SLAPP Abuse

I am unapologetically pro-gun. The Second Amendment is our fundamental right to self-defense, and I will strictly oppose any infringement on your ability to carry or utilize firearms.

Furthermore, true freedom requires protecting our voices. Wealthy figures are currently using multi-million-dollar defamation lawsuits—Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP)—to bankrupt citizens who speak out. As of 2026, Wyoming remains one of only 10 states without an anti-SLAPP law. I will push for the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act (UPEPA), which provides an immediate "off-ramp" for sham lawsuits, forcing plaintiffs who file frivolous suits to pay 100% of the defendant's legal costs.

Section 8: A Compassionate, Principled Right to Life

I am firmly and unequivocally pro-life, believing every human life is a precious gift. However, I recognize the harrowing realities survivors face. My position includes non-negotiable provisions for cases of rape and incest. Women who have endured such trauma must never be forced by the government to bear the burden of that violence. True advocacy for life means supporting the living as well as the unborn, protecting survivors, and ensuring our laws reflect both principle and profound human mercy.

Chris Katzl

Certified Special Education Teacher, Lifelong Journalist/Writer & Your Candidate for Wyoming State Senate, District 15

Get in touch at cskatzl3@gmail.com