Rep. JD Williams gives update, March 22
This week’s legislative update deals primarily with SF 169 which would have repealed the SIPA account. This bill was further complicated by 2 amendments and was eventually simplified by line-item veto from the Governor.
This past week the Governor worked through the last of the bills that were waiting on his desk for signature or veto. Remember, the Governor has approximately 2 weeks to take action on bills once the legislature goes home. If we are still in session, he only has 3 days to act. This week the Governor acted on SF169 (SIPA) Strategic investments and projects account-repeal. Several of you in HD 2 and across the state have been calling me for updates on SF169 and so I will discuss it here. Before a longwinded explanation, I will share that the Governor ultimately used his line-item veto authority and vetoed parts of this bill which took most of the heartburn out of the bill for me. Your concerns primarily dealt with the repeal of the Wyoming State Penitentiary Account which is a subaccount of SIPA. One of the things repealing the SIPA would do is transfer the funds for major maintenance of correctional facilities to the General Fund where they would have been available for expenditures other than our correctional facilities. This mattered to Representative Williams because; the Wyoming Honor Conservation Camp near Newcastle, the Wyoming Women’s Center near Lusk, and the Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution near Torrington are all Wyoming Department of Corrections facilities in or very near to House District 2. In addition, I had serious concerns because of the substantial fiscal note attached to SF 169.
The SIPA is an account that captures capital gains from Wyoming’s investments and has historically recognized the Governor’s authority to use some of these dollars when making budget recommendations. The repeal of this account appeared to me to be an expensive power struggle between the legislature and the Governor. When I say expensive, I am referring to the fiscal note which forecasts the loss of interest income of upwards of $340 million in 2026 and $380 million in 2027. I liken SF169 to a meal which was cooked in the Senate and passed with strong support when it was served, but by the time it made it to the House it had soured and didn’t pass the smell test for me. The more I studied it, the worse it smelled and there were no plausible explanations given to ease my nausea. Transparency and simplifying of the budget were the only justifications presented for SF169. I appreciate both of these goals, but I couldn’t get past the fiscal impact of almost ¾ of a billion dollars in the first 2 years of the repeal. If this is the cost of simplifying the budget I can deal with some complicated accounts.
To complicate matters more, the house added 2 large amendments to SF 169. Both amendments were in response to the fact that the legislature did not pass a supplemental budget or a state capital construction bill. One project that was affected by these omissions was the replacement of the integrated security systems at Department of Corrections facilities. The safety of Department of Corrections employees, many of whom are my constituents, and the safety of inmates depend on these upgrades. Another project left unfunded was the State Shooting Complex in Park County. Without a supplemental budget or a state capital construction bill, SF169 was used as the vehicle to make the dollars that were appropriated for these 2 projects available to be expended. 3rd reading amendment number 2 to SF169, which was sponsored by Representative Thayer from Carbon County (home of the Wyoming State Penitentiary) and co-sponsored by myself and others, funded the security upgrade for the Wyoming Department of Corrections facilities. 3rd reading amendment number 1 to SF 169, which was sponsored by Representative Washut, funded the next phase of the State Shooting Complex construction.
So, from Representative Williams perspective, I now have an unpalatable bill that I have voted against consistently that we have amended to include funding to keep my constituents safe in House District 2. Welcome to a day in the life of your Representative. I held my nose and voted for SF 169, with the hope that the 2 appropriation bearing amendments would give the Governor the latitude to line-item veto SF169. The Governor’s office kept us in suspense for almost 2 weeks but I was very relieved when I saw his line-item veto which addressed all of my concerns and even went a step further by increasing the funds available in SIPA. If you are interested in reading more about SF169 after this dry commentary you can find the veto message on the Governors website. It is very straightforward if you like that kind of thing.
Over the past cuople weeks I have spoken with many of you, usually in small groups. Although it takes a little more time, this is a good way to stay in touch with all of you for the following reason: Small groups contribute to better communication between you and myself. I am happy to address larger crowds also but the smaller meetings are more personal and informal, which many Wyomingites appreciate. Let me know if you would like a legislative update for a group of any size and I will do my best to attend. jd.williams@wyoleg.gov 307.340.6006 Trust the process, respect the institution.