Wyoming lawmakers need to focus on important issues during interim

Beginning April 30, members of the 68th Wyoming Legislature have less than nine months to prove they can efficiently and effectively do what’s best for the state’s residents.

As the Management Audit Committee gathers in Casper to start its off-season work, the time period officially known as the interim gets underway. Eleven more meetings of various joint committees are scheduled in May to educate lawmakers about important topics and shape legislation to be considered during the 20-day budget session that begins in February. These interim meetings will continue throughout the year at various locations around the state (and, thankfully, online).

Based on the outcome of the general session earlier this year, legislators have a lot to prove to their constituents.

As we said here after that 37-day session ended, we believe they spent a lot of unnecessary time and resources on topics with marginal impact on the majority of Wyoming residents. And they did not complete one of their major objectives — passing a supplemental budget.

As a result, much of the time spent by both elected officials and Legislative Service Office staff in interim meetings throughout 2024 was fruitless. Those gatherings generated 131 numbered, committee-sponsored bills. Of that total, 116 were introduced for consideration in either the Senate or House of Representatives, and just 62 were enacted — less than half of those produced and barely more than half of the number introduced. These were the lowest percentages in the past 25 years.

Some lawmakers say that’s due to the ideological shift that came from a majority of hardline Wyoming Freedom Caucus Republicans being elected to the House, as well as the fact new lawmakers needed to get up to speed on a variety of issues. Others say regardless of the election’s outcome, legislative leaders owed it to those who put in the time and effort during the previous interim period to give these bills more consideration.

Now, there’s a clean slate. Sure, lawmakers could choose to build off some of the previous committee work by revamping bills that failed to pass this year. They also could choose to start fresh, looking at key issues from a new perspective.

Regardless of which direction they choose, there are some major challenges that need to be addressed. And with just four workweeks next year to pass bills that require a two-thirds majority vote if they’re not related to the 2027-28 biennium budget, there’s no time to waste on unimportant topics.

After combing through each committee’s priority list, here are the 14 key areas of focus we think Wyoming legislators should spend the most time on during the interim:

Affordable housing — The Legislature’s Joint Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee listed “Workforce Housing” as its No. 4 priority for the interim, but we think it should be No. 1. Anyone who has tried to find an affordable place to live in the past five to 10 years will tell them there’s no more important issue to address. The committee’s priority list says members will address removing regulatory barriers and adding potential financial incentives, such as property tax credits, tax increment financing (TIF), and grant or loan programs.

All of that sounds good, but we aren’t encouraged by comments from co-Chairman Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, who told a Wyoming Tribune Eagle reporter recently he thinks many of the state’s housing difficulties are “caused by the way communities have chosen to regulate housing, and that’s an internal thing.” Residents need to ask their lawmakers to do all they can to help local communities through such things as removing TIF restrictions at the state level and changing the requirements for petitioning against a new development.

Other top priorities for this committee should be funding emergency services, especially in remote parts of the state, and public records/open meetings issues as they relate to the amount government entities charge for access to records and ignorance/disregard of public meetings laws by public officials.

Gambling — Two committees are slated to address the state’s gambling statutes and how a portion of revenue from this booming “industry” is used or whether some should be placed in investment funds or accounts. Is existing state law clear enough to provide for consistent regulation, enforcement and address potential negative effects from gambling?

Here in Laramie County, we’ve seen and heard recent examples of inconsistencies when it comes to allowing betting on card games and Vegas-style games of chance. And with historic horse racing and off-track betting parlors popping up in nearly every corner of Cheyenne, residents and local officials need more and better information.

Education — Yes, the state is appealing a recent ruling by a Laramie County district court judge that the state has failed to adequately fund K-12 public school operations and facilities. But that will take time, and it behooves lawmakers to make it a priority to address the violations outlined in Judge Peter Froelicher’s 186-page decision.

The Joint Education Committee should also prioritize K-12 teacher recruitment and retention, as well as K-3 literacy.

Taxes — The Joint Revenue Committee listed just three priorities for the interim — Property Tax Issues, Sales Tax Issues, and Wyoming Tax Structure and Administration. Clearly, all three are interrelated. The committee needs to consider how recent property tax relief bills are impacting local government, how sales tax revenue is being used and whether it’s time for certain tax exemptions to end, among other issues.

Other priorities — We don’t have time or space to dig deeply into the six remaining priorities, but each deserves thoughtful consideration from lawmakers. They are:

• Maternal medical care/maternity care deserts
• Retail theft issues
• Nuclear energy
• Personal data privacy and ownership
• How the Wyoming Department of Transportation is funded/reducing budget shortfall
• Wildfire response, prevention and management funding

The other factor that makes it critical for interim committees to work efficiently is the decision by legislative leaders on the Management Council to reduce the number of meetings for each committee from six to four (though committee leaders can ask for permission to hold more).

Senate Majority Floor Leader Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne, who brought the proposal, was right to suggest that her colleagues need to focus on key issues and avoid wasting everyone’s time on topics with little-to-no positive impact to Wyoming. Now, we’ll see if they can live up to the challenge.