Looking forward to a diplomatic, productive legislative session

As lawmakers prepare for Tuesday’s start of the 68th Wyoming Legislature’s general session, we encourage them to consider before each vote whether the decision they’re about to make best serves the collective interests of all Wyoming residents.

If they do, we’ll all be able to reflect proudly on how well state legislators put citizens’ needs first, without the taint of electioneering, partisanship or personal grudges. We hope to be able to truthfully commend both chambers for their open-minded deliberation and cooperation to refine and pass the most essential bills, grounded in fiscal responsibility, community well-being and personal freedom.

It’s the same goal we have every year, of course. But since a large majority of the 93 lawmakers gathering in the state Capitol are freshmen, and both chambers are under new leadership, it’s not surprising that residents have expressed both optimism and doubt about what to expect between Jan. 14 and March 6.

Across America, institutional trust is at record lows. We hope that’s not the case for our Wyoming legislative branch and Gov. Mark Gordon when the coming 40-day session ends. Only with a genuine willingness to listen to and reflect the opinions of the state’s residents and other key stakeholders will legislators be successful at bucking this trend.

In our books, they’ll also be successful if they do the following:

Supplemental budget

Point value: 20

Key measures of success: Fund programs to help average Wyoming residents; balance short-term and long-term savings with wise expenditures; avoid cutting essential programs for the most vulnerable Wyoming residents.

Details: When it comes to adjusting the state’s 2025-26 biennium budget, some obvious essentials immediately rise to the surface. We wholeheartedly agree with Gov. Gordon that money to replenish the state’s emergency fire suppression account is the top priority, along with paying back the extra money that was required to quell the record blazes that engulfed parts of northern and western Wyoming last summer.

The governor also was right to ask for funds to help private property owners cover the damage left behind. In addition, we’d like to see lawmakers dedicate money for projects that help prevent future wildfires, such as tree thinning and deadfall removal. This is going to be a years-long process, and there’s no better time than the present to get started. Total cost of all of this: $130 million or more.

Health care also needs attention in the second year of the biennium. The issue getting the most attention — and rightly so — is the increasing maternity care deserts in rural areas. We expect legislators to reasonably debate Gov. Gordon’s recommendation to increase Medicaid reimbursements for health care providers, and no matter what, put more resources into incentivizing medical professionals to put down roots in the Cowboy State.

Other supplemental budget priorities should include funds to backfill lost property tax revenue as a result of measures passed in 2024; legislation to encourage more affordable housing; and funding for the last year of the governor’s Wyoming Innovation Partnership (WIP), a collaborative program with the University of Wyoming and community colleges around the state to promote “a resilient workforce and economy.”

Legislators also need to be cautious to avoid unintended consequences, should they consider abruptly cutting items from the budget approved last year.

And, as has been the case in most recent years, lawmakers must ask themselves how much more money should be added to the state’s rainy-day fund. (Gov. Gordon’s recommendation: $122 million.)

Property tax relief

Point value: 20

Key measures of success: State lawmakers should resist the urge to pass more property tax relief measures, since they haven’t given the ones passed in 2024 time to prove if they are sufficient. If they do pass more, they must ensure that measures are taken to backfill lost revenue to keep local governments whole and ensure K-12 education funding is adequate.

Details: Our overall measure of success in this category is “do no harm.” We believe the property tax relief passed in 2024 should be allowed to work for at least a year before they institute more.

Depending on their age, income level and longevity in Wyoming, homeowners can currently apply for an expanded property tax rebate program; a new program that cuts 50% of assessed valuation for those 65 and older who have paid property taxes on their residences for at least 25 years; and/or an expanded veterans tax credit based on prior military service. In addition, lawmakers capped future annual assessed property value increases at 4% to avoid the sticker shock of recent years.

Some have argued that these efforts already may go against the state’s constitution, which requires “all taxation shall be equal and uniform within each class and subclass of property.” Without repealing the previously mentioned legislation, though, we believe it would be unwise to give every residential property owner in the state a 25% assessment discount. Sure, that’s equal and uniform, but is it sustainable in a state that depends on this income to fund education and local services?

Regardless of whether the latter legislation (which Gov. Gordon vetoed last year) passes or not, lawmakers must give attention to adequately funding education and local government entities that depend on property tax revenue.

Election security/integrity

Point value: 10

Key measures of success: Pass bills that further enhance election security and boost voter confidence in the system. Reject bills that unnecessarily limit the ability of Wyoming residents to participate in their democracy.

Details: Secretary of State Chuck Gray has proposed reforms to the state’s election system that his faction believes are necessary to bolster public confidence in elections. The main objection? It’s unclear whether the proposed solutions would correct the few missteps that have arisen in Wyoming.

Addressing his key priorities individually:

• We support requiring proof of both U.S. citizenship and Wyoming residency through “true” photo ID and other measures at voter registration, as long as it’s not overly difficult to obtain the necessary documentation.
• We support hand verification of the accuracy of voting machines prior to each election, but there’s no justification for reverting to hand counting of all ballots cast. Such a requirement would be overly laborious and costly, and could result in more errors than it would correct.
• Third-party funding of election administration (such as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s contributions to states in 2020) is inappropriate and should never be allowed.
• We have no reason to doubt that voter list maintenance is already done well by county clerks in the state, but if the statutes governing this work need to be improved, we’re open to seeing suggested changes.
• If by “ballot harvesting,” Mr. Gray means paying third parties to collect and deliver select absentee ballots or to pay voters to cast their votes in a specific way, that needs to be banned. If he means a volunteer at a senior center collecting a batch of completed and sealed ballots to deliver to the local elections office, we don’t see a need to ban such activity.
• Lastly, as we said in this space last week, we disagree with the assertion that ballot drop boxes should be outright banned in state statute. We welcome robust deliberation about whether clear rules or statutory standards are needed to authorize boxes with video monitoring, physical integrity and chain-of-custody provisions; however, lacking evidence to the contrary, this board believes an absolute ban would degrade voter accessibility without improving ballot security.

Addressing key local needs

Point value: 20

Key measures of success: Lawmakers should focus their attention on legislation that will help address key local needs, such as affordable housing and public safety.

Details: Several bills this session prioritize empowering local governments to address community-specific challenges. House Bill 68’s expansion of tax increment financing for affordable housing and HB 85’s focus on regulating simulcasting venues provide local authorities with essential tools.

Meanwhile, Senate File 6’s increased penalties for squatting and SF 12’s creation of permanent protection orders demonstrate a commitment to public safety. Lawmakers should approach these measures with a focus on balancing local autonomy and state oversight.

Hot-button topics

Point value: 10

Key measures of success: Attend to issues that will have the most impact in Wyoming, but avoid passing bills simply for the sake of scoring political points.

Details: A wide variety of social issues also appear on this year’s legislative agenda, including HB 32’s definition of “woman,” HB 19’s parental consent for social media use by minors, and HB 42’s regulation of surgical abortions. These bills reflect local and national ideological debates, and we encourage lawmakers to prioritize them in consideration of Wyoming-specific contexts.

Policies that protect individual rights while upholding community values should guide these deliberations.

Cooperation/diplomacy

Point value: 20

Key measures of success: Elected officials work together in the best interest of Wyoming residents, remain respectful of one another and show the same respect to their constituents, even when they disagree.

Details: During a Wyoming Freedom Caucus news conference earlier this week at the state Capitol to outline the group’s priorities for the upcoming session, incoming House Speaker Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, said the new majority would control the House with “common sense” and “respect for the electorate.”

“Nobody here wants to throw bombs. Nobody here is … creating hate and discontent amongst the Legislature,” Mr. Neiman said. “What we’re here to do is to get the job done. The people have clearly given us a mandate.”

We sincerely hope all legislators live into the promise at the beginning of that comment. And we remind them that a so-called “mandate” doesn’t mean just doing whatever the majority believes voters want. It means doing what’s best for all residents, not just some to the detriment of others.

Gov. Gordon expressed his own enthusiasm at a news conference, saying, “I know we may have some disagreements, but I’m really looking forward to working with everyone.”

The upcoming legislative session presents an opportunity for Wyoming lawmakers and the state’s chief executive to demonstrate principled leadership. We urge a focus on bipartisan cooperation, fiscal responsibility, and policies that reflect the state’s core values of self-reliance, fairness and public welfare.

By working together, legislators and Gov. Gordon can ensure a prosperous and just future for all Wyoming residents.