legislature

Gov. Mead wraps up 2013 Legislature

Bob Beck — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:19:08 +0000

The Wyoming Legislative session has ended. In his closing comments to lawmakers, Governor Matt Mead acknowledged that lawmakers had a difficult

“I asked in my state of the state for 6 percent budget cuts and you delivered that,” Mead said. “I asked in my state of the state to provide some flexibility in terms of where we go in the future in large projects. You provided that. I asked for in my budget to fund landfills, a Gillette-Madison water project, the School of Engineering. You addressed all of those.”

Senate Committee defeats guns in schools bill

Bob Beck — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 19:12:04 +0000

The Senate Education committee killed a bill that would have allowed those with concealed weapons permits to carry guns in schools and on Wyoming College campuses. The bill died after nobody made a motion to consider it. A number of educators at all levels testified that the legislation was a bad idea and that such ideas should be left to local school districts to consider. University of Wyoming President Tom Buchanan testified that the allowing guns on campus could lead to problems.

Senate passes seismic exploration bill

Bob Beck — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:31:35 +0000

The Wyoming Senate defeated a bill dealing with seismic exploration, reconsidered it, and then passed it.

Supporters say that the goal of the legislation is to set tiered bonding for seismic exploration.

Wyoming Stockgrowers Association Executive Vice President Jim Magagna says the bonding will be based on the size of the acreage being accessed. He says that the bill was amended to say that when seismic

House committee defeats anti-abortion bill

Bob Beck — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 14:05:06 +0000

A Wyoming House committee has voted to defeat a bill that would have made it felony for an abortion to be performed after an embryo or fetus has a heartbeat.

Representative Sue Wallis of Recluse testified that she’s had an abortion and it is nobody’s business but hers.

"Thank God this travesty of state-sponsored intrusion into my difficult decision at that time was not in place," Wallis said. "And I pray that it’s not foisted on my daughters or granddaughters."

Committee approves cigarette tax hike

Bob Beck — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:53:25 +0000

A House committee has approved a bill that would raise the cigarette tax by five-cents-per-cigarette and a dollar a pack. Republican Representative Gerald Gay of Casper is the main sponsor. He says money from the increase will help offset rising Medicaid costs.

“And tobacco is related to that because tobacco has such a profound impact on health care," Gay said. "So we figured out a way to sort of frontload health care costs against one of the biggest health care users that there is.”

Legislature to take on social issues

The Associated Press — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 12:02:30 +0000

The Wyoming Legislature will take on just about every possible hot-button social issue this week, hearing bills on guns, abortion and same-sex marriage.

House Speaker Tom Lubnau, a Republican from Gillette, says he's scheduled all the contentious social issue bills for hearings this week to save money on security.

Lubnau says the Legislature always increases its security when lawmakers consider gun and abortion issues because of the large crowds that typically turn out.

Legislative panel rejects Mead's fiscal proposals

The Associated Press — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 12:26:30 +0000

The legislative panel responsible for drafting a supplemental Wyoming state budget bill recommends that lawmakers reject Gov. Matt Mead's proposal to cut the flow of energy revenues going into permanent savings and school construction.

Mead wants Wyoming to build up its so-called rainy day fund in case the state needs ready cash to deal with projected flat energy revenues in the years to come.

Lawmakers seek to strip power from schools superintendent

Bob Beck and Willow Belden — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 17:28:30 +0000

The Wyoming legislature wraps up its second week today. Wyoming Public Radio's Bob Beck is covering the session and joins us now to talk about lawmakers' attempts to restructure how the state's schools are governed.

Wyo lawmakers face anti-abortion bills

Associated Press — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 17:12:33 +0000

Wyoming lawmakers are facing bills this session that would restrict access to abortion services.

Meanwhile, a group is capitalizing on the legal victory it won against the state last year that allows it to display an anti-abortion poster in a tunnel leading to the state Capitol.

The anti-abortion bills aren't set for a hearing until late in January. Abortion rights groups say they're gearing up for a fight and similar bills have been defeated in recent legislative sessions.

Senate approves Oil and Gas Supervisor changes

Irina Zhorov and Ir — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 02:11:43 +0000

A bill that changes the qualifications for the position of Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Supervisor has unanimously passed the State Senate.

The bill changes the requirements for the Supervisor from a registered professional petroleum engineer or geologist, to an engineer or geologist with ten years of experience in his respective field of expertise.

Energy and Legislative advocate with the Wyoming Outdoor Council, Richard Garrett, says it may be valuable to consider applicants’ assets fully.

Jackson lawmaker proposes tipping law changes

The Associated Press — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 15:08:25 +0000

A state lawmaker from Jackson is proposing some changes to Wyoming's tipping laws.

One bill introduced by Rep. Ruth Ann Petroff would make all tips exempt from sales tax. Currently tips automatically added to a bill, usually for large groups, are subject to sales tax.

Another bill from the Republican would allow restaurants to pool tips from everyone waiting on tables and then split the money among its employees. However, an employee couldn't be forced to contribute more than 15 percent of their tips to a tip pool.

Wyoming Legislature set to convene today

The Associated Press and The Associated Press — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 12:46:31 +0000

The Wyoming Legislature is set to convene at noon today for the first day of its general session, which is set to run through early March.

Lawmakers generally take care of housekeeping matters on the first day and won't get down to business until after Gov. Matt Mead delivers his annual state of the state address tomorrow morning.

Wyoming Legislature faces budget talks in 2013 session

Associated Press — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 11:59:43 +0000

Wyoming House Speaker-elect Tom Lubnau says crafting a supplemental state budget will be the "overriding concern" as lawmakers open the 2013 session tomorrow

State financial analysts are warning that Wyoming needs to brace for flat revenues for years to come, given the slumping national demand for coal and increasing natural gas production in other states.

Gov. Matt Mead presented a budget proposal to lawmakers last month calling for cutting state agency budgets by an average of 6.5 percent.

WY legislature to consider a bill establishing seismic exploration bonds

Irina Zhorov — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 15:11:05 +0000

The Legislature’s Joint Judiciary Committee will introduce a bill that would modify bonds for seismic exploration for oil and gas on private land. If passed, companies doing any seismic exploration would have to put up a $5,000 bond for the first 1,000 acres being explored, with increases for acreage beyond that. The outgoing chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Kermit Brown of Laramie, said there have been complaints about the current regulations.

UW President discusses cuts and pay request

Bob Beck — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 01:24:49 +0000

The President of the University of Wyoming says while the six percent budget cuts are better than the eight percent the Governor had previously proposed…he says they will still cause pain.

President Tom Buchanan told the legislature’s Joint Appropriations Committee that the cuts could cost U-W 60 to 95 employees and added that some may have to be layoffs. Buchanan also made the case for increasing U-W’s faculty and staff salaries by three percent.

Two veteran lawmakers will face off in a Casper Senate primary

Bob Beck — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 22:39:22 +0000

State Senator Charles Scott of Casper is facing a challenge from veteran Representative Bob Brechtel. The two are competing in the Senate District 30 Republican Primary.

Uranium industry growth has challenges

Bob Beck — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 22:49:38 +0000

Many people hope that Wyoming’s uranium industry will become much more active, as interest in nuclear energy grows.

University of Wyoming Ag Economist Tex Taylor says there is a lot of potential for increased employment and tax revenue for the state. But Wyoming Senator Eli Bebout, who chairs the Senate Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee, says new and smaller companies are often stymied by the state and federal permitting process and other regulatory hurdles.

Cheyenne Representative leads the charge for reforming state pensions

Willow Belden — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:21:27 +0000

Wyoming lawmakers are considering further reforms to the state’s pension system. This year, the legislature lowered pension benefits for new employees and changed the way cost-of-living adjustments are made.

But Cheyenne Representative Bryan Pedersen says he is convinced that even with the changes, Wyoming won’t have e

“This will at best float us three to five years. It’s a band-aid that will kick the can further down the road. And that’s with the plan fully performing at the eight percent estimated average annual return.”

Wyoming ranks 48th in accountability

Tristan Ahtone — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 23:28:00 +0000

A recent report from the Center for Public Integrity ranks Wyoming 48^th in the nation when it comes to accountability in state politics. According to the report, Wyoming and a number of other western states seemed to operate with a live-and-let-live attitude when it came to government, stressing a strong preference for informal societal controls as opposed to legislative actions that regulated oversight.

Gordon Witkin is with the Center for Public Integrity. He says Wyoming is too relaxed when it comes to oversight and auditing processes.

Legislature approves budget

The Associated Press — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 12:16:58 +0000

The Wyoming Legislature has approved a $3.2-billion budget bill which now goes to Gov. Matt Mead for his consideration.

The budget bill approved by both Houses on Monday keeps state spending essentially flat over the coming two-year budget cycle.

State lawmakers are keeping a close eye on falling natural gas prices and had directed state agencies to prepare for possible 4-percent budget cuts next year if necessary.

Senators continue debate on Open Records Bill

Bob Beck — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:46:51 +0000

A majority of Senators have voted to keep a provision in an Open Records bill that would allow communication between one elected official and one private citizen from being made public. But Senator Bill Landen argued that such communication should be made public, because it could provide insight into why board members voted a particular way. Landen argued that the bill allows for mischief.

The Wyoming Legislature begins budget work

Bob Beck — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:34:00 +0000

The Wyoming House and Senate have begun discussing the 3-point-2 billion dollar state budget. It will cover a biennium, or the next two fiscal years. House Appropriations Chairman Rosie Berger says they are trying to pass a flat budget this year and limit future spending. Senate Appropriations Chairman Phil Nicholas says agencies will be asked to reduce their budgets by four percent in the second year of the biennium and another four percent in the following year.

Legislative committee cuts health funding

The Associated Press — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:57:20 +0000

A panel of Wyoming legislators has voted to deny Gov. Matt Mead's request to use state money to make up for expired federal stimulus funds that had gone to help support the Medicaid program.

A majority of members of the Joint Appropriations Committee voted against Mead's request to give the Health Department and extra $37 million for Medicaid today.

The committee also voted against Mead's request to put up nearly $7 million to cut waiting lists for people in the state waiting for services for developmental disabilities and acquired brain injuries.

State Representative Miller will become an executive of a coal company

The Associated Press — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:08:50 +0000

An Australian coal company that wants to mine Powder River Basin coal has hired a Wyoming state lawmaker as
an executive.
The Gillette News Record (http://bit.ly/rrhxjt ) reported that
Republican Rep. David Miller of Riverton sold his Campbell County
mineral rights to Sydney-based County Coal Limited for $200,000 in
March. Miller, a geologist, now holds one million shares in the
company and will get 3 percent royalty payments on coal mined in
the basin, one of the richest coal sources in the United States.

Group says Wyoming should demand outcomes when it gives economic development incentives

Bob Beck — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:47:42 +0000

An organization called Good Jobs First says Wyoming should play harder-to-get when businesses apply for state funding and tax incentives. Of the states requiring job-creation results from benefiting businesses, Good jobs first ranks Wyoming 49^th. Dan Neal of the Equality State Policy center says Wyoming is being too loose with its purse strings without demanding a return in new jobs. He says while Wyoming looks at ways to diversify its economy through incentives…it is not unreasonable to require a certain number of good paying jobs to be created.

UW Trustees discuss proposed budget cuts

Bob Beck — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:29:04 +0000

The University of Wyoming says reductions in staffing and student support are among the scenarios they are considering if the legislature decides to cut its budget this year.

Wolf deal passes initial committee hurdle

The Associated Press — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:43:06 +0000

A legislative panel has signed off on a plan that could remove federal protections from gray wolves in
Wyoming as early as next year. Sen. Bruce Burns says the Joint Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and
Cultural Resources Interim Committee approved the plan on Tuesday.

Teton area Lawmakers Blast Education Committees Adjustments

Rebecca Martinez — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:25:55 +0000

Teton County lawmakers are balking at a cost-of-living adjustment the Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Education Committee has initially approved for school districts across the state.