Showing posts with label Carpetbaggers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carpetbaggers. Show all posts

Saturday, March 23, 2024

The 2024 Wyoming Legislative Session. Part 6. After the Party

 


The legislators are home, but the Governor is still acting on bills.

And the session can now start to be assessed.

March 12, 2024

The Governor vetoed the charter school grant authorization bill.

None of the election bills survived the session.

Joan Barron, in a Trib op ed run today, has noted how the Senate is now being influenced by the far right and becoming less congenial.

The Wyoming Educational Association, in the same issue, ran a full page age against Casper's Jeanette Ward, a member of the Freedom Caucus, which read:

Ward is from Illinois and relocated from there to Wyoming under the far right's persistent mythical belief that Wyoming's conservatism is the same as the Rust Belt's, although their influence in the state is making the latter true.

The same group voted against increasing funding for police retirement, and did it the day of a Sheridan policeman's funeral.

And it wanted to send unallocated ARPA funding back to the Federal government.

FOR RELEASE Immediately 

DATE March 11, 2024

CONTACT Ryan Frost, Legislative Information Officer

TO REACH 307.777.7881

2024 Budget Session Concludes

CHEYENNE - With the sound of the gavel, the Wyoming Legislature wrapped up the 2024 Budget Session on Friday at the State Capitol in Cheyenne. 

At the start of session, a total of 366 bills and resolutions were numbered for introduction. The Wyoming Legislature passed a total of 126 bills. Of the 107 pieces of legislation that were introduced in the Senate, 71 of those bills passed both the House and Senate. The House introduced 84 bills and 55 of those garnered the approval of both bodies. Sixty-one percent of committee bills passed both chambers, while 20 percent of the individually sponsored bills passed both bodies. Legislation that passed both houses has either been acted on or is waiting to be acted on by Gov. Mark Gordon. 

The Legislature also adopted the State's biennial budget on Friday, and the bill has been sent to the Governor for his consideration. He will have 15 days to consider line-item vetoes and sign the bill. The appropriations and transfers in the bill for the 2025-2026 fiscal biennium total $11 billion. Of this, $3.4 billion is from the General Fund, net of de-appropriations and including $170 million of discretionary transfers to savings. 

Both the House and Senate have addressed a broad range of issues affecting Wyoming residents and while some of these laws will take effect immediately, many will not go into effect until July 1 of this year. Lawmakers will begin their interim committee work in the coming weeks. The Legislature’s Management Council plans to meet and assign interim committee topics April 1. Wyoming’s Sixty-Eighth Legislature will convene next year on Jan. 14 for the 2025 General Session.

The Wyoming Legislature encourages the public to participate in interim activities. The public can use the Legislature's website at www.wyoleg.gov to find information about interim legislative committees, including live video streams of committee meetings, committee rosters, dates and locations of interim meetings, and minutes from those meetings. The website also provides a free email subscription service for all interim committee information. -END-  

March 13, 2024

Ward was the subject of a second major ad in the Trib.


Ward also drew a lengthy letter to the Editor in the Trib.  Usually I don't post those, but I will here as this is interesting.

Ward wasting time with culture wars

Representative Jeanette Ward,

House District 57, has been doing a poor job of representing her constituents and listening to their needs. She has voted against numerous bills that would have helped Wyoming citizens and instead wasted valuable time during the legislative session touting culture war issues. House Bill 50, the “What is a Woman” act, is a prime example of this. During a budget session the legislature has 20 days to pass a budget. That is literally the only job that legislators have during the budget session. It takes a 2/3 majority to get a non-budget bill to the floor for debate. Knowing this, Representative Ward introduced a bill that wasted time and resources and was completely unnecessary. That bill rightly died because it failed introduction.

This session, she also voted against bills that committees had spent many hours considering during the interim period, which was disrespectful to their work and slowed down the legislative process. She voted against funding the 988 suicide hotline even though Wyoming has one of the highest suicide rates in the nation, literally voting against saving lives. Last session she voted against most of the bills that would have helped families and disadvantaged Wyoming citizens, including Medicare for Moms, which helps low-income women provide for their babies. Fortunately, other legislators understood the issue and the bill passed. Representative Ward is not interested in helping Wyoming’s most vulnerable citizens, she would rather propose bills that are solutions looking for problems.

This is not acceptable. House District 57 deserves a legislator who listens to constituents, focuses her time on the budget during a budget session, and understands what genuine issues matter to Wyoming. She is not it. We need someone who has solutions to Wyoming problems, not someone who fans the flames of culture wars. Voters need to remember this on election day.

Judy Trohkimoinen,

Casper

This would suggest that perhaps there's a rising effort against Ward, who was endorsed by her predecessor, now Secretary of State Gray, because of her far right views, even though she had next to no connection with the state when she arrived, or people are getting tired of her.  

In some ways, this reflects a rising feature of Wyoming's politics in which the old Party is beginning to react more strongly to the Trump Party.

March 15, 2024

Governor Gordon Signs Bills That Help Reduce Housing Costs, Protect Critical Infrastructure

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon signed two bills today, one that helps protect key infrastructure in Wyoming from foreign adversaries, and the other that lowers the cost of constructing housing

SF0077 - Homeland defense-infrastructure reporting and investigating requires the state to annually identify “critical infrastructure zones”.  Any property transactions within those zones will be shared among the county clerks, the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation. Those agencies will then determine if the transaction  involves a foreign adversary or a state sponsor of terrorism that could pose a threat to national or state security or to critical infrastructure.

“Our nation has never faced graver threats from adversaries both foreign and domestic,” Governor Gordon said. “Protection of Wyoming infrastructure and identifying potential threats to our state or national security must be among our highest priorities. I want to thank sponsor Senator Tara Nethercott, whose experience and insight were invaluable in the drafting and passage of this bill. It is imperative that we protect our precious property rights, while we also ensure we are aware of any potential threats within our state’s borders.”

Senate File 114 - Contractor licenses-reciprocal recognition requirements require local governments in Wyoming to recognize contractor licenses issued by a Wyoming county, city or town. This ensures that qualified contractors don’t have to go through additional, time-consuming and expensive licensing requirements when working in Wyoming communities. The bill emerged from the interim work of the Regulatory Reduction Task Force, which explored a range of ideas that could help expand housing opportunities for Wyoming’s essential workforce. The Task Force identified a patchwork of state and local licensing requirements that contributed to additional construction costs, which were then passed along to Wyoming home buyers. 

“My administration has been passionate in reducing red tape, and while there is certainly more work to be done in addressing Wyoming’s housing shortage, this new law is a small step towards streamlining unnecessarily redundant and costly requirements,” Governor Gordon said.

Both bills are effective July 1, 2024. 

March 15, cont:

Governor Gordon Vetoes Bills to Prevent Legislature From Overstepping its Authority and Creating Confusion for the Public

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon took action on 18 bills today, vetoing one bill that encroaches on the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches, and one that could create confusion for consumers, meat processors and producers.

SF0013 - Federal land use plans - legal actions authorized would have duplicated funding for legal actions by the State and have been unconstitutional. The bill authorized the Legislature to take legal action against the federal government, and provided a whopping $75 million in borrowing authority for it to do so. In his veto letter, the Governor lambasted the bill as a “clear attempt to cross, blur and trample the line of separation between our equal, but separate, branches of government.” 

Governor Gordon criticized the bill as not being fiscally conservative, pointing out that $75 million represents 67 percent of the Attorney General’s office biennial budget. He said that the bill would only “enable duplicative Legislative litigation safaris that would be counterproductive and contrary to Wyoming’s well established practice of cooperation between branches.”

The Governor also expressed concern about the confusion that would be created in the courts over who represents Wyoming. It is the Executive branch that “is uniquely designed to provide one voice when it is necessary,” he wrote.

At best, competing litigation efforts would only serve to confuse courts as to who represents the State of Wyoming, and at worst it would enable frivolous and political pursuits,” the Governor wrote. 

The Governor also vetoed SF0103 - Wyoming PRIME Act, which as a “trigger” bill, would only become effective if the federal PRIME Act is passed by Congress. The Governor noted that while he is supportive of food freedom legislation, the Wyoming PRIME Act could create confusion among consumers, meat processors and livestock producers. Early media reports demonstrate the potential confusion created by the bill. Currently, an attempt to use the provisions of SF0103 by Wyoming producers before the federal PRIME Act is passed by Congress would put them at risk of fines and license revocation, and imperil Wyoming’s primacy for its meat and poultry inspection program. Finally, if the federal PRIME Act is passed by Congress, but is amended during that process, Wyoming statute would likely need to be changed to conform, which could unnecessarily delay state implementation.

The Governor’s veto letters are attached and may be found on the Bills page of the Governor’s website. 

Governor Gordon signed the following bills today: 

SEA0034 SF0014 State fair board-powers and responsibilities.

SEA0035 SF0113 Light and high profile vehicle closures-2.

SEA0039 SF0096 Trusts and bank assets in bankruptcy-clarification.

SEA0040 SF0080 Solid waste management-definition amendments.

SEA0043 SF0053 Sixth judicial district-number of judges

SEA0046 SF0026 Special district vacancies

SEA0047 SF0035 Public records-DOC investigations.

SEA0053 SF0023 Public utilities-energy resource procurement.

SEA0059 SF0100 Prompt payment of insurance claims.

SEA0063 SF0083 Revisor's bill.

SEA0064 SF0090 State-managed local government equity investment pool.

SEA0069 SF0042 Low-carbon reliable energy standards-amendments.

HEA0043 HB0126 Child care is a residential use of property.

HEA0046 HB0058 Forensic genetic genealogy pilot program.

HEA0047 HB0029 Cold case database and investigations.

HEA0051 HB0138 State funds-pool A participation and fund limits.

-END-

March 16, 2024

After a break of one day, the WEA resumbed its advertisements on Jeanette Ward.


March 19, 2024

After a hiatus of several days, the WEA resumed its ad campaign against Jeaette Ward.

Some action occured on various bills on the Governor's desk yesterday:

Governor Gordon Signs Five Bills, Vetoes Bill that Would Impact Management and Use of State Lands

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon took action on six bills today, signing five bills into law. The Governor vetoed one bill that would limit Wyoming’s ability to generate revenue from state lands and take management and decision-making authority away from the state. 

SF0044 - Limited mining operations-amendments as originally introduced and worked by the Minerals, Business and Economic Development committee intended to address existing bonding deficiencies for issuing permits for Limited Mining Operations (LMOs). However, late amendments to the bill specifically targeted development of an exploratory license that had been previously granted for sections of state lands southwest of Casper. 

In his veto letter, Governor Gordon said that the amended bill would not change the particular circumstances of that gravel operation, and there is not a pending application for a LMO from that operation. However, the bill would have had constitutional consequences as to how state lands are managed to help fund schools. These impacts included making state lands uncompetitive due to an increased setback requirement, and a requirement for counties to review and issue a conditional use permit, even though not all counties require one. 

“Statutory changes are not the proper place to address specific concerns for individual operations,” the Governor wrote. “While Wyoming seeks to manage her state lands cooperatively with counties and their land use plans, the state is not constrained by them. State lands and minerals are important to our state’s economic well-being and need to be treated the same as other lands in the state.”

Governor Gordon encouraged the Joint Minerals Committee to review the original bill in the upcoming general session and examine ways to adequately address existing concerns over limited mining operations on state lands. The Governor also plans to take up the topic of mining operations on state lands at the April State Board of Land Commissioners Meeting.

The Governor's veto letter is attached and may be found here. Governor also signed five bills today:

SEA0031 SF0074 Special districts-reversal of dissolution for noncompliance.

SEA0032 SF0036 Uniform Child Abduction Prevention Act.

SEA0036 SF0123 Minor name changes

SEA0044 SF0052 Wyoming Stable Token Act - amendments

SEA0045 SF0027 Special district bond elections exception

The full list of bills the Governor has taken action on during the 2024 Legislative Session can be found on the Governor's website.

-END-

On the veto:

March 22, 2024.

 Governor Signs Bills Creating Wyoming Adult Hearing Aid Program and Supporting Early Childhood Centers

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon signed seven bills into law today, including a bill that creates a hearing aid program for low-income adults and a bill that provides additional resources for early childhood centers that serve children with disabilities.

SF0057 - Wyoming adult hearing aid program creates a hearing aid program for eligible low-income adults with hearing impairment. The bill emerged from meetings bill sponsor Senator Dan Furphy had with members of the Wyoming deaf community. It allows severely hearing-impaired adults who meet income requirements to receive a pair of custom hearing aids.

The Governor also signed SF0019 - Developmental preschool funding  which modifies the per-child amounts used to calculate payments to early childhood centers and preschools that serve children with disabilities. The increase in funding will help support these centers and preschools, which families use to access critically needed services for children with developmental disabilities. 

The Governor also issued a line-item veto on the following bill to address a technical error. Click on the bill number for the Governor’s letter:

SEA0071 SF0075 Omnibus water bill-construction.

The Governor allowed the following bill to go into law without his signature. Click on the bill number for the Governor’s letter:

SEA0065 SF0041 Banking division-classification and salary exemptions.

The Governor also signed the following bills today:

SEA0050 SF0047 Law enforcement retirement-contributions.

SEA0051 SF0024 Public service commission-integrated resource plans.

HEA0048 HB0104 Omnibus water bill-planning.

-END-

Governor Gordon Signs Four Bills Expanding and Extending Property Tax Relief 

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Reflecting his call for fair and equitable property tax relief made in his State of the State speech, Governor Mark Gordon signed four bills today that will reduce property taxes to those Wyoming residents who need it most.

The Governor signed HB0003 - Property tax exemption for long-term homeowners; HB0045 - Property tax exemption-residential structures and land; and SF0089 - Veterans ad valorem exemption-amount. House Bill 3 provides an exemption of 50% of a property’s value for primary residence homeowners if the primary owner of the residence or their spouse is 65 or older and has paid property taxes in the state for 25 years or more. House Bill 45 puts a 4% cap on year-to-year property tax increases on residential structures and land, while Senate File 89 doubles the veterans tax exemption from $3,000 to $6,000 of assessed value. 

“I am happy to sign this package of legislation, which provides targeted relief to taxpayers most impacted by increasing valuations, while ensuring our counties and schools are able to continue to provide the services our residents rely on,” Governor Gordon said. “There was an identified need, and this legislature responded to that.”

Governor Gordon exercised his line-item veto authority on HB0004 - Property tax refund program, removing the highest income category from the program. In his letter explaining the line-item, the Governor said the bill brings expanded and needed relief, but expressed concern that the $20 million appropriated by the Legislature would be insufficient to fund the program if that highest income category was included.

“I want to thank the Legislature for answering the call and funding an expansion of this program, which helped more than 9,000 Wyoming families last year,” Governor Gordon said.

The Governor vetoed SF0054 - Homeowner tax exemption, expressing concern that the exemption was not targeted and jeopardized the financial stability of the state and counties. It  represented, “a socialistic type of wealth transfer, mostly from the energy sector, to Wyoming homeowners.” The backfill of lost local tax revenue to local school districts, cities, towns, counties and special districts would likely cost the state more than $220 million for the biennium, the Governor wrote.  

“The Bidenomic-type of ‘tax relief' in this bill is what I would expect from Washington, D.C. liberals, not conservative Wyoming legislators,” the Governor added. “It is a temporary relief measure that could lead to budget shortfalls, and will ultimately be paid for by raising taxes on our children.”

Governor Gordon issued a line-item veto to HB0166 - Education savings accounts-1 to address constitutional concerns over the use of state funds. The bill establishes an education savings account program that provides funding to parents for their children's education expenses, ranging from pre-kindergarten through age 21. The Governor’s line item veto preserves funding for those students whose household income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty level. 

“While the intent to support education and parent choice is commendable, my analysis revealed practical and constitutional complications within the bill’s provisions,” the Governor wrote in his letter. Citing his desire to see the program ultimately succeed, the Governor said he was prepared to press these issues as they relate to religious societies or institutions. 

“By proceeding carefully, with a clear understanding of both the benefits and challenges associated with education savings accounts, we can work towards a system that enhances parental choice while maintaining the integrity and effectiveness of our public education system,” he wrote. 

Governor Gordon also vetoed SF0067 - Public employee retirement plan-contributions. The Governor said the bill’s effect would be to reduce the take-home pay of state employees at a time when inflation eats away at the purchasing power of all Wyoming families.

Governor Gordon allowed the following bills to go into law without his signature:

HEA0055 HB0092 Protection of parental rights.

SEA0055 SF0006 Nursing home administrators-temporary licenses.

The Governor signed the following bills today:

HEA0044 HB0003 Property tax exemption for long-term homeowners.

SEA0061 SF0089 Veterans ad valorem exemption-amount.

HEA0054 HB0045 Property tax exemption-residential structures and land.

The Governor’s letters addressing his vetos and the bills he allowed to go into law without his signature, along with the full list of bills he has taken action on during the 2024 Legislative Session can be found on the Bills page of the Governor's website.

-END-


Governor Signs Bill Outlawing Gender Reassignment Procedures for Children

 Governor Vetoes Abortion Bill While State Defends Current Ban in Court

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. –Governor Gordon signed SF0099 - Children gender change prohibition today, which bans physicians from performing procedures for children related to gender transitioning and gender reassignment.

“I signed SF99 because I support the protections this bill includes for children, however it is my belief that the government is straying into the personal affairs of families” Governor Gordon said. “Our legislature needs to sort out its intentions with regard to parental rights. While it inserts governmental prerogative in some places, it affirms parental rights in others.”

The Governor noted that the Legislature passed two bills during the recent session reinforcing parental rights in education. 

With regard to House Bill 0148- Regulation of Abortions , as initially proposed, would have properly regulated surgical abortion clinics in Wyoming. However amendments to the bill complicated its purpose, making it vulnerable to legal challenges. Wyoming is currently vigorously defending laws that already prohibit surgical and chemical abortions

“With the judge certifying these cases to the Wyoming Supreme Court, the state is closer than ever to a decision on the constitutionality of abortion in Wyoming,’ Governor Gordon said. “It is my opinion that HB148, as amended, had the potential to further delay the resolution of this critical issue for the unborn. The potential of starting over on a new course of legal arguments would in my mind be derelict, and would have only sacrificed additional unborn lives in Wyoming.”

To avoid further delaying a decision, Governor Gordon has vetoed HB 148. In his veto letter, the Governor points out that since the courts have stayed enforcement of the state’s previous abortion ban, the number of abortions taking place in Wyoming has continued to increase.

The Governor’s veto letter for HB 148 is attached and may be found here.

Governor Gordon also happily signed HB0090 - Newborn child safe havens-age of child today. The bill changes the relinquishment age that a child may be left with a safe haven provider at no penalty to the parent from 14 days or younger to 60 days.

The full list of bills the Governor has taken action on during the 2024 Legislative Session can be found on the Governor's website.

-END-

March 23, 2024

Wyoming Legislature's Presiding Officers Issue Statement Regarding Gubernatorial Vetoes

CHEYENNE - Senate President Ogden Driskill and Speaker of the House Albert Sommers issue the following statement regarding Gov. Mark Gordon's veto of Senate File 0054

“As the Presiding Officers of the Wyoming Senate and House of Representatives, we have been closely monitoring the vetoes issued by Governor Gordon of bills passed during the 2024 Budget Session. We have become increasingly concerned about the Governor’s disregard for the will of the people’s representatives and the legislation we have passed. Our concern was further heightened last night by the veto of Senate File 54, which provided all residents of Wyoming with substantial property tax relief.  

“Senate File 54 would have provided a reduction of 25% of the tax burden for every homeowner in Wyoming up to the first $2 million dollars of assessed value for a residential property for the next two years. We are extremely disappointed that Governor Gordon would characterize this relief from skyrocketing property taxes as a giveaway to Wyoming citizens. All Wyoming homeowners deserve property tax relief after double digit tax increases the past two years. Despite the Governor trying to characterize this bill as liberal spending, he forgets that cutting taxes is a conservative value. Time limited tax relief is both conservative and prudent.

"After the Governor's veto of Senate File 54, the Legislature cannot take any action to effectuate tax relief in time for implementation in fiscal year 2024. We will again have our Joint Revenue Committee continue to develop meaningful tax relief for all Wyoming residents, like they did during the 2024 interim, for introduction at the 2025 General Session." - END - 

 

Governor Gordon Signs Four Bills Supporting the Second Amendment

Governor Vetoes Bill to Repeal Gun Free Zones 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. –  Governor Mark Gordon signed four bills today that strengthen Wyoming’s status as a Second-Amendment friendly state. The Governor signed SF0073 - Concealed firearms-permit eligibility, SF0105 - Wyoming Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act, SF0109 - Prohibit Red Flag Gun Seizure Act., and SF0086 - School safety and security-funding. 

SF0105 protects the privacy and sensitive financial information of people purchasing firearms, firearms parts, or ammunition in Wyoming by prohibiting credit card processors from using firearms or firearm-related merchant category codes. It also prohibits government or private entities from keeping any registry of privately-owned firearms or the owners of those firearms created or maintained through the use of a firearms code.

SF0109 prohibits red flag gun laws from being enforced or implemented in Wyoming, while SF0073 amends the concealed carry permit regulations to make those who have had their firearms rights restored, eligible. SF0086 creates an account to reimburse school districts for costs related to possession of firearms on school property by school district employees.

The Governor vetoed HB0125 - Repeal gun free zones and preemption amendments due to concerns that HB0125 exceeds the separation of powers embodied in Article 2 of our Wyoming Constitution. If the bill were enacted, any specific policy, further regulation, or clarification of the law could only be implemented by the Legislature. 

“House Bill 125/Enrolled Act No. 49, erodes historic local control norms by giving sole authority to the Legislature to micromanage a constitutionally protected right,” Governor Gordon wrote in his veto letter. “Any further clarification of the law, if this bill were enacted, would augment the Legislature’s reach into local firearms regulation.”

The Governor noted the bill would require each state facility, such as the University of Wyoming, Wyoming State Hospital, or the Wyoming Boys School, to receive legislative approval to restrict carrying firearms, or even to set policies as practical as proper weapon storage. It would also repeal the statute that has allowed school districts to establish specific policies allowing concealed carry in their districts.

“Every piece of legislation must stand for critical review, particularly those affecting our constitutional rights,” the Governor wrote. “As delivered to my desk, this bill lacks sufficient review and debate.  A bill covering such a sensitive topic does not lend itself to successive tweaks to correct flaws, and therefore I believe the Legislature should be open to debating and fully working this bill through its established processes.”

The Governor concluded he will direct the State Building Commission to begin a process to reconsider rules to allow concealed carry permit holders to exercise their rights within the Capitol and other appropriate state facilities. That process will involve significant public input.

The Governor’s veto letter is attached and may be found here.

-END-

Governor Gordon Signs Conservative Budget that Lays Foundation for Wyoming’s Future

Exercises line-item veto authority to focus on needs and functionality 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. –Governor Gordon thanked the 67th Legislature and has signed HB0001, punctuating the Legislative Session with a conservative, true biennial budget that achieves his goal of advancing Wyoming. The final budget prioritizes improving government services for citizens, promoting economic growth, bettering the quality of life for families who live and work in the state, as well as investing and saving for the future. 

“This budget addresses our challenges and positions Wyoming for a prosperous future,” Governor Gordon said. “We are fighting federal overreach, advancing our industries, providing practical property tax relief, ensuring adequate funding for our schools, counties, and communities and providing the services Wyoming residents expect.” 

The budget includes numerous priorities the Governor outlined in his State of the State speech, including:

  • Fulfilling standard budgets and prudent requests from state agencies.
  • Funding the 988 suicide prevention hotline and expanding capacity to add text and chat services. 
  • Investing in Wyoming Innovation Partnership initiative to sustain programs for workforce development and economic growth.
  • Extending energy matching funds to ensure Wyoming’s legacy industries remain competitive and support for approaches to use and store carbon dioxide
  • Allocating more than $300 million for the construction of K-12 schools.
  • Adding resources to protect critical infrastructure. 
  • Supporting community mental health centers and youth services mental health providers.
  • Directing $20 million for property tax relief for Wyoming homeowners.
  • Ensuring safe drinking water and guarding against water pollution.
  • Increased Wyoming’s savings to prevent future tax increases.

Governor Gordon issued a number of line-item vetoes within the budget, which are fully detailed in his letter, namely to uphold separation of powers, executive authority, and limiting the scope of the bill to properly fund government. In his line-item veto letter, which details each change, the Governor expressed dismay with the curious approach the legislature took to building the budget – one that almost jeopardized state agency operations and other important state needs. 

“Last year in my budget veto letter, I congratulated both chambers on passing a budget in record time – all while increasing transparency. It is unfortunate this session did not follow suit,” Governor Gordon wrote. “Over 300 amendments to this one bill, some of which were introduced to save legislation that failed earlier in the session, almost caused the budget bill to share the same fate.” 

The Governor left intact a budget amendment authorizing the sale of the “Kelly Parcel”, a square mile of school trust property in Teton County, for no less than $100 million with specific conditions relating to the Rock Springs RMP. 

The Governor’s letter and a full version of the budget complete with the Governor’s line item vetoes is available here.

-END-

cont:

Oh. . . great.

Wyoming Legislators Call For Special Session After Latest Round Of Gordon Vetoes

Well, not going to happen, and they won't override them if it does, and with at least one of them, the Wyoming Supreme Court would strike it down.

And we'll not go on to a new installment.

Last Prior Edition:

The 2024 Wyoming Legislative Session. Part 5. Divisive and Mean.

Saturday, August 6, 2022

The Candidates and Office Holders, how much are we entitled to know?



Earlier this past week, Wyoming's voters learned, if they're paying attention, a little about the personal life of a candidate that they otherwise probably know very little about.  More specifically, due to news reporting on former Secretary of State Max Maxfield filing an election claim against Representative Chuck Gray, pertaining to his dropped bid for Cheney's seat, we now know that Gray only reported around $10,000 in income from a recent tax year.  Maxfield's point is that his reported loan to himself makes very little sense for a many who has such a dismal income.

And, truly, that is odd.

What that points to is fairly obvious.  He has family or personal money in a fairly substantial amount.

Does that matter?

Well, maybe, maybe not.

It's worth noting that two of the nation's richest Presidents, Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt, were champions of the poor.  Indeed, it's a rich irony of modern political life that the beloved Republican Theodore Roosevelt would have been regarded as a Socialist RINO by lots of today's Republicans.  But their wealth was hardly a secret at any point.

It's also worth noting that Donald Trump, the hero of the Republican far right, is also a very rich man, although we don't really know how rich, for whatever that's worth.

But none of that is the question. The question is do we really have a right to know these things?  I.e., The Roosevelt's wealth was not an accurate predictor of their political inclinations, so does this sort of thing even matter?

Well, it might.

Let's take the current Secretary of State race.  The Secretary of State is in charge of elections, as we know, but on a daily basis he's more involved with the relationship of businesses to the state.  Uniform Commercial Code filings, corporate registrations, etc., are the business of the Secretary of State.  

Indeed, at least two prior Secretaries of State have had huge impacts on corporate registrations in Wyoming, one massively encouraging out-of-state entities to incorporate here and another very much discouraging it.  The Limited Liability Company, now present all over the country, was a Wyoming invention that came out of Kathy Karpen's stint as Secretary of State.

A person with some relationship to business would presumably be the best occupation of that sort of position.  Elections are, quite frankly, nearly a side show with the office.

Gray has a BA/BS from the University of Pennsylvania from 2012.  More specifically, he's a product of the Wharton School of Business, one of the country's best business schools, which is coincidentally also where Donald Trump graduated from.  One of my cousins did as well.  According to a 2016 letter to the editor, at which time he was running for the state House of Representatives, he's single and an only child, and grew up in California.  He's associated with a series of media outlets (at least radio) owned by his father located in Natrona County, and according to the letter he came here to run them.  At one time he had a very right wing radio commentary show on one of the stations, although I've never heard it.  He's a Roman Catholic, which is publicly available information, but I knew it anyhow, as on rare occasion I've seen him at Mass.  I'll note it's rare not because he rarely attends, I don't think that's true at all, but because I don't attend any of the numerous Masses offered every weekend that he does.

Does any of that matter?

Well, it probably does, to some degree.  The Wharton degree is impressive, but it's also the case that he seemingly remains in what we might regard his tender years to some extent, for a position that requires some expertise with business on a practical level, or at least I'd argue that it does.  His primary opponent's qualifications include being a practicing lawyer, and being in the business of law (it is a business) for a decade or so.  She's been in the State Senate for about as long as Gray has been in the House.  She grew up in Riverton (and like all candidates with long roots here notes that she's a "fifth generation" Wyomingite).  She's also married.

It would seem pretty clear that qualification wise, Nethercott has Gray beat hands down.  Gray's only real campaign point is his view that the 2020 election was stolen, to add to it, and he seems to be part of the GOP right wing strategy to seize Secretary of State offices for the far right.  He's been showing 2,000 Mules at his events.1

That actually gets to the religion point.  I don't know Nethercott's religious views, and in a normal year, I wouldn't really care.  I'll be perfectly frank that if a Shiite Muslim ran for the office who had built up a good personal business and held degrees in accounting and law, I'd vote for him or her, and you can substitute the "Shiite Muslim" there for Buddhist, Hindu, Shinto or what have you, for this office.  But I do note that if you have a known religious adherence, and you are seemingly departing from it, that raises questions.

Catholicism takes an extremely dim view of lying, and for a person in a public office if it's a significant lie it can be a mortal sin. All mortal sins can be forgiven, but for a person in that sort of role, doing what you can to rectify the impact of the sin is necessary.  It may be that Gray really believes the fibs he's telling about the election, or at least implying, but that alone would raise real questions about his fitness for office.  If he doesn't believe them or is willfully fooling himself, that's another matter.

What about being single?

I can't see that it matters for this office at all, nor does being married.

I would note that for other offices it sort of might.  I'm not going ot delve into it but on the GOP races family values are frequently cited, and the GOP has made strong points about being pro family and pro traditional definition of family. That's all fine and provides a reason to vote for them.  Social issues matter.2

Yeah, these couples again.  The point is that if you are pro family, but lack one in this sense, it at least raises some questions.

But if you are a strong proponent of family and are lacking some traditional aspects of one, that raises questions.  They are questions that can be answered in ways that satisfy voters or not, I suspect, some of which may be downright painful to provide.  If you frequently mention family, your love of family and children, it's legitimate to ask why you don't have any.  A life that seemingly was principally devoted to work in which children were absent may reflect a personal tragedy of some sort, or an intentional avoidance of children. Answering one way implies something quite a bit different from another.  Yes, it's personal, maybe painful, but it's personal in the same way that advocating for prohibition while being a closet drinker, or advocating for banning abortion and then having one, or advocating for gun control while keeping guns yourself, etc., etc. are.

What about residence claims?

I mentioned that just above, twice really, and this is one topic that candidates bring up constantly themselves.  Candidates whose families have very long histories here always mention it.  When Cheney first ran, those running against her mentioned it, and her defenders, many of whom are now her detractors, had some pretty fanciful answers for why she was in fact a native.3  Many of the same people who now accuse her of being a Virginian were really ready to ignore that up until now, but will cite that her main opponent, Harriet Hageman, has a family that's been in the state for "four generations".4  As noted, Nethercott cites her family beating out Hageman by an entire generation.5 6

Does this matter?

Well, it may and may not, once again, depending on up what that might really mean.

I'll be frank that I’m pretty nativist.  But I certainly don't think you have to have a family going back to the retreat of the Ice Sheet here in order to run.  I'd prefer candidates to be from Wyoming, and indeed that's one of the reasons I wasn't keen on Cheney the first time she ran.  But I don't think this has to go back two, four or more generations, or really even any.  I'd also note that this is the case, only Lynette Gray Bull has any right to be in the race at all.

Indeed, what I think it really boils down to is being "native to this place" in the way that Wendell Berry referred to it, quoting Wes Jackson.  Some people not from here, are, and some from here, aren't.

Indeed, going further, what I think that opens up in the topic of provincialism and carpetbaggerism.

Charges of being a carpetbagger are easier to look at.  A carpetbagger is, of course, somebody who moves into a location just to take advantage of it for personal gain without having any real connection to it.

Cheney was open to that criticism the first time she ran, but while in office she pretty steadfastly represented what most Wyomingites held to be their interests most of the time, and was loved by the GOP.  In being willing to sacrifice her career for the Constitution, which she clearly is, she's immune to any charges of being a carpetbagger at this point.

This is much less clear in the cases of Chuck Gray and Gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell.  It's easy to wonder about Gray, who is still a political toddler in some ways, as he was only here for two years when he first ran for office in 2014.  And the fact that his work connection with the case is thin has to make a person wonder.  Rammell, for his part, is originally from Idaho, where he also participated in a series of gadfly campaigns.  Normally, quite frankly, a person from the region can't really be accused of being a carpetbagger as they're from the region, which is extremely similar to being from the state.  Rammell is an Idaho native.  He moved in to the state in 2012, just like Gray, citing a veterinarian position he wanted to take as the reason why, but after a string of failed campaigns in Idaho launching off on new ones in Wyoming does make a person wonder.

It doesn't make a person wonder as much, however, as it does when the Idahoan accuses a person actually from Wyoming as being inelgible to run, as he had a Marine Corps career that took him out of the state, and who takes a shot at Governor Gordon as he was born in New York as his mother happened to be there when she went into labor, both of which Rammell has done.7

A person might wonder about Anthony Bouchard, who is from Florida originally, but he seems to have had a public life in the state prior to having a political one, which you really can't say about Gray or Rammell, but he points to something else that is disturbing to natives, which is the influences of migrants into the state.

Migrants into the state have always been a feature of Wyoming's demographics, but it hasn't always worked the exact same way.  Frankly regional migration has always been very common and from this prospective looking at Wyoming as part of an overall region is helpful. Nebraskans, Coloradans, Montanans, Dakotans, etc., come into the state, and we go there, pretty routinely.  This is part of the natural mix of demographics of the state, especially one that has borders that look like a big box.

The state has always taken in migrants from long distances too, but often these same people flowed back out when the economy turned.  But more recently the state began to take in the very wealth from elsewhere who very often have radically different views than natives or regional natives do, and to add to that the state has taken in an influx of people from what, for lack of a better way to put it, had been part of the Confederacy at one time, or part of the Rust belt, or from the Pacific Coast.

Wyoming's politics had traditionally been conservative, but middle of the road as well, if that can make sense.  To a large degree, the central defining feature of much of the Wyoming view traditionally has been "I don't care what you do, as long as you leave me alone."  Wyomingites were pretty laissez-faire on social issues for the most part, and pretty patriotic.  Wyoming of 1982, rather than 2022, would have been shocked and appalled by Donald Trump.  In a state in which up to 50% of the population is from somewhere else, it's folly to believe that the state's current politics isn't a reflection of the politics of elsewhere, right now, to a pretty strong degree.

As a strong recent example of this, the amendment to the state constitution back in the 90s to prevent Obamacare from telling us what to do with medical treatment probably wouldn't have passed in the 70s or 80s.  And efforts to restrict abortion in the legislature, and I do oppose abortion, fell flat in the 70s, 80s, and 90s.  Something culturally changed to bring us where we now are.

As part of that, big money has come in from various sources to fund really extreme right wing politics, which was coincident with a migration in of people who held very strong far right views. One old time Wyoming politician publically stated that this had corrupted the state's politics when he got out.

Probably nothing symbolizes this better than Susan Gore and Foster Freiss.  Gore is an import with Goretex money and has been a major factor in the Wyoming Liberty Group.  The group's views are really imported ones, not ones that rose up here locally.  Freiss, as a politician, was a good example of the same thing. Extremely wealthy and very conservative in a non Wyoming sense.  When he ran, his campaign struck me like something out of Alabama, more than Wyoming.

Of course, that doesn't mean that nativism doesn't have its own problems when taken to excess.  We've really been seeing that recently as well.

Truth be known, Wyoming has a very long and pronounced history of our politicians having moved in. This doesn't mean that every politician has moved in, but more than we might suppose.  Certainly, early in the state's history this was practically the rule for higher office.  Francis E. Warren, for example, didn't grow up here.

Being from here does, or rather might, given you insights you'd otherwise lack if you didn't.  I've thought for some time that if you haven't lived through a couple of petroleum depressions, you really don't know anything about the state.  And if you don't identify with the land itself, you aren't qualified in my view to run.  But the claims about being a "x" generation Wyomingite have a danger in that to a certain degree certain people almost assume that this makes you a type of royalty.  

Indeed, just because your ancestors homesteaded in 1898 doesn't mean that they were benighted souls of Arthurian Legend. It probably means they were dirt poor.  Rich people didn't homestead.  And being part of one of Wyoming's traditional occupations means something, but it doesn't mean everything, particularly if you aren't doing it.  "Grew up on a ranch" tends to mean that you aren't ranching anymore.



Indeed, this gives rise to what we'll coin the John Wayne Effect, which is that I dress like a cowboy and claim a tie to ranching, I must be just like the Ethan character in The Searchers, as that's just like John Wayne was really like, right?

Ummmm. . . . 

This may sound silly, but there's all sorts of people who run around assuming that John Wayne was who he portrayed in the movies.  No, he was an actor.  Yes, he bought a ranch at some point with his movie money, but he wasn't actually a 19th Century cowboy, but a 20th Century actor.  And to make the point all the more, he wasn't a Marine Corps Sergeant in the Second World War, either.  He didn't even see service in the war.

This really shows up this time of year as people will cite they're "from a ranching family" or in some cases appear in campaign photos like gunfighters or cowboys.  Gunfighters, I'll note, is a new one.  Cowboys isn't.  

Now, don't get me wrong, dressing like a rancher is okay if you like to dress that way, but if you appear in campaign ads dressed like a cowboy and with ranching things and stuff, you probably better really be one.  Otherwise, it suggests, or should suggest, that you somehow want to keep your real means of making a living sort of secret or are somehow not too proud of it.  Or, there's some disconnect between your means of making a living and how you imagine your real character, probably identifying with the "rugged individualist".

Well, I've punched cattle. . . and still do, and I love it.  But it's hard work, truly.

So what of all of this?  

I guess these things cut both ways, but what it comes down to in the end is the extent to which you really identify with the state on an existential basis. And by that I mean the whole state.  If you can't walk into the Hines General Store in Ft. Washakie and identify with the occupants there, and their problems, at least a little, you probably aren't qualfied to be there.  And by the same extension, if you can't walk into the Hines General Store without looking like a goofball to those there, you probably ought not to be running.

We'll call that the Hines General Store Test.

Footnotes.

1.  As an aside, all of this makes Gray's early Congressional race ads in which he appeared at oilfield locations wearing a hard hat pretty silly, really.  Gray isn't from here, hasn't been here that long, and has never worked that kind of job in so far as we can tell.   Those were of course supposed to show his support for the oil industry, but he hasn't even been here long enough to experience what its like when we have a real industry collapse.

2.  Or at least they should, as we note later on in this essay, to a large degree in Wyoming's history they really have not.

3.  I was told by one of them, at the time, that hte fact that her mother had gone to grade school in Wyoming made Liz a native even if she wasn't born and raised here.

I'd bet dollars to donuts now that the same persion was her fan all the way into 2020 and then now probably calls her a "RINO".

4. And some of those same people are supporters of Chuck Gray, who is not a native and who hasn't been here all that long.

5.  It may be just me, but I wonder how people tally the count for generations.  My family has been in the region since the 1860s or so, but that's only three generations in reality in terms of families.  I guess that may say something about my family marrying late or something, but four or five generations is a really long time for Wyoming and its a little hard to add up.  In pondering it, however, part of my wife's family which arrived later would make her the fourth generation, and one that arrived in the region earlier would make her something like the sixth or seventh.

I'll note that some people take liberties with this, although I'm not saying any of the current politicians do, in counting a prior ancestor as a generation even if their kids packed up and moved to California, where your parents were born, and then you moved back in.

6.  It's also worth noting that the Democrat Lynette Gray Bull has the best claim to ancient ancestor status in the state and region, as she's a Native American.

7.  Both of Gordon's parents were ranchers in Kaycee Wyoming and he grew up on the ranch.  As an odd fact, Gordon is the grand nephew of Gen. George S. Patton.