Sandy Newsome

The Wyoming Legislature is more than halfway through the 2022 Budget Session. Wednesday, March 2 marked the crossover period for the body, meaning it was the last day for third reading in the house of origin. Any legislation that did not successfully pass third reading in the primary house on March 2 did not go on for further consideration in the opposite chamber. As I write this column, 133 bills are no longer active and 116 remain in play.

HONORING WYOMING’S FALLEN HEROES

On March 1, the Wyoming Legislature joined together in passing a resolution honoring fallen Marine Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum and 21 other military members who have lost their lives since Sept. 11, 2001.

A poem written by Cpl. McCollum’s father, Jim McCollum, was read during the commemoration. The poem honored his son, Rylee, and received a standing ovation. It was a touching event and a stark reminder of the incredible sacrifices our men and women in uniform make for our freedom.

Today and every day we must remember the incredible bravery of our Wyoming heroes. If you are interested in watching the joint convening, visit www.wyoleg.gov.

REDISTRICTING 

Last week the Senate passed the redistricting bill, HB 100. Every 10 years the state is required to redraw the state’s legislative districts based on population changes. The bill originated in the House, starting with the Joint Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions committee bill. The interim committee worked for months, meeting with the public and working with county clerks to get a draft bill ready. 

The House debated the bill and passed it with a few amendments during the first week of session. That version of the bill expanded representation in the House by three members: two in the House and one in the Senate, taking the House to 62 members and the Senate to 31. After hearing and working the House bill, the Senate made additional amendments; the most notable was keeping each body at the same number of members: 60 in the House and 30 in the Senate. 

The bill now comes back to the House for a vote. If it’s not passed, it will trigger a conference committee with three representatives and three senators. This committee will be tasked with addressing the major differences between the two versions and will bring a new map for each chamber to vote on. 

BUDGET BILL

The Senate and House have passed their own versions of budget bills for the 2023-24 biennium. The proposed budget for traditional state resources of approximately $2.8 billion is dollar-for-dollar 10% lower than a full decade ago — and that’s not considering inflation. Funding for education is essentially flat for school year 2022 and school year 2023. A conference committee is slated to meet to bring the two together and send the bill off to the governor. 

BILL SPONSORSHIPS

A piece of legislation I’m sponsoring, HB44 Mobile home and vehicle titles and transfers, is a clean-up bill that defines a more efficient process for the title transfer of mobile homes. HB44 is awaiting a hearing in the Senate Transportation Committee. 

BY THE NUMBERS

A total of 269 bills were filed in the House and Senate this session: 155 in the House and 114 in the Senate. As of Friday, 51 bills remained in the House and 60 in the Senate.

KEY BILLS

HB31 Wyoming’s tomorrow scholarship program would provide scholarships for nontraditional students. This bill failed in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

HB32 Vaccine requirements-limitations would require employers to accommodate unvaccinated workers. This bill did make the cut-off deadline.

SF97 Change in Party Affiliation would limit party affiliation changes ahead of the Aug. 16 primary election — this bill is being worked on the Senate side. This bill is waiting to be heard by the House Appropriations Committee.

SF0102  Second Amendment Protection Act blocks any state official or agency from enforcing laws deemed to violate the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This bill is awaiting debate in the House.

SF103 Education-limitations on teaching critical race history-2 prohibit schools from teaching critical race theory. This bill is being worked on the Senate side and is waiting for discussion in the House Education Committee. 

Citizens interested in following the work of the Wyoming State Legislature can listen online, track bills and contact their legislators at www.wyoleg.gov.

(State Rep. Sandy Newsome, R-Cody, represents House District 24 in the Wyoming Legislature. She has served in the seat since 2019 and currently sits on the House Education and Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources committees, along with the Wyoming Gaming Commission.)