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Should Wyoming gamble on gambling?
Some pieces of legislation receive far less attention than they deserve. House Bill 171 – Wyoming gaming commission, sponsored by the travel committee, looks to be one such under-the-radar measure...
View ArticleLawmakers should support, not erode, law enforcement officers
On behalf of the Wyoming State Troopers Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, I would like to express concerns for the future of our membership, all Wyoming law enforcement officers and for the...
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Conditional sales tax advances with eye on fiscal ‘armageddon’
With significant tax increases defeated once again this session, prominent House lawmakers are pushing a conditional sales tax increase to confront a looming fiscal cliff. Though the House...
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State could spend hundreds of millions on Occidental land
After months of quiet discussions with an oil company, Wyoming officials announced Monday they are considering a massive land buy that one lawmaker said would be the biggest government purchase since...
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Gordon promises caution, pitches land deal as an investment
If the Legislature gives its initial approval, a proposed deal to buy 1 million acres and 4 million acres of mineral rights will test a numbers-minded governor as he negotiates with both a...
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Lawmakers eye UW governance, trustees’ authority in budget bill
Legislators pushed a pair of amendments into the state’s proposed budget that would require a study into the University of Wyoming’s governance, with the lawmakers sponsoring the measures tying the...
View ArticleRunning out of time, lawmakers balk again at new revenue
Some day — and it won’t be long — Wyoming legislators will look back at the 2020 budget session and regret their decision not to pursue new revenue measures to fund state government. It’s not as if...
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Dems emotional late-night stand against abortion bill fails
At 10 p.m. Tuesday, beneath near-empty galleries, outnumbered Democrats in Wyoming’s House of Representatives mounted a failed but emotional stand against a bill to impose a 48-hour waiting period on...
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Rumors, exuberance, jousting mark advance of land deal bills
Bills authorizing Gov. Mark Gordon’s administration to pursue the purchase of 1 million acres of land and 4 million acres of mineral rights from Occidental Petroleum passed initial votes in both...
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House Dem kills $12 million Gordon coal fund on technicality
A House Democrat’s procedural maneuver cost Speaker of the House Steve Harshman (R-Casper) a win on Friday and may cost the governor tens of millions of dollars to push for coal exports. The action...
View ArticleTax refund bill offer giant impact for small cost
Sometimes I fantasize about what the Wyoming Legislature would be like if people who live in poverty — like those who occupy corner offices — had an army of lobbyists to advocate for them. The kind...
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Stripped of $1B limit, Gordon carbon capture bill clears House
The House on Friday passed a Gov. Mark Gordon-backed bill that would subsidize carbon capture projects through Wyoming residents’ electrical bills. The House advanced the effort with a 40-19 vote as...
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Transgender worries threaten female genital mutilation ban
Concerns in the Wyoming Senate over gender reassignment surgeries threaten an effort to criminalize female genital mutilation that soared through the House. Protecting girls and women from FGM has...
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Prison contractor squares off with counseling lobby in Capitol
The Illinois-based company that runs Wyoming’s in-prison treatment programs is battling mental health and substance abuse treatment lobbyists in an effort to lower licensing standards for its...
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As budget session wanes, top solons negotiate in private
There are 90 members of the Legislature, but the fourth week of its 2020 session ended with fewer than 20 negotiating, often behind closed doors, the outcome of key budget session issues. As members...
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Senate proposes business-heavy school-review committee
The Senate is advancing legislation to create an advisory committee loaded with business and industry representatives to study the state’s educational programming. The committee would work parallel to...
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No new state-funded construction this year
UPDATE: This story has been updated with comments from Gov. Mark Gordon at a Friday press conference. —Ed. Infighting between the House and Senate sunk $162 million in building projects around Wyoming...
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Wyo pandemic plan to guide COVID-19 response
Wyoming’s pandemic response plan for the COVID-19 outbreak gives the state health officer sweeping powers but leaves important decisions regarding closures, rationing of expected shortages and patient...
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Coal, land, workers and education: 2020 budget session wrapped
The 65th Wyoming Legislature adjourned for the year late Thursday night following a 24-day frenzy of lawmaking that stands to have significant impact on energy production, workers protections, the...
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Hospitals prepare for worst, hope for best, lament limited testing
As medical professionals around the state prepare hospitals for a surge of patients they hope won’t arrive, many say COVID-19 has spread here well beyond what the official numbers indicate and that...
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