Wildfire funds make up over 60% of Gordon’s supplemental request

CHEYENNE — Funding wildfire suppression efforts and recovery was at the top of Gov. Mark Gordon’s mind this year when he presented a “frugal” supplemental budget request of $220 million in one-time spending to the Wyoming Legislature, with $130 million dedicated to wildfire relief.

The supplemental budget is considered every general session to address emergency and unanticipated needs, Gordon told members of the press Thursday in Laramie. This need came to light after the Equality State experienced a devastating and historical wildfire season this year, second only to the Yellowstone fire in 1988.

“This year has been our first opportunity in several tumultuous years to hew to that tradition,” Gordon said of the conservative spending request.

Prioritizing wildfire funding

An expensive and devastating wildfire season depleted the state’s emergency fire suppression account, as well as the Office of Homeland Security’s contingency account and governor’s contingency accounts, Gordon told reporters.

The governor was forced to pull $20 million from the Legislative Stabilization Reserve Account (LSRA, also known as the state’s “rainy day fund”) in order to keep funding wildfire suppression efforts, which exceeded $56 million this year.

“We are left with an emergency fire suppression account that needs replenishing,” Gordon said. “At the same time, we need to think about mitigating damage to effective landscapes and assisting in recovery.”

He added that a little more than 750,000 acres were burned in states across the region this year. In Texas, a single fire burned more than 1.2 million acres.

Wyoming is one of five western states without a state-funded disaster recovery program, Gordon said, which is why he has recommended setting aside $130 million to deploy across state agencies to treat invasive species and rebuild watersheds.

Keep OBs, behavioral health providers

Evanston Regional Hospital announced it was closing its labor and delivery services this fall, another devastating loss contributing to Wyoming’s expanding maternity health care desert across the state.

The Legislature’s Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Committee prioritized addressing the issue of maternity health care deserts in Wyoming this interim, and it was agreed in its September meeting this issue will need further investigation after the 2025 general session ends. However, only four of the committee’s 12 members will be returning in the new 68th Legislature.

“We are losing obstetrics providers in many places across the state,” Gordon said. “And I hope the Legislature is taking note.”

The governor said the loss of these providers puts a strain on families who struggle to find the gas money or time to travel extra miles to the nearest clinic. For some Wyoming towns, such as Evanston, which sits near the Wyoming/Utah border, those clinics are out of state.

“Slowing or even reversing this trend is complicated,” Gordon said. “There do not appear to be many easy solutions.”

Gordon said increasing Medicaid reimbursements for health care providers is essential so hospitals “can remain competitive and retain these vital services.” The governor recommended an additional $2.39 million be added to the Wyoming Department of Health’s budget, half of it coming out of the state’s general funds and the other half from matching federal dollars.

“Nearly a third of the deliveries in Wyoming require Medicaid,” Gordon said. “We need to make sure Wyoming remains a competitive place for (women) to get their care here.”

In his continued effort to expand the state’s mental health services, Gordon also recommended increasing reimbursements for behavioral health providers and in-home health providers.

He requested an additional $1.66 million for behavioral health rebasing and an additional $672,728 for in-home health care rebasing. Health care rebasing is the process of adjusting Medicaid rates based on more recent cost data. Both of these amounts will be split evenly between the state (out of the general funds account) and federal government.

Third and final phase of WIP

The Wyoming Innovation Partnership (WIP) is a collaborative program with the University of Wyoming and community colleges around the state to promote “a resilient workforce and economy.”

Gordon launched the program in 2021 through three phases, and he requested that the Legislature fund the remaining $5.2 million for the third and final phase. Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, former chair of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, said earlier Thursday that this program is “right up our alley.”

WyoFile reporter Maggie Mullen asked Gordon during the press conference if this boosted his confidence in getting support from the Freedom Caucus for this program. This group of hard-line Republicans gained control of the House of Representatives following the Nov. 5 election.

“Maggie, I would hope so,” Gordon said. “I think people try to get elected because they want to do the right thing, and they have different opinions about how that gets done. But it was certainly encouraging to hear (Bear) talk about how aligned the Freedom Caucus apparently is with the primary motivation for WIP, which is about enabling our workforce to meet the needs of industry.”

This story was published on November 15, 2024.