Showing posts with label 2026 Wyoming Legislature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2026 Wyoming Legislature. Show all posts
Thursday, November 27, 2025
Charlie Kirk and the hypocrisy of the Wyoming GOP
Charlie Kirk and the hypocrisy of the Wyoming GOP: A recently passed resolution to limit free speech demonstrates how little the state Republican Party believes in the First Amendment, writes columnist Rod Miller.
Saturday, November 22, 2025
The 2026 Wyoming Legislature, Part 2. Pre Legislative Committee Edition.
.webp)
November 15, 2025
Wyoming ‘Tim Tebow’ Rule Heads To Lawmaking Session
I'm frankly not keen on this at all. Playing sports and being in activities are vital parts of school. They help socialization. Parents who seek to avoid socialization are harming their children and there are nwo a lot of private school options that would be better choices for those seeking to evade the perceived dangers, often fictional, of public schools
A long time legislator has passed away.
Wyoming Rep. John Eklund dies: Legislators say they will remember Eklund for his mentorship, kind spirit and thoughtful approach to lawmaking.
November 18, 2025
November 19, 2025
November 22, 2025
This is flat out irresponsible and insane:
Wyoming Legislators Advance Plan To Kill All Residential Property Taxes
Last edition:
The 2026 Wyoming Legislature, Part 1. The way too early edition.
Friday, November 14, 2025
Meat loves salt, but does the Freedom Caucus love Wyoming?
Meat loves salt, but does the Freedom Caucus love Wyoming?: A proposal to prohibit using SNAP to purchase sugar, spices and condiments reveals the far right's appetite for cruelty, writes guest columnist Lindsey Hanlon.
This is, I'd note a somewhat ironic caption. The answer is clearly no. Freedom Caucusers are largely carpetbaggers to begin with, or strongly influenced by them, and are in love with pre civil rights Alabama.
Monday, November 10, 2025
The 2026 Wyoming Legislature, Part 1. The way too early edition.
April 10, 2025
Freedom Caucus leader John Bear went on record at a meeting of legislators on how to handle the upcoming populist initiative to reduce property taxes by 50%, after they've just been reduced by 25%, as favoring completely eliminating property taxes in favor of sales taxes.
On the imported geezer reduce my property taxes on the house I bought after I moved here from California initiative, he feels that the effect wouldn't be cumulative (50% of the just reduced 25%), while other legislators do.
May 2, 2025
A press interview of Freedeom Caucus member Bear reveals the WFC wants to treat the Wyoming budget to some DOGEy style actions, particularly in regard to grants and loans.
May 4, 2025
I don't know anything about the woman from Teton County who was his competition, but Miller was another individual who spent a career in the military, and therefore was a lifelong recipient of public funds, and who has now returned as an opponent of the Federal government.
May 7, 2025
Wyoming Legislature finalizes list of ‘off-season’ topics for study
May 9, 2025
Chuck Gray Supports 22 New Election-Reform Bills, Committee To Study 10
Some of these bills are frankly nuts.
May 19, 2025
Wyoming lawmakers go after funding for state associations that sometimes oppose their bills: Green River Rep. Marlene Brady is leading the charge on prohibiting cities, towns and counties from paying dues to elected officials’ associations.
May 21, 2025
Legislative panel pursues bills to regulate Wyoming library books with sexual material: Lawmakers are taking up library books as conservative activists around the state pore over material in young adult and teen library sections for sexual content.
For reasons I won't go into, I've seen some of the book that is featured in this article, and there's no way it should be in the children's section of a library.
May 22, 2025
Committee Adopts Bill To Make Wyoming Senate Confirm Supreme Court Justices
This is inaccurate. Rather they voted to have the LSO draft such a bill.
May 23, 2025
As scrutiny of judges grows, lawmakers weigh changes to Wyoming’s selection process: In her final official appearance before lawmakers, Wyoming Supreme Court Chief Justice Kate Fox defended the process for choosing the state’s judges. But some lawmakers still want changes.
May 25, 2025
A draft bill would allow for nuclear facilities to have armed guards as a type of private police force.
Private police forces are rare, but not completely unknown. The Wyoming Stock Growers Association at one time was authorized to have them, although that's long ago in the past. While I haven't kept up on it, so I don't know the current status, railroads at one time had them as well.
June 4, 2025
Oh great . . .
Wyoming Freedom Caucus plans on ‘DOGE-ing’ state budget: House Appropriations Chairman John Bear takes inspiration from the Trump administration’s efforts to cut federal jobs and spending.
DOGE has been such a disaster that even Trump is questioning it. This is the last thing Wyoming needs
Deep down, to a large extent, the Freedom Caucus just hates the government.
Meanwhile:
The State's Democratic Party is abasically as dead as a doornail. Those looking for a middle path aren't being offered it by the Democrats, who recently replaced their leadership. The thin, bow tie, wearing newly elected leader provides an apt symbol for a party grossly out of step with the state.
June 5, 2025
Wyoming Legislature to consider abolishing property taxes through constitutional amendment: After creating a complicated web of residential property tax exemptions, lawmakers are now weighing whether to eliminate property taxes entirely.
June 11, 2025
Wyoming lawmaker uses slur for Japanese people before visiting Heart Mountain internment site: Rep. John Winter made the remark while discussing logistics for a tour of the former internment camp, where more than 14,000 Japanese Americans were held against their will during World War II.
Wyoming lawmakers step toward bill clarifying corner crossing’s legality: Some agricultural industry lobbyists urged a legislative committee to wait and see whether the U.S. Supreme Court takes the case, but others — including law enforcement — testified that they could use precise legal directions.
July 28, 2025
Wyoming lawmakers consider nuclear waste storage as tensions rise over microreactor plant proposal: A draft bill that would make an exception to Wyoming's nuclear waste ban is intended to accommodate a California firm's plans to "mass-produce" microreactors near Casper.
July 31, 2025
Legislators Clash Over Proposed Bill That Would Allow Spent Nuclear Fuel In Wyoming
August 1, 2025
Lawmakers table bill to allow nuclear waste storage in Wyoming
August 9, 2025
Tom Lubnau: Calling Innocent People Pornographers And Pedophiles At Taxpayer Expense
August 20, 2025
As Wyoming lawmakers rehash election reforms, two familiar camps remain divided: A committee voted to sponsor three failed bills from the 2025 session that would continue the overhaul of Wyoming’s elections system.
Going Feral: Wyoming lawmakers advance bill decriminalizing cor...:
Wyoming lawmakers advance bill decriminalizing corner crossing
Wyoming lawmakers advance bill decriminalizing corner crossing: By one vote, a legislative committee agrees to consider a draft measure again in November when amendments are possible.
Gomers in the Wyoming “Freedom” Caucus: If the caucus was a herd, it would be full of gomers, columnist Rod Miller says. Its members make a lot of noise, but can’t get the job done.
August 22, 2025
Cities, counties continue to push for new tax program to make up lost funds
August 23, 2025
Homeowners urge Wyoming lawmakers to skip further property tax cuts: Public services are worth paying for, residents told lawmakers who are considering additional tax reform.
August 27, 2025
The legislature has a draft bill before it to drop the felony larceny threshold from $1,000 to $500.
A typical law and order type of bill, this is a bad idea in a state with a grossly overburdened criminal justice system.
August 29, 2025
Wyoming Lawmakers Drafting Legislation To Ban Cloud Seeding For 10 Years
October 14, 2025
Panel advances legislation restricting sexual content in Wyoming library books: The Judiciary Committee voted 11-2 in support of the measure, and the issue unified Wyoming Freedom Caucus lawmakers with Republicans not always aligned with them.
Committee Adopts Bill Greenlighting Lawsuits Over 'Sexually Explicit' Library Books
October 24, 2025
October 31, 2025Wyoming lawmakers hit pause on redrawing voting maps: Efforts to reconfigure the state’s legislative districts to adhere to county lines came to a halt Wednesday.
Absolutely incredible.
Claims ‘chemtrails’ poison citizens spur Wyoming lawmakers to advance ‘geoengineering’ ban: Claims ‘chemtrails’ poison citizens spur Wyoming lawmakers to advance ‘geoengineering’ ban Nano particles released from Department of War jets are sterilizing soils, blocking sun, lawmakers hear from Wyomingites and YouTuber before backing bill.Apparently every member of this committee save for Barry Crago and Karlee Provenza voted for this goofball bill.
November 4, 2025
This is shaping up to be the stupidest legislature in Wyoming's history.
Legislature To Consider At Least 13 Election Bills After Committee Adds 6 More
Wyoming lawmakers advance election reform bills despite feasibility warnings
Wyoming Freedom Caucus wants to cut state budget, but won’t say how much yet: Cuts are coming in next year’s legislative session, but where and how deep remains to be seen.
And of course 82 year old Jim Magana, who seemingly hasn't managed to grasp that the positions he consistently advocates hurt the reputations of ranchers in general, is at it again:
Rancher lobbyist knocks Wyoming bill recognizing corner crossing’s court-decided legality: Jim Magagna
Magagna should have stepped down from a leadership role with the WSGA a good 30 years ago. He's hurting the livestock industry by seemingly never accepting its no longer the 1960s.
November 8, 2025
Fixing what isn't broken:
Undeterred by tight timeline, Wyoming lawmakers charge ahead with election reform: County clerks are anxious about changes made in the last session and what’s now coming down the pike.
November 20, 2025
Wyoming to again weigh making landowner tags ‘transferable,’ a step toward pay-for-play hunting
This again:
Wyoming to again weigh making landowner tags ‘transferable,’ a step toward pay-for-play hunting: Legislation that would enable ranchers and large property owners to sell tags to the highest bidder passed through the Agriculture Committee and has a shot at becoming law in 2026.
Here's the tale of the tape:
Ayes included Pearson, Cowley Republican Rep. Dalton Banks, Cheyenne Republican Rep. Steve Johnson, Riverton Republican Rep. Pepper Ottman, Douglas Republican Rep. Tomi Strock, Thermopolis Republican Rep. John Winter and Casper Republican Sen. Bob Ide.
Opposing were Buffalo Republican Sen. Barry Crago, Cheyenne Republican Sen. Taft Love, La Barge Republican Rep. Mike Schmid, Baggs Republican Rep. Bob Davis and Laramie Democrat Rep. Karlee Provenza.
Of course, Casper Republican Ide is in favor of it.
Don't vote for the people in the aye column.
And with this hideous idea, we're going to close out this edition and start a new one.
Related threads:
Wyoming Freedom Caucus Membership Survey: 31 House Reps Say They're Not Members
The Wyoming Freedom Caucus and the 2025 and 2026 Legislatures. Some things to keep in mind.
Friday, November 7, 2025
What’s next from the Wyoming Freedom Caucus? Tinfoil Stetsons?
What’s next from the Wyoming Freedom Caucus? Tinfoil Stetsons?: By backing anti-chemtrail legislation, the Freedom Caucus is making a hard run for an Oscar nomination in the theater of the absurd, writes columnist Rod Miller.
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Kiddie Porn and the library.
People reading my comments on the illegitimate claimant to the Oval Office and the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, and indeed the general drift of Republican politics in this state, all of which are causing the ghosts of Mussolini and Franco to wonder "aren't they a little extreme?", may simply assume I'm a liberal, and that I oppose everything conservatives are doing.
They're wrong, I'm a social conservative, but anyhow. . .
For those holding that view, this post will surprise.
October 14, 2025
Panel advances legislation restricting sexual content in Wyoming library books: The Judiciary Committee voted 11-2 in support of the measure, and the issue unified Wyoming Freedom Caucus lawmakers with Republicans not always aligned with them.Committee Adopts Bill Greenlighting Lawsuits Over 'Sexually Explicit' Library Books
Here's the bill:
I have my doubts about the constitutionality of this effort, but I think this effort is worth it.
In spite of what people might say, some of these books are absolutely horrific. Without detailing how I know it, two of the books that keep coming up in this discussion, Gender Queer and This Books Is Gay do not belong in the children's section of any library and frankly should only be in a limited adult section at that. I don't overall object to them being in a library, but frankly the common assumption that they are aimed at "young adults" is correct.
Gender Queer is a "graphic" book, i.e., cartoon. It depicts a scene in which a friend instructs another teenage friend how to stick a finger up a vagina, and that's not all. This Book Is Gay is basically a homosexual sex manual for young people, complete with badly done illustrations.
Seriously?
This gets right to the roots of the culture wars. Basically, the authors of these books believe that you are a homosexual from the second you are born, if you become one later, or even really if a person ever ponders such activity. This is to "help" them get past what the authors regard unfortunate mental roadblocks.
The psychological support for such a view is basically nonexistent. Homosexuality itself, while it occurs in all cultures, is particularly prevalent in the cultural West, so much so that in China its regarded as a Western thing. At one time it was so associated with English public (that is to say private) boy's schools that it was called "the English disease". We really don't grasp it all that well.
And frankly what we don't need to do is to push teenagers who might be pondering it, outright into it, which as a society is exactly what we are in fact doing. Books like this help to do that. They're Gender Queer is practically designed to do that.
Libraries have always restricted sexual content to the young. . . until recently. I remember years ago reading an article in the Denver Post about how the Denver Public Library kept Playboy and a Buddhist sex manual in an area where you had to ask for them, with those publications being the two most requested in that section. The point is, they didn't keep bound volumes of Playboy down in the children's sections for teenage boys to peruse, even though a person could argue that it was just as instructive as those struggling with their sexuality as these texts. And, moreover, any teen asking for either one of them would have been told to pound sand.
All this comes, as these articles make plain, against the background of a lawsuit over the topic that was just settled. Not "won", but settled. One ironic element is that the librarian spoke out hoping that her settlement, which is a settlement (i.e., she didn't win, or lose, the suit) would discourage the legislature from passing this bill.
Really? It ought to encourage them to pass it.
Monday, October 13, 2025
Subsidiarity Economics 2025. The Times more or less locally, Part 10. The killing the messenger edition.
Eight months into the year, and our 10th edition for 2025.
Uff.
Mad King Donald fired Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as he was upset by the Bureau's negative job report, which he stated was rigged.
It was rigged, of course, because facts in Trumpland are rigged if they aren't universally pro Trump.
This is likely to get a lot worse as the fact is that a lot of things Trump has set in motion are going to start having pretty negative consequences. Likewise, some firmly held GOP beliefs on economics and science aren't going to hold up to reality.
Speaking of reality and the news, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is closing its doors due to the budget rescission. The CPB, NPR and PBS are separate entities, but this is not a good development.
Republicans, who don't actually seem to realize the three entities are separate from each other, are rejoicing that public funding is ending for "left wing" media, by which they largely mean media that reports reality and the truth, as opposed to propaganda.
August 3, 2025
Three Kentucky distilleries, all small ones, have filed for bankruptcy within the past eight months, with the lastest coming last week.
While I haven't seen any analysis on it, distilleries were particularly worried about the Trump tariffs and, surprise surprise, booze can be made anywhere. Canadians have pretty much sworn off of US alcohol and were actually a major market. They make their own anyway. Seems like Europeans might be doing so also.
And part of this is probably the impact of an artisanal whiskey boom of the last decade fading.
August 5, 2025
Proposal to address ‘nation’s worst workforce exodus’ fails to get support from Wyoming lawmakers: The Wyoming Business Council says it has more policy ideas forthcoming to address "vicious" shrinking workforce conundrum.
August 10, 2025
Some really interesting things are going on that are definitely Wyoming centric that we haven't noted, or haven't noted much, and should.
The first might be that a proposal to put in a nuclear generator construction facility in Natrona County north of the town of Bar Nunn has really turned out to be controversial. This comes on the heels of a nuclear power plant in Kemmerer that is also controversial.
The ins and outs of the controversy are a little difficult to really discern, but at some level, quite a few people just don't like the idea of something nuclear. It's not coal, and its not oil. Chuck Gray, for example, has come out against this and wind energy. Chuck hasn't worked a day in his life in a blue collar job and he's just tapping into the "no sir, we don't like it" sort of thought here.
What's going to happen? We'll have to see.
Another local controversy is the approval of a 30 lot subdivision on Casper Mountain. This has drawn the ire of a lot people who live on Casper Mountain, and most of it is posed in conservation or even environmental terms.
The irony there, of course, is that people who have already built a house on the mountain are somewhat compromised in these arguments. I get it, however, as I really don't think we need more rural subdivisions in the county, at all.
On the mountain, I'd note that one of the really aggravating things that has happened recently is that last year a joint Federal/State project paved the dirt road on the backside of the mountain to the top of Muddy Mountain. It didn't need to be done and it just encourages land rapist to built houses on the backside of Casper Mountain.
Natrona County Bans Big Trucks On 26 Roads Amid Gravel Mine Controversy
I understand the opposition here, but in context, things seem to lack consistency.
Which gets back to this, I suppose. If a person just doesn't want development, they can say that.
What you can't do, however, is pretend that some major pillars of the state's economy are going to be here forever. The extractive industries are basically on their way out right now.
One of the amusing things about all of this is that the MAGA hat wearers locally who are opposed to nuclear energy are facing it in part due to the current administration.
August 13, 2025
Longtime Wyoming newspaper executives to buy, reopen eight shuttered newspapers: Overjoyed newsroom staff in communities across Wyoming are back on the job with pay after corporate closure laid off 30 employees.
Trump greenlights 14.5 million-ton coal expansion in Wyoming: The newly accessible tract represents a little more than half of the Antelope mine's annual production but signals more coal mining actions to come.
August 15, 2025
Headline in the CST:
US producer prices surge
And the tariff chickens come home to roost.
One Of Wyoming's First Combo Agriculture-Solar Farm Can’t Find A Buyer For Its Power
Trouble north of the border, where unions remain much stronger than they do here:
Air Canada cancels flights (August 15) due to labor trouble.
Air Canada is facing a flight attendants strike and is basically starting to shut down.
Cynthia Lummis on a comment from the Treasury Secretary saying the US needs to explore ways to buy more Bitcoin:
America needs the BITCOIN Act.
No, it doesn't. Focus on Wyoming issues and pay attention to them Senator.
August 17, 2025
Social Security Benefits Are an Estimated 8 Years Away From Being Slashed -- and the Cuts Are Even Bigger Than Initially Forecast
August 19, 2025
Federal mineral taxes are being reduced from16.67% to 12.5%.
They had been raised during the Biden Administration.
August 20, 2025
August 23, 2025
Employees at Laramie's Mountain Cement voted to unionize. They will be joining the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers.
August 30, 2025
Well, there's absolutely no surprise. Trump's illegal tariffs were affirmed to be illegal.
D'uh.
The Court's decision starts:
The Government appeals a decision of the Court of International Trade setting aside five Executive Orders that imposed tariffs of unlimited duration on nearly all goods from nearly every country in the world, holding that the tariffs were not authorized by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), 50 U.S.C. § 1701 et seq. Because we agree that IEEPA’s grant of presidential authority to “regulate” imports does not authorize the tariffs imposed by the Executive Orders, we affirm.
Even here, however, the Court granted a stay of thirty days on the implementation of its order, which a private litigant would be unlikely to have received, and the government shouldn't have received here. The order should have gone into effect immediately absent the government posting a bond to cover the damages, which would be all the tariffs collected while the matter was on appeal, and all that it has already collected, which should need to be fully refunded.
But a refund won't happen and the implementation of the ruling is delayed by 30 days, so the government can appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which doesn't actually have to take the appeal.
Whether the S.Ct upholds it, or proves to be a pure political arm of the government, is another matter.
There were three dissents in the en banc decision.
September 7, 2025
Postal traffic into the United States dropped by more than 80% after the Trump administration ended a tariff exemption for low-cost imports.
September 9, 2025
Wyoming’s massive new federal coal tract not likely to draw high bids: State and coal industry officials want a new 440 million ton coal tract offered for sale, but opponents warn lease won't benefit public coffers like years past.
Like Star Athletes, WyoTech Grads Recruited For Jobs All Over The Country
Wyoming Wool Initiative seeks lamb donations for student program
September 13, 2025
Headline from the Trib:
Local board pulls $25M grant application to develop Radiant Nuclear site
And
Feds fast-track coal mining expansion in southwest Wyoming
And
Court sides with Wyoming utility, rules state should have allowed higher rate increase
Related threads:
The Union Pacific is laying off carmen in Green River and may be closing the shop there.
September 24, 2025
Apparently US immigration raids have caused Michelob Ultra, which is gross, to become the most popular beer in the U.S., displacing Corona, which is gross, for the last 12 months.
September 25, 2025
From the Trib:
Wyoming unemployment falls to 3.2% in August 2025
And the Cowboy State Daily:
The General Services Administration is attempting to rehire hundreds of employees laid off by Elon Musk's moronic Dipshit DOGE.
September 26, 2025
More tariffs. 100% tariff pharmaceuticals, 30% tariff on upholstered furniture, 50% tariff on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, and a 30% tariff on heavy trucks.
September 30, 2025
The Trump administration plans to open more than 13 million acres of federal land for leasing for coal and provide $625 million in funds to expand power generation from coal, the latter a blatantly socialist move, but apparently Republicans are okay with Socialism now.
In Wyoming, The West Antelope III coal lease will go to competitive auction on Oct. 8.
These will prove to be carbon laden farts in a windstorm as coal will continue to decline, but the action will be damaging to long term power generation and the climate.
Cattle prices are reported to be at a record high.
October 1, 2025
Powell Valley Healthcare is shutting down its oncology services and its internal medicine clinic in Cody as a way to remain economically sustainable.
Casper air travel should continue during federal shutdown, but ripple effects loom
October 3, 2025
October 6, 2025
(LETTER) Bob Ide personally benefits from his property tax cuts
October 9, 2025
Hard liquor exports to Canada are down 85% this year.
October 11, 2025
The master negotiator got the big middle finger salute from China over his trade policies and now Trump is threatening 100% tariffs on the country.
Markets are reacting badly.
October 13, 2025
China indicated it wasn't backing down on the tariff matter.
Last edition:
Subsidiarity Economics 2025. The Times more or less locally, Part 9. Waist Deep in the Big Muddy. It's Donald Trump's economy now.
Labels: Coal, Distributism, Economics, Errare humanum est perseverare diabolicum, Hypocrisy, Japan, Localism, Pronatalism, Subsidiarity, Taxes, The Big Ugly, The Second Trump Administration, Wyoming's boom and bust economy European Union, inflation, Taxes, The Second Trump Administration, Wyoming's boom and bust economy
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