The far-right faction broke with a long-held legislative tradition of ushering in committee bills since they cost the state extra time and money. It was just day two of Wyoming’s 2024 budget session and already Majority Floor Leader Chip Neiman (R-Hulett) felt compelled to redirect the House of Representatives. 

“I will not take much of your time. Don’t want to put anybody out or anything like that,” Neiman said. “But I do want to have a brief discussion about where we’re heading right now and what we’re getting ready to face.” 

The day before, a leadership shakeup down the hall had made for a rocky start in the Senate. In the House, business had gotten off to a better start. But then 13 committee bills came to an abrupt end when each died on introductory vote. 

One of those bills would have made it easier for people with public or private insurance to continue to access care at community mental health centers. Another would have created both misdemeanor and felony offenses for intimidating election officials. A third would have bumped revenue by raising fees for nonresident fishing licenses. 

Committee bills are drafted during the offseason meetings, where they get extra attention and deliberation by lawmakers, state agencies, the public and other stakeholders. That vetting process requires time and money, and in return those bills are traditionally prioritized during the session over individually sponsored legislation. They are typically much more likely to pass.

But legislative traditions such as this one are not written in stone. Especially amid a session already defined by the rift between traditional and hard-line factions of the GOP.

“The Wyoming Freedom Caucus and our allies in the House of Representatives defeated 1/3 of the policy bills that were presented for introduction [Monday],” Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. John Bear (R-Gillette) wrote to WyoFile in a statement.

While the hard-line Freedom Caucus does not have the majority in the House, it does possess enough members to block bills on introduction during a budget session when two-thirds support is needed. 

That power was on full display Monday. 

“This action was an illustration of the growing movement to both curb government spending and bring government policy more in line with conservative values,” Bear wrote. 

Tuesday, Neiman, a Freedom Caucus member himself, asked that House members let a slate of property-tax bills get over that initial hurdle. 

“They need to get to committee,” Neiman pleaded. “They need to have the opportunity to be able to be openly debated on the floor of this Legislature. Worked through the committee and see what comes out so that we can do the business that the people of the state of Wyoming have called us here to do.”

After having a hand in making sure that half a dozen committee bills didn’t get that same treatment, Neiman’s comments were vexing to some members. 

“I find it just a little bit offensive to think that now we’re going to take into consideration all the hard work that committees have done over the interim,” Rep. Lloyd Larsen (R-Lander) told the House after Neiman spoke. 

“The thousands of dollars that have been spent, the time away from work, and that we would consider that these bills are now important. These committee bills are now important when the ones yesterday were not.”

Normally, comments like the ones made by Neiman and Larsen wouldn’t be allowed on the House floor. But Speaker of the House Albert Sommers (R-Pinedale) said they were necessary in order for the “body to kind of heal after what happened yesterday.” 

Sommers reminded the House of some words he’d shared from Thomas Jefferson the day before. 

“My dear friend. If we do not learn to sacrifice small differences of opinion, we can never act together,” Sommers said. 

It cost the Legislature approximately $679,700 to craft committee bills in the off-season, Sommers said. 

“That doesn’t mean that every bill that comes out is good,” he said. “Doesn’t mean that every bill should be introduced. But the vast, vast majority of committee bills should be introduced.”

Sommers also had certain words for committee members who voted against their own work product. 

“If you were on a committee and you voted against a committee bill and didn’t at least tell your chairman that you were going to vote against that committee bill, I think that violates a basic trust that we’ve had in this Legislature for a long time,” Sommers said. 

Almost all of the property-tax bills made it through on Tuesday. Shortly after one died, Rep. Dan Zwonitzer (R-Cheyenne) couldn’t help but remark on the apparent contradiction. 

“I was told we were supposed to be voting on ‘aye’ the tax bills, and now I’m just making sure that’s still the case from here on forward or not,” Zwonitzer said. “If anybody wants to use their privilege [of the floor] and help guide the body.”

Meanwhile, three more committee bills died Tuesday.