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State's budget passes

By
Alexis Barker

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
The Wyoming Legislature was able to send the state’s biennial budget to the governor’s desk despite debate and contention on March 6, according to Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Lingle. The new budget is in effect from July 1 this year until June 30, 2022. 
As the Legislature ticked down to the last of the remaining constitutionally allotted days for the session, Steinmetz reviewed the 2020 session in a wrap-up provided to the News Letter Journal. 
“It has been an interesting session. We have made landmark decisions regarding land purchases, taxes, wildlife, and passed a $2.9 billion budget with $1.8 billion going to K-12 education. We will be facing deficits coming into the next session. I will continue to look for ways to tighten our belts rather than raise taxes,” Steinmetz said. 
According to Steinmetz, both the House and the Senate appropriations committees worked on the budget. The primary point of contention was the funding of unfilled teaching positions, she said, which the Senate calls “ghost teachers.” Nearly $15 million was budgeted for these “ghost teachers,” including salary and benefits. 
“The final compromise split the funding in half. The Senate ultimately passed the budget, however, and is uncomfortable with the level of spending, as seen by the final vote on the budget. The budget failed concurrence until two senators changed their vote in order to avoid a special session,” Steinmetz said. 
Rep. Tyler Lindholm, R-Sundance, said he disagreed with portions of the approved budget. He noted, however, that he believes it “strikes the right balance” in reducing spending and the overall size of state government. He said that citizens of the state will have access to the services they depend on. 
“There’s no question that we’ll need to continue to make reductions to the size and scope of government in the sessions to come, as well as look at new ways to generate revenue for our state, but I believe this budget helps point us in the right direction,” Lindholm said. “One of the more creative solutions the state is considering to generate new income is purchasing approximately one million surface acres and four million mineral acres in southwest Wyoming from Occidental Petroleum.” 
Lindholm explained that the Legislature approved, and he supported, Senate File 138, Investment of State Funds – 2. This bill set up the process for the state to consider purchase of the land and minerals that were part of the original land grant to the Union Pacific. 
“This land purchase would be a long-term investment for Wyoming to generate income and benefit public access for hunting and outdoor recreation, wildlife, energy and other economic interests,” Lindholm said. “There are ample mineral development opportunities for coal, oil, gas, trona and potentially some rare earth.”
The state is still in the beginning of examining whether or not the land would be a good investment for the state, he said. 
Steinmetz had her own victory when it came to land and money during the session when her footnote to the budget was approved by the Legislature. The footnote will allow the state to study the fair taxable value of federal land to ensure proper payment to local governments across the state. 
“While this is just the first step in the process, I am pleased we will be working on this project,” she said. 
Amendments to the sales and use tax laws, Steinmetz said, will also affect local municipalities, specifically counties. The updated version requires only 50% of the municipalities to agree to place an issue on the ballot with approval of the county commissioners. 
“The only exception is when the county has already enacted the sixth penny, then the municipality may put it on the ballot without a vote of the county commissioners,” Steinmetz said. “Ultimately, if the tax is proposed, it will be up for a vote of the people in order to implement a municipal tax.” 
Also passed during this year’s session, according to Steinmetz and despite her opposition, was a lodging tax bill, also known as the tourism account bill. This bill, she said, increases the lodging tax. 
“You’d still have your 2% local option, but then on top of it there’s a 3% statewide tax that goes to fund the Department of Tourism – and on top of that, there’s a permanent local tax of another 2%, which is not approved by the voters,” Steinmetz said. “I will not support a bill that takes the right to vote on a tax away from the voters.” 
At the beginning of the session, the House and the Senate filed a total of 398 bills, Lindholm said. Of those bills, 167 were passed into law, or nearly 42% of the total bills filed. 
Included in those passed bills are the Steinmetz’s Born Alive – Infant Means of Care Act, which protects infants born alive during an abortion. Also approved were the Emergency Water Projects Account that sets aside $5 million for irrigation emergencies, Lindholm’s Animal Shares bill that specifies requirements for the distribution of meat and Lindholm’s Good Neighbor Authority that creates the Wyoming State Forestry good neighbor authority revolving account. 
Calls to Rep. Hans Hunt, R-Newcastle, and Sen. Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, for updates on the 2020 Legislature had not been returned by press time. 

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