Subsidiarity Economics. The times more or less locally, Part XII. Holding back the tide.

February 14, 2023

Freshman Congressman Harriet Hageman introduced the companion bill to a doomed bill introduced in the Senate by Cynthia Lummis, which provides:

117th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 543

To prohibit the President from issuing moratoria on leasing and permitting energy and minerals on certain Federal land, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 28, 2021

Ms. Herrell (for herself, Mr. McCarthy, Mr. Scalise, Mr. Westerman, Mr. Gosar, Mr. Newhouse, Mr. Moore of Utah, Mr. Crawford, Mr. Young, Mr. Owens, Mr. McKinley, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Brady, Mr. Stauber, Mr. Stewart, Mr. Tiffany, Mr. LaMalfa, Mr. Curtis, Mr. Lamborn, Mr. McClintock, Mr. Roy, Mr. Smith of Nebraska, Mr. Reschenthaler, Mr. Calvert, Mrs. Bice of Oklahoma, Mr. Baird, Mr. Mooney, Mr. Rosendale, Mr. Hern, Mrs. Boebert, and Mr. Amodei) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL

To prohibit the President from issuing moratoria on leasing and permitting energy and minerals on certain Federal land, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Protecting Our Wealth of Energy Resources Act” or the “POWER Act”.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON MORATORIA OF NEW ENERGY LEASES ON CERTAIN FEDERAL LAND AND ON WITHDRAWAL OF FEDERAL LAND FROM ENERGY DEVELOPMENT.

(a) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) CRITICAL MINERAL.—The term “critical mineral” means any mineral included on the list of critical minerals published in the notice of the Secretary of the Interior entitled “Final List of Critical Minerals 2018” (83 Fed. Reg. 23295 (May 18, 2018)).

(2) FEDERAL LAND.—

(A) IN GENERAL.—The term “Federal land” means—

(i) National Forest System land;

(ii) public lands (as defined in section 103 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702));

(iii) the outer Continental Shelf (as defined in section 2 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331)); and

(iv) land managed by the Secretary of Energy.

(B) INCLUSION.—The term “Federal land” includes land described in clauses (i) through (iv) of subparagraph (A) for which the rights to the surface estate or subsurface estate are owned by a non-Federal entity.

(3) PRESIDENT.—The term “President” means the President or any designee, including—

(A) the Secretary of Agriculture;

(B) the Secretary of Energy; and

(C) the Secretary of the Interior.

(b) Prohibitions.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the President shall not carry out any action that would prohibit or substantially delay the issuance of any of the following on Federal land, unless such an action has been authorized by an Act of Congress:

(A) New oil and gas leases, drill permits, approvals, or authorizations.

(B) New coal leases, permits, approvals, or authorizations.

(C) New hard rock leases, permits, approvals, or authorizations.

(D) New critical minerals leases, permits, approvals, or authorizations.

(2) PROHIBITION ON WITHDRAWAL.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the President shall not withdraw any Federal land from forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws, location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, or disposition under laws pertaining to mineral and geothermal leasing or mineral materials unless the withdrawal has been authorized by an Act of Congress.

1. Can't pass the Senate

2.  Would be vetoed if it actually passed both houses, when there's certainly not enough votes to override a veto.

So why do these things?

February 20, 2023

Golden moves on path to all-electric in new buildings: To meet its #climate goals, this #Colorado city of 20,000 needs to crimp #methane combustion. It could require all-electric in new buildings by January 2024

February 23, 2023

SNAP, the Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, ends this month.

NPR is laying off 10% of its workforce.

March 3, 2023

A Gold and Copper mine will open in Laramie County in 2025.

The United States Post Office is buying 9,250 electric vans from Ford.

March 13, 2023

Silicon Valley Bank collapsed Friday after a comment by a major investment broker regarding it.  The Federal Government is not going to "bail out" the bank, which has accounts by many wealthy investors.

President Biden is proceeding to authorize the Willow drilling project inside the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, despite protests over the proposed action.

March 28, 2023

Renewables produced more energy than coal last year.

Coal checked in at 20%, down from 50% in 2007, and it's declining.

This is no surprise here, we've noted the timeline of coal long ago:

Coal: Understanding the time line of an industry

April 2, 2023

It's the end of coal in the state.

Rocky Mountain Power has announced that nine of its eleven power plants will be using gas, rather than coal, by 2030.

And, once again:

Coal: Understanding the time line of an industry

As is to emphasize it, one of the remaining coal-fired plants will be Glenrock's Dave Johnson, where a third wind generating facility is going in.

April 3, 2023

Saudi Arabia and Dubai, and other OPEC countries, are cutting back oil production through the balance of the year.

April 13, 2023

The Biden Administration's proposed emissions standards will require 2/3s of all automobiles to be electric by 2032.

April 25, 2023

Fly Casper Alliance lobbies for city subsidy.

A new Natrona County Advocacy Group, Fly Casper Alliance, is seeking $50,000 from the City of Casper to help secure the present Delta (Sky West) flight to Salt Lake City.  The flight already receives subsidies from Natrona County, but this one time payment is hoped to help continue to secure the flight.

Related thread:

Delta receives a subsidty to continue serving the Natrona County International Airport

May 10, 2023

The big economic news right now, of course, is that the country is racing towards its debt limit, at which point it will default on its debts.

The whole idea of a debt limit was to put a cap on Congress' ability to borrow too much money. The problem is it didn't work out that way.  Sort of like a spending limit on a credit card, it just caps off the debt, but the problem is, unlike a credit card, when you go to present it to the person you are buying something from, your credit isn't declined.  You get the thing anyway, and then later just don't have the ability to pay for it.

So it works instead, like buying a house, for example, or a car, you couldn't afford.

In order to really have teeth, there'd have to be a third body, like the CBO, treasury, or something, that would just nullify bills authorizing spending over the limit.  Or, rather, a court would have to declare, before things were spent, that there was a freeze on spending as Congress didn't have the statutory authority to make the spending.  

A balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, frankly, would work significantly better.

It does serve to cause the spending entities to have to get together, but they don't do it honestly.  Basically what we have going on is something akin to a couple at a banquet who have overspent arguing whether they should take the Bud Light off the table, while they're leaving the Dom Pérignon on.  Or, rather, it's like a husband that has a job as Mini Mart clerks, but the education of PhDs, arguing about racking up bills rather than going out and getting a better paying job.

If we don't get this fixed by June 1, the country is going into a massive economic crisis.

To add to that grim situation, the negotiations are in the hands of 1) one politician who is so old that he can recall when he went to U.S. Grant's kindergarten recitals, and 2) one politician who is so beholding to Trumpist "Club For Growth" Kool-Aid drinkers that he stinks up a room before he gets there.

If you worked at a company run this way, you'd look for a new job.  If you lived in a family run this way, you'd be looking for your own apartment.

This also serves, we might note, to recall the Jeffersonian warnings about democracy (and yes, we are a democracy, don't give me that "but we're a republic" crap, which is just what that line is, crap).  Jefferson warned that once the country ceased to be agrarian, the government would fail, as at that point it gave rise to feeding the mob.

The history of modern democracies has so far demonstrated that fear to be wrong, but it has also taken real crises in order to address largess.  The German democracy, for instance, beat up by the hyperinflation of Weimar era and the brutality of World War Two keeps a tight reign on its finances. The Japanese democracy, hit hard by the Japanese decline of the 1970s, does the same.

So far, the American democracy has shown no such tendency.  Congress won't address entitlements, which it must, won't address gigantic defense spending, which it must, and won't address raising taxes, which it must.

In that context, again, it's like a couple employed as Mini Mart clerks, both with PhD's, who are standing outside their apartment yelling each at each other about whether to upgrade the stereo on the Tesla they can't afford.

May 13, 2023

Mining sector jobs grew more than any other sector of Wyoming's economy last year, by 9.1%. This in spite of dire warnings by, well, folks like me.

UW's employees will be receiving a pay raise.

Ford Motors will no longer put AM radio in its vehicles.  Any of them.  Many other manufacturers are pulling theirs from electric vehicles.

May 15, 2023

Trump apparently said in his Town Hall on CNN that unless the Administration agreed to major cuts, the Republicans should take the country into debt default, a totally wreckless position that would destroy the savings of his constituency. 

Trump himself was responsible for major additions to the deficit.

Biden and the Republicans are set to meet again on Tuesday. Perhaps this slow motion process is part of his strategy, but its yet another example of government that is as slow as molasses.

May 16, 2023

The local paper is eliminating an edition, going to three print editions per week only and wiping out personal home delivery in favor of mail.

May 21, 2023

Nothing is being done about the debt ceiling while President Biden is at the G7. He gets back today.

If the US ends up with Trump again, this sort of behavior will be a lot of the reason why.

Footnotes:

Subsidiarity Economics. The times more or less locally, Part XI. The Waiting for a Train Edition

Monday, May 3, 1943. The crash of Hot Stuff claims the life of Gen. Andrews.

Lt. Gen. Frank Maxwell Andrews, for whom Andrews Air Force Base is named, died in the crash of the B-24 Hot Stuff in Iceland, when it went down in bad weather.

He had been on an inspection tour in the United Kingdom.

Only the plane's tail gunner, SSgt George A. Eisel, survived the crash.  Eisel had survived a previous B-24 crash in North Africa.  He'd live until 1964 when he died at age 64.  Married prior to the war, he and his wife never had any children.

Hot Stuff was the first B-24D to complete 25 missions, well before, it might be noted, the B-17 Memphis Belle did the same.  Hardly anyone recalls Hot Stuff, as the Army went on to emphasize the Memphis Belle following the crash of Hot Stuff and the death of all but one of its crew.  Of note, Hot Suff, predictably, had a much more salacious example of nose art than Memphis Belle, and it's interesting to speculate how the Army would have handled that had the plane been popularized.  At any rate, the story that Memphis Belle was the first US bomber to complete 25 missions is a complete myth.

Andrews was the CO of the ETO at the time of this death.  A West Point Graduate from the class of 1906, he had been in the cavalry branch from 1906 to 1917, when he was assigned to aviation over the objection of his commander.  A prior objection had prevented his reassignment in 1914.

Sarah Sundin noted this event on her blog:

Today in World War II History—May 3, 1943: Lt. Gen. Frank Andrews, commander of US European Theater of Operations, is killed in a B-24 crash in Iceland. US II Corps takes Mateur, Tunisia.

She also noted the ongoing Allied advance in North Africa and the establishment of the British 6th Airborne Division. 

Mine workers called off the coal strike.

The United States Supreme Court invalidated a Jeannette, PA ordinance that required Jehovah's Witness members to acquire peddler's licenses before distributing religious literature.  The ordinance's license fee was a whopping $10.00/day.

Sunday, May 2, 1943. The Coal Crisis.

British wartime conservation poster.  I wish I could do something patriotic just by going to bed early.

Franklin Roosevelt addressed the coal strike in a Fireside Chat, stating:

My fellow Americans:

I am speaking tonight to the American people, and in particular to those of our citizens who are coal miners.

Tonight this country faces a serious crisis. We are engaged in a war on the successful outcome of which will depend the whole future of our country.

This war has reached a new critical phase. After the years that we have spent in preparation, we have moved into active and continuing battle with our enemies. We are pouring into the worldwide conflict everything that we have -- our young men, and the vast resources of our nation.

I have just returned from a two weeks' tour of inspection on which I saw our men being trained and our war materials made. My trip took me through twenty states. I saw thousands of workers on the production line, making airplanes, and guns and ammunition.

Everywhere I found great eagerness to get on with the war. Men and women are working long hours at difficult jobs and living under difficult conditions without complaint.

Along thousands of miles of track I saw countless acres of newly ploughed fields. The farmers of this country are planting the crops that are needed to feed our armed forces, our civilian population and our Allies. Those crops will be harvested.

On my trip, I saw hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Young men who were green recruits last autumn have matured into self-assured and hardened fighting men. They are in splendid physical condition. They are mastering the superior weapons that we are pouring out of our factories.

The American people have accomplished a miracle.

However, all of our massed effort is none too great to meet the demands of this war. We shall need everything that we have and everything that our Allies have to defeat the Nazis and the Fascists in the coming battles on the Continent of Europe, and the Japanese on the Continent of Asia and in the Islands of the Pacific.

This tremendous forward movement of the United States and the United Nations cannot be stopped by our enemies.

And equally, it must not be hampered by any one individual or by the leaders of any one group here back home.

I want to make it clear that every American coal miner who has stopped mining coal -- no matter how sincere his motives, no matter how legitimate he may believe his grievances to be -- every idle miner directly and individually is obstructing our war effort. We have not yet won this war. We will win this war only as we produce and deliver our total American effort on the high seas and on the battlefronts. And that requires unrelenting, uninterrupted effort here on the home front.

A stopping of the coal supply, even for a short time, would involve a gamble with the lives of American soldiers and sailors and the future security of our whole people. It would involve an unwarranted, unnecessary and terribly dangerous gamble with our chances for victory.

Therefore, I say to all miners -- and to all Americans everywhere, at home and abroad -- the production of coal will not be stopped.

Tonight, I am speaking to the essential patriotism of the miners, and to the patriotism of their wives and children. And I am going to state the true facts of this case as simply and as plainly as I know how.

After the attack at Pearl Harbor, the three great labor organizations -- the American Federation of Labor, the Congress of Industrial Organizations, and the Railroad Brotherhoods -- gave the positive assurance that there would be no strikes as long as the war lasted. And the President of the United Mine workers of America was a party to that assurance.

That pledge was applauded throughout the country. It was a forcible means of telling the world that we Americans -- 135,000,000 of us -- are united in our determination to fight this total war with our total will and our total power.

At the request of employers and of organized labor - including the United Mine Workers -- the War Labor Board was set up for settling any disputes which could not be adjusted through collective bargaining. The War Labor Board is a tribunal on which workers, employers and the general public are equally represented.

In the present coal crisis, conciliation and mediation were tried unsuccessfully.

In accordance with the law, the case was then certified to the War Labor Board, the agency created for this express purpose with the approval of organized labor. The members of the Board followed the usual practice, which has proved successful in other disputes. Acting promptly, they undertook to get all the facts of this (the) case from both the miners and the operators.

The national officers of the United Mine Workers, however, declined to have anything to do with the fact-finding of the War Labor Board. The only excuse that they offer is that the War Labor Board is prejudiced.

The War Labor Board has been and is ready to give this (the) case a fair and impartial hearing. And I have given my assurance that if any adjustment of wages is made by the Board, it will be made retroactive to April first. But the national officers Of the United Mine Workers refused to participate in the hearing, when asked to do so last Monday.

On Wednesday of this past week, while the Board was proceeding with the case, stoppages began to occur in some mines. On Thursday morning I telegraphed to the officers of the United Mine Workers asking that the miners continue mining coal on Saturday morning. However, a general strike throughout the industry became effective on Friday night.

The responsibility for the crisis that we now face rests squarely on these national officers of the United Mine Workers, and not on the Government of the United States. But the consequences of this arbitrary action threaten all of us everywhere.

At ten o'clock, yesterday morning -- Saturday -- the Government took over the mines. I called upon the miners to return to work for their Government. The Government needs their services just as surely as it needs the services of our soldiers, and sailors, and marines -- and the services of the millions who are turning out the munitions of war.

You miners have sons in the Army and Navy and Marine Corps. You have sons who at this very minute -- this split second -- may be fighting in New Guinea, or in the Aleutian Islands, or Guadalcanal, or Tunisia, or China, or protecting troop ships and supplies against submarines on the high seas. We have already received telegrams from some of our fighting men overseas, and I only wish they could tell you what they think of the stoppage of work in the coal mines.

Some of your own sons have come back from the fighting fronts, wounded. A number of them, for example, are now here in an Army hospital in Washington. Several of them have been decorated by their Government.

I could tell you of one from Pennsylvania. He was a coal miner before his induction, and his father is a coal miner. He was seriously wounded by Nazi machine gun bullets while he was on a bombing mission over Europe in a Flying Fortress.

Another boy, from Kentucky, the son of a coal miner, was wounded when our troops first landed in North Africa six months ago.

There is (still) another, from Illinois. He was a coal miner -- his father and two brothers are coal miners. He was seriously wounded in Tunisia while attempting to rescue two comrades whose jeep had been blown up by a Nazi mine.

These men do not consider themselves heroes. They would probably be embarrassed if I mentioned their names over the air. They were wounded in the line of duty. They know how essential it is to the tens of thousands -- hundreds of thousands --and ultimately millions of other young Americans to get the best of arms and equipment into the hands of our fighting forces -- and get them there quickly.

The fathers and mothers of our fighting men, their brothers and sisters and friends -- and that includes all of us -- are also in the line of duty -- the production line. Any failure in production may well result in costly defeat on the field of battle.

There can be no one among us -- no one faction powerful enough to interrupt the forward march of our people to victory.

You miners have ample reason to know that there are certain basic rights for which this country stands, and that those rights are worth fighting for and worth dying for. That is why you have sent your sons and brothers from every mining town in the nation to join in the great struggle overseas. That is why you have contributed so generously, so willingly, to the purchase of war bonds and to the many funds for the relief of war victims in foreign lands. That is why, since this war was started in 1939, you have increased the annual production of coal by almost two hundred million tons a year.

The toughness of your sons in our armed forces is not surprising. They come of fine, rugged stock. Men who work in the mines are not unaccustomed to hardship. It has been the objective of this Government to reduce that hardship, to obtain for miners and for all who do the nation's work a better standard of living.

I know only too well that the cost of living is troubling the miners' families, and troubling the families of millions of other workers throughout the country as well.

A year ago it became evident to all of us that something had to be done about living costs. Your Government determined not to let the cost of living continue to go up as it did in the first World War.

Your Government has been determined to maintain stability of both prices and wages -- so that a dollar would buy, so far as possible, the same amount of the necessities of life. And by necessities I mean just that -- not the luxuries, not the (and) fancy goods that we have learned to do without in wartime.

So far, we have not been able to keep the prices of some necessities as low as we should have liked to keep them. That is true not only in coal towns but in many other places.

Wherever we find that prices of essentials have risen too high, they will be brought down. Wherever we find that price ceilings are being violated, the violators will be punished.

Rents have been fixed in most parts of the country. In many cities they have been cut to below where they were before we entered the war. Clothing prices have generally remained stable.

These two items make up more than a third of the total budget of the worker's family.

As for food, which today accounts for about another (a) third of the family expenditure on the average, I want to repeat again: your Government will continue to take all necessary measures to eliminate unjustified and avoidable price increases. And we are today (now) taking measures to " roll back" the prices of meats.

The war is going to go on. Coal will be mined no matter what any individual thinks about it. The operation of our factories, our power plants, our railroads will not be stopped. Our munitions must move to our troops.

And so, under these circumstances, it is inconceivable that any patriotic miner can choose any course other than going back to work and mining coal.

The nation cannot afford violence of any kind at the coal mines or in coal towns. I have placed authority for the resumption of coal mining in the hands of a civilian, the Secretary of the Interior. If it becomes necessary to protect any miner who seeks patriotically to go back and work, then that miner must have and his family must have -- and will have -- complete and adequate protection. If it becomes necessary to have troops at the mine mouths or in coal towns for the protection of working miners and their families, those troops will be doing police duty for the sake of the nation as a whole, and particularly for the sake of the fighting men in the Army, the Navy and the Marines -- your sons and mine -- who are fighting our common enemies all over the world.

I understand the devotion of the coal miners to their union. I know of the sacrifices they have made to build it up. I believe now, as I have all my life, in the right of workers to join unions and to protect their unions. I want to make it absolutely clear that this Government is not going to do anything now to weaken those rights in the coalfields.

Every improvement in the conditions of the coal miners of this country has had my hearty support, and I do not mean to desert them now. But I also do not mean to desert my obligations and responsibilities as President of the United States and Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy.

The first necessity is the resumption of coal mining. The terms of the old contract will be followed by the Secretary of the Interior. If an adjustment in wages results from a decision of the War Labor Board, or from any new agreement between the operators and miners, which is approved by the War Labor Board, that adjustment will be made retroactive to April first.

In the message that I delivered to the Congress four months ago, I expressed my conviction that the spirit of this nation is good.

Since then, I have seen our troops in the Caribbean area, in bases on the coasts of our ally, Brazil, and in North Africa. Recently I have again seen great numbers of our fellow countrymen -- soldiers and civilians -- from the Atlantic Seaboard to the Mexican border and to the Rocky Mountains.

Tonight, in the fact of a crisis of serious proportions in the coal industry, I say again that the spirit or this nation is good. I know that the American people will not tolerate any threat offered to their Government by anyone. I believe the coal miners will not continue the strike against their (the) Government. I believe that the coal miners (themselves) as Americans will not fail to heed the clear call to duty. Like all other good Americans, they will march shoulder to shoulder with their armed forces to victory.

Tomorrow the Stars and Stripes will fly over the coal mines, and I hope that every miner will be at work under that flag.

The Japanese conducted a major air raid on Darwin, Australia.  It was the 54th Japanese air raid on Australia and provided ineffective in real terms, but greatly disturbed the Australian public.  The attacking force consisted of 25 bombers and 27 fighter escorts.  The Royal Australian Air Force engaged the attackers after the raid, and lost fourteen Spitfires.  The Japanese lost six to ten aircraft.

Saturday, May 1, 1943. Strikes and Terminations

480,000 coal mining members of the United Mine Workers went on strike.  President Roosevelt ordered them to return to work by 10:00 a.m. They didn't.

An executive order followed, authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to take possession of the mines, if necessary.

More on the strike here:

“You Can’t Dig Coal With Bayonets”

In case you wondered, 55,156 people are employed in the American coal mining industry today.

On the same day, Ford Motor Company fired 141 employees because of labor disputes.  Most of those fired were African Americans.

800 British troops, mostly Colonial forces, went down with the British troopship Erinpura which was sunk north of Benghazi by German aircraft.

Count Fleet won the Kentucky Derby.

Saturday, February 27, 1943. Mining disaster in Montana.

"Freedom of Worship", the second in Rockwell's four freedoms illustrations, ran in the Saturday Evening Post along with an essay on the topic by Will Durant.

An explosion and resulting carbon monoxide poisoning killed 74 minders in Montana's Smith Mine No. 3.  The horrible incident remains Montana's worst mining disaster.

The final arrest and expulsion of Jews from Berlin and other large German cities commenced.

The British landed on the island of Herm in the English Channel, but found that it was not occupied.  Because of their landing spot, residents of the island were not aware that their countrymen had landed.

1943  Bishop Count Konrad von Preysing, Catholic Bishop of Berlin, made another in a series of outspoken attacks on Nazi rule. In a pastoral letter issued throughout Germany he protested against totalitarianism, the execution of hostages and the Jewish persecution, stating "It is a Divine principle that the life of an innocent individual, whether an unborn child or an aged person, is sacred, and that the innocent shall not be punished with the guilty, or in place of the guilty. Neither the individual nor the community can create a law against this."  Bishop von Preysing had gone on record early about his opinions on the Nazis, having declared "We have fallen into the hands of criminals and fools" when they came to power, and in 1940 he'd ordered that prayers be said throughout his diocese for arrested Lutheran ministers.  He'd later go on to decry the German Communist postwar who declared that he was an "agent" of "American Imperialism".  He died in 1950.

The 2023 Wyoming Legislative Session. The road ahead, again. (Vol 6).

Well, we have another edition.  It's been an interesting session.

February 12, 2023

Today we start off with an item that isn't actually legislative, but given as the GOP controls the legislature, related to it.

Yesterday, we noted that the GOP apparently sent an email to legislatures urging them not to vote for HB7, the bill which would eliminate, and indeed invalidate, marriages involving anyone under 16 years of age.  We noted there that this proposal has been made before, and failed.  Now the GOP has apparently come out in some capacity against it, for reasons which you can read in the last edition of this thread.

Now the GOP leadership has come out with a condemnation of Cynthia Lummis for her vote in the Senate on the bill which statutorily adopted the holding of Obergefell, thereby protecting same gender unions as marriages from state revocation.  Lummis, by voting the way she did, was likely demonstrating her uncanny ability to switch directions and tack with the winds in advance of their shifting, but the local GOP isn't happy about it and passed a resolution condemning her actions.

All of this somewhat demonstrates that the GOP organization remains solidly very right wing, but its influence isn't extending out as far as it likely thought it would.  The host of really populist bills in the current legislature have not done well, and the new populist firebrands have not extended much influence so far.

February 14, 2024

HB 104 allowing the taking of predatory animals at night has passed both houses but was amended by the House of Representatives to include laser sighting systems, and so is back to the Senate for concurrence.

Frankly, as a hunter, I feel that this bill is a bad technological trend.  Probably an inevitable one, but one hunters will regret.

HB131 allowing for online sports wagering, amended to require licenses and permits, passed both houses.

The Cowboy State Journal did an article on teenage marriages in the state which was somewhat interesting, with this coming up in the context of HB 7.  The article noted, and I quote:

The Busy Teen Wedding Year  

In Department of Health data spanning from 1978 to recent months, the peak year for underage marriages was 1980. There were 670 teens who married that year. Three of them were 14 years old, 30 were 15, 217 were 16 and 370 were 17.   

13 And Younger  

In only four years since 1978 have people 13 and younger received marriage licenses in Wyoming.  

Those years were 1978, when one person 13 or younger was married; 1979, when there were two; 1987 (one); and 1995 (one).   

Age 14  

There were, however, 20 years in which 14-year-olds married in Wyoming since 1978. The most recent of those was in 2012, when one 14-year-old was married. There have been 37 people married in the state at age 14 overall since 1978.   

The year with the most 14-year-olds wedded was 1979, when there were six.   

Age 15  

The most recent marriage involving a 15-year-old in Wyoming was 2015. It was the first since 2009, when four 15-year-olds were married.   

The numbers tapered off significantly starting in about 1984. Before then, between 22 and 36 people married each year at age 15.   

In 1984 there were 14 people married at 15. The numbers dropped again in 1987, with eight. They continued to dwindle with occasional jumps: to nine in 1994 and nine in 2006, though they never crested the single digits after 1986.   

Age 16  

In every year since 1978, including last year, 16-year-olds have gotten married. There were six in 2022.   

That’s a mere fraction of the figures of the late 1970s and 1980s, with 215 in 1978; 226 in 1979; 217 in 1980 and 148 in 1981.   

The numbers first dropped below 100 in 1985, at 96. They didn’t hit single digits until 2010, when there were six.   

Age 17  

Likewise, 17-year-olds get married every year in Wyoming.   

There were 374 wed in 1978 and 420 in 1980.   

But there were only 10 people that age married last year. So far this year, 2023, there have been four 17-year-olds married.   

Totals  

The totals of minors’ marriages are in the same descent as individual categories, with 627 minors married altogether in 1978 and 16 in 2022. Though the numbers fluctuated in between those two dates, the pattern of descent has been mostly consistent.   

An online journal also went after a leading figure in the GOP in the state in a really blistering fashion, accusing that person of serial infidelities and making house outside of marriage, as well as other things.  If the author is correct, and I'm going to hold off naming people as I don't know if he is or not, it would be a shocking example of outright hypocrisy, particularly in regard to the GOP's opposition to HB 7 on moral grounds.

Not that this has been unusual in recent years.  Donald Trump is hardly a moral paragon, but nonetheless he was embraced by some on the evangelical right.

February 14, 2023, cont

Governor Gordon to Sign First Bills of 2023 Legislative Session on Wednesday, February 15

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon will hold a formal bill signing ceremony on Wednesday February 15 at 3 pm in the Governor's Ceremonial Conference Room in the State Capitol Building. The ceremony is open to the public.

The Governor will sign the following bills:

Bill No.   Enrolled Act # Bill Title

SF 0023    SEA 0003         Treatment courts - transfer to judicial branch.

HB 0028   HEA 0008        Community College Capital Construction

HB 0029   HEA 0007        Community College Funding- Distance Education Credit Hours

-END-

February 15, 2023

The crossover voting bill, designed to address Republican fears that vast hordes of Democrats will cross into the GOP seconds before a primary, and which had died in a Senate Committee, was moved to a more favorable committee in a parliamentary move in hopes of keeping the remaining three Democrats from switching parties in this fashion.

Secretary of State Chuck Gray, who campaigned on stolen election fantasies, is in favor of the bill, as of course he would have to be.

This move, which is a little chickensh** in my view, is being reported as rare, but I can recall it happening in the last general session.

It should be noted that if Democrats crossing over was effective, Cheney would still be our Representative, which she didn't even come close to being.

It should also be noted that all the hardcore really left wing Democrats that made a big deal of their crossing over should have shut up, as they sure didn't do anything any favors by being vocal about their decision.

House Bill 147 has passed, banning improper posting of public lands in an effort to deter hunters.

ENROLLED ACT NO. 18,  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING

2023 GENERAL SESSION

AN ACT relating to game and fish; amending the crime of interference with lawful taking of wildlife; prohibiting acts that restrict access to or use of state or federal land as specified; providing an exception; specifying applicability; and providing for effective dates.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

 

Section 1.  W.S. 23‑3‑405(a) by creating a new paragraph (iii) and (g) by creating a new paragraph (iii) is amended to read:

23‑3‑405.  Interference with lawful taking of wildlife prohibited; penalties; damages; injunction.

(a)  No person shall with the intent to prevent or hinder the lawful taking of any wildlife:

(iii)  Knowingly and without authorization post or maintain in place signs that restrict access to or use of state or federal land on which the lawful taking of or the process of lawfully taking any wildlife is permitted. For purposes of this subsection, "knowingly" means the person has received prior notice from a peace officer that the sign is located on state or federal land.

(g)  This section shall:

(iii)  Not interfere with any landowner's right to prevent trespass on the landowner's private property.

Section 2.  This act is effective July 1, 2023.

This is a good bill, and I'm glad it passed.

This odd bill passed:

 ENROLLED ACT NO. 17, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING

2023 GENERAL SESSION

AN ACT relating to defense forces and affairs; authorizing veterans to present their driver's licenses or identification cards as proof of their veteran status as specified; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.  W.S. 19‑14‑113 is created to read:

19‑14‑113.  Veteran designation on driver's license.

(a)  Except as provided by subsection (b) of this section, if a person has a veteran designation on their Wyoming driver's license or identification card pursuant to W.S. 31‑7‑141, any local government entity as defined by W.S. 9‑2‑3219(a)(vi) shall allow the person to present their Wyoming driver's license or identification card instead of a military form DD 214 as proof of their status as a veteran.

(b)  At the request of the military department or if information other than the person's status as a veteran is required, the military department or other local government entity may ask for further documentation including a military form DD 214.

Section 2.  This act is effective July 1, 2023.

I'm not sure why a person would have a veteran designation on their license, but they can.  Maybe I'll add one if it'll help prevent me from getting speeding tickets or something. 

February 16, 2023 

Governor’s First Bill Signing Advances Mental Health Care in Wyoming and Bolsters Ability to Fight to Protect Coal Industry

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. –  Governor Mark Gordon signed the first bills of the 2023 Legislative session during a public signing ceremony at the Capitol today.

The first bill to be signed by the Governor was Senate File 0023- Treatment courts - transfer to judicial branch. The "Court Supervised Treatment Programs Act” transfers responsibility and oversight of court-supervised treatment programs from the Wyoming Department of Health to the Wyoming Supreme Court.

Governor Gordon praised the legislation as an example of a collaborative effort between the Legislative, Judicial and Executive Branches, and said it offered an opportunity to strengthen the state’s drug treatment courts. At the signing, Chief Justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court Kate Fox expressed her support for the legislation, saying the bill will help improve the way the judicial branch addresses mental health and substance abuse issues. 

The Governor also signed House Bill 0069 Coal-fired facility closures litigation funding-amendments. That bill provides additional flexibility for the Governor to utilize an account dedicated to funding litigation against entities that “impede Wyoming's ability to export coal, that cause the early retirement of coal-fired electric generation facilities located in Wyoming, that result in the decreased use of Wyoming coal or the closure of coal-fired electric generation facilities that use Wyoming coal.”

“Coal has a future in Wyoming. Thank you to the Legislature for helping to make a broader use of these funds, so we can be much more proactive in protecting our coal industries’ future,” Governor Gordon said. 

The Governor signed the following bills today:

Enrolled Act # Bill# Bill Title

HEA0001 HB0112 Theft-penalty for fifth or subsequent offense.

HEA0002 HB0111 Endangering children-fentanyl.

HEA0003 HB0097 Chancery court jurisdiction amendments.

HEA0004 HB0050 Solid waste cease and transfer program funding.

HEA0005 HB0045 Peace officer retirement and rehiring.

HEA0006 HB0039 Verifying the veteran designation on a WY driver's license.

HEA0007 HB0029 Community college funding-distance education credit hours.

HEA0008 HB0028 Community college capital construction.

HEA0009 HB0012 Presumptive child support amounts-updated tables.

HEA0010 HB0010 County officers-bond amounts and surety requirement.

HEA0012 HB0069 Coal-fired facility closures litigation funding-amendments.

HEA0013 HB0070 Definition of home-based educational program.

HEA0014 HB0026 School facilities-appropriations.

SEA0001 SF0002 Wyoming telecommunications act-sunset date.

SEA0002 SF0004 North American Industry Classification System amendments.

SEA0003 SF0023 Treatment courts-transfer to judicial branch.

SEA0004 SF0077 Public works apprenticeship programs-repeal.

SEA0005 SF0013 Bar and grill liquor license phaseout

SEA0006 SF0026 Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact

SEA0007 SF0122 Nonresident workers-vehicle registration extension

SEA0008 SF0118 Fund balance calculations-federal encumbrances excluded

SEA0009 SF0057 State held drainage district bonds

SEA0010 SF0036 Investment funds committee-selection panel amendments

SEA0011 SF0033 Defining aircraft for purposes of hunting prohibitions

SEA0012 SF0028 Livestock infectious disease control-tribal inclusion

SEA0013 SF0017 Off-road recreational vehicles-safety and insurance

SEA0014 SF0015 Military leave for state employees

SEA0015 SF0014 Wyoming national guard professional malpractice liability

SEA0016 SF0005 Medical malpractice statutory update

SEA0017 SF0006 Insurance rebating modernization

SEA0018 SF0024 Financial exploitation of vulnerable adults

SEA0019 SF0063 Tax administration revisions

SEA0020 SF0059 State parks account-agency expenditure authority

SEA0021 SF0020 Driver's license and ID card photo quality

SEA0022 SF0018 Benefits for spouses of law enforcement members

SEJR1      SJ0007 Support for Taiwan

-END-

On the coal litigation item, the money that's dedicated to that might as well just be shoveled into the furnaces itself.  It's going nowhere, and everybody in the know is aware of that.

February 7, 2023

HB7 banning kiddie marriages passed the Senate, but in amended form, so it's back to the house for reconciliation.

The voting on the bill in the Senate was interesting.  It was as follows:

Ayes: Anderson, Barlow, Biteman, Boner, Bouchard, Brennan, Case, Cooper, Ellis, French, Furphy, Gierau, Jones, Kinskey, Kolb, Landen, Laursen, Nethercott, Pappas, Rothfuss, Schuler, Scott, President Driskill

Nays: Baldwin, Dockstader, Hicks, Hutchings, Ide, McKeown, Salazar

Excused: Steinmetz

So it split the far right to at least a slight extent, with Bouchard, the only one who has personal experience in this area, voting aye.

In the House, before it was amended in the Senate, and before the GOP came out against the bill, it was as follows:

Ayes: Andrew, Berger, Brown, Burkhart, Jr, Byron, Chadwick, Chestek, Clouston, Conrad, Crago, Eklund, Harshman, Henderson, Larsen, Lloyd, Larson, JT, Lawley, Nicholas, Niemiec, Oakley, Northrup, Obermueller, O'Hearn, Olsen, Provenza, Sherwood, Stith, Storer, Trujillo, Walters, Washut, Western, Wylie, Yin, Zwonitzer, Dan, Zwonitzer, Dave, Speaker Sommers

Nays: Allemand, Allred, Angelos, Banks, Bear, Davis, Haroldson, Heiner, Hornok, Jennings, Knapp, Locke, Neiman, Ottman, Pendergraft, Penn, Rodriguez-Williams, Singh, Slagle, Smith, Strock, Styvar, Tarver, Ward, Winter

Here you can see the far right was against it, and it only passed the House by ten votes.

Essentially, we can take it from this that the far right opposes this bill for some reason, but why?

In other news, the Cowboy State Daily did a piece on Lester Hunt noting his position on Japanese internees during World War Two.  

I'd wondered if this would come up in regard to the resolution to honor him.

February 18, 2023

Senate Bill 152, the sweeping abortion ban bill, might not get assigned to a Senate Committee.  In another surprising parliamentary move, the Senate President might simply keep it in his drawer over concerns about the bill's constitutionality and views of constituents.

February 19, 2023

Governor Gordon Takes Action on 8 Bills on Saturday, February 18

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. –  Governor Mark Gordon took action on eight bills on Saturday, February 18. The Governor signed the following bills into law today: 

Enrolled Act # Bill # Bill Title

 

HEA0015 HB0035 Day-care certification requirement amendments

HEA0016 HB0082 Defendant mental illness examinations-amendments

HEA0017 HB0160 Drivers license veterans designation replacing DD form 214

HEA0018 HB0147 Unlawful trespass signage-taking of wildlife

HEA0019 HB0019 State Indian Child Welfare Act task force

SEA0023 SF0078 Apprenticeship and job training promotion in schools

SEA0024 SF0176 Solid waste disposal districts-consolidation

SEA0025 SF0041 Skill based amusement games-authorized locations.

 

With this, posting public land to deter hunters is now illegal.

February 20, 2023

The Tribune, in its editorial from yesterday, accused the legislature of hypocrisy.  Among the bills causing that charge was the efforts to kill the underage marriage bill.

February 21, 2023

Governor Gordon to Hold Public Bill Signing Today, Tuesday, February 21

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon will hold a formal bill signing ceremony today, Tuesday February 21 beginning at 2 pm in the Governor's Ceremonial Conference Room in the State Capitol Building. The ceremony is open to the public.

The Governor will sign the following bills:

Enrolled Act #  Bill# Bill Title

SEA0027 SF0011 Cancer early detection amendments

HEA0020 HB0018 Missing person alert systems

HEA0022 HB0061 Source material associated with mining-agreement

HEA0026 HB0175 Excused absence-state fair events

HEA0028 HB0057 Armed forces-amendments.

HEA0031 HB0239 Vehicle idling-decriminalization.

HEA0032 HB0142 Notice of annexation.

February 22, 2023

The legislature grew testy yesterday as the sponsor of a bill on pharmaceutical regulation complained about edits being made without notice.

This is the second time in a week when there's been an open spat regarding committee edits to bills being made and a legislator feeling that something about the process was improper.

Governor Gordon Signs Bill to Help Advance Rare Earth Elements Mining in Wyoming

Also signs bill to advance Missing and Murdered Indigenous People response and vetoes first bill of the session

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon signed a bill to advance Wyoming’s leadership on developing rare earth and critical minerals today. He also took action on 25 other bills on Tuesday, February 21. 

At a ceremony in the Capitol the Governor signed into law a bill  giving Wyoming primacy to permit and regulate parts of the rare earth and critical minerals industry. House Bill 0061 amends the existing Agreement State Status with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to allow Wyoming the permitting and regulatory authority for rare earth elements source materials. The Legislature passed this bill with unanimous support and today, the Governor signed both HB 0061 and sent a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The Governor also signed House Bill 0018 - Missing person alert systems. Sponsored by the Select Committee on Tribal Relations, the bill aids in the administrative establishment of a new Ashanti Alert. The alert will function similarly to an Amber alert, sending out rapid notifications to cell phones and other media regarding missing adults. Local law enforcement can request these alerts, which will be initiated statewide by the Wyoming Highway Patrol upon meeting specific alert criteria. The legislation came from the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Task Force the Governor established. 

Governor Gordon exercised his veto authority on House Bill 0106 - Eminent domain-wind energy collector systems. The Governor said that the bill’s nine-year moratorium on the use of eminent domain is likely to stall development in Wyoming. Previously the moratorium had only been in place for two years at a time. He also expressed concern that the bill would interfere with the rights of private landowners to exercise their private property and contractual rights, as well as their right to contract with whomever they choose. He noted that many ranchers and farmers in Wyoming have successfully negotiated with wind developers and are enhancing the ability of their lands to provide income for their families. While recognizing eminent domain is a delicate issue, the Governor asked the Legislature to examine the use of eminent domain authority, and then revisit the need for a moratorium in a future session and consider a shorter moratorium if it is necessary.

The Governor signed the following bills into law today: 

Enrolled Act #

Bill #

Bill Title

HEA0020 HB0018 Missing person alert systems

HEA0021 HB0020 Land exchanges-notice

HEA0022 HB0061 Source material associated with mining-agreement

HEA0023 HB0181 Online sports wagering-amendments

HEA0024 HB0013 Office of guardian ad litem-program references

HEA0025 HB0079 Voter I.D. requirements

HEA0026 HB0175 Excused absence-state fair events

HEA0027 HB0086 Disclosure of private cryptographic keys.

HEA0028 HB0057 Armed forces-amendments.

HEA0029 HB0015 County authority to dissolve museum boards-clarification.

HEA0030 HB0005 Voter registry list-voter ID and absentee ballots.

HEA0031 HB0239 Vehicle idling-decriminalization.

HEA0032 HB0142 Notice of annexation.

HEA0034 HB0041 Lightweight trailers-permanent registration.

SEA0026 SF0008 Essential subsidy payments to behavioral health centers

SEA0027 SF0011 Cancer early detection amendments

SEA0028 SF0031 Adjacent land resource data trespass-repeal

SEA0029 SF0025 District and prosecuting attorneys-bar license requirement

SEA0030 SF0068 Prescriptive easement for water conveyances.

SEA0031 SF0173 Financial institutions-similar names

SEA0032 SF0139 Unlawful use of a charge card or debit card

SEA0033 SF0069 Electronic records retention

SEA0034 SF0055 Chancery court vacancies-extension amendment

SEA0035 SF0040 Federal political action committees-reports

SEA0036 SF007 Definition of opiate antagonist-amendment.

The Governor vetoed the following bill. His veto letter is attached and linked below.

HEA0033 HB0106 Eminent domain-wind energy collector systems.

The full list of bills the Governor has taken action on during the 2023 Legislative Session can be found on the Governor's website.

-END-

The bill that got vetoed pertained to eminent domain and wind turbines. The Governor's letter stated:

February 22, cont.

Interesting news on parliamentary procedure was in evidence today.

SF 117 was subject to an attempt by Jeanette Ward to go around the Speaker of the House, who has simply kept the bill on "parental rights on education" on his desk for over 20 days.  Ward tried to move to assign it to a committee, and the Speaker torpedoed the move.

It'll likely never move off the desk, amounting to another defeat for the populist right.

SF 144, Chloe's Law, also failed in committee, which is frankly very surprising.  It's not dead, but the chances of it advancing seem quite limited now. A similar bill by Charles Scott remains active.

February 23, 2024

The Life Is A Human Right bill, HB 152, which was lingering unassigned in the Senate, has now been assigned to the Agricultural Committee where it will likely pass.  There is apparently speculation it would not pass the Health Committee.

The bill designed to allow the state to negotiate with the Tribes on hunting rights, HB 83, failed.  It largely failed as the Tribes came out against it.

February 23, cont.

Governor Gordon to Hold Public Bill Signing Today, Thursday, February 23

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon will hold a formal bill signing ceremony today, Thursday, February 23 beginning at 2 pm in the Governor's Ceremonial Conference Room in the State Capitol Building. The ceremony is open to the public.

The Governor will sign the following bills:

Enrolled Act #       Bill#               Bill Title

HEA0036               HB0065          988 suicide prevention.

SEA0039               SF0010            Licensed professional counselor compact.

SEA0038              SF0043            EMS districts.

HEA0044              HB0007           Underage marriage-amendments.

HEA0041              HB0127           Health care facilities and clergy.

HEA0050              HB0056           Purple star schools

HEA0048              HB0134           Alcohol sales to licensees

HEA0042              HB0044           Road and bridge construction-alternative contracting.

HEA0046              HB0279           Voter identification requirements

February 24, 2023

And the following were in fact signed into law yesterday.

Governor Gordon Takes Action on 8 Bills on Saturday, February 18

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. –  Governor Mark Gordon took action on nine bills on Thursday, February 23. The Governor signed the following bills into law today:  

Enrolled Act # Bill # Bill Title 

HEA0036 HB0065  988 suicide prevention.

HEA0041 HB0127  Health care facilities and clergy.

HEA0042 HB0044  Road and bridge construction-alternative contracting.

HEA0044 HB0007  Underage marriage-amendments.

HEA0046 HB0279  Voter identification requirements

HEA0048 HB0134  Alcohol sales to licensees

HEA0050 HB0056  Purple star schools

SEA0038 SF0043   EMS districts.

SEA0039 SF0010   Licensed professional counselor compact.

The full list of bills the Governor has taken action on during the 2023 Legislative Session can be found on the Governor's website.

Therefore, take note would be Romeo's and Juliet's, you have to wait until you are 16 to seek to marry.

An amended Life Is A Human Right Act passed out of Senate Committee, but stripped of the provisions that tied it to a Wyoming Supreme Court decision, and adding rape and incest exceptions.

Anthony Bouchard has called on the Wyoming GOP to censure the Speaker of the House for putting Chloe's Law in his bottom drawer.  If the bill doesn't make it out by Monday, it will fall due to a legislative deadline for bills passing one chamber to make it out of committee in the next.

Part of the problem here is that the bill was amended significantly in the House and then came back with a "do not pass" from committee, which means that its chances are poor otherwise.   Bills that suffer that fate are automatically put in the bottom drawer, although the speaker feels that it is likely to come out before the deadline.

The Speaker indicates he flat out won't let SF117, the Parental Rights In Education Act, out on the floor, in part because he feels it intrudes on local control by school boards.

Sommers  has also put Senate File 86, allowing Wyomingites to use their concealed carry permits as voter identification in the drawer, but due to  House Bill 79 which was a mirror already being passed into law. He put Senate File 143 also is stuck in Sommers’ drawer, establishing a scholarship fund to send some Wyoming students to private schools instead of public, as a nearly identical bill has already failed.

February 25, 2023

HB 103, the Cross Over Voting bill designed to prevent an imaginary problem of imaginary Democrats crossing over to spoil primary elections, has passed the Legislature.  It's unknown if the Governor will sign it.

HB 104, allowing use of infrared scopes to hunt predators at night was signed into law.  I frankly don't think this was a good idea.

The bill also cleared up some questions about predator hunteres being able to hunt on state lands.

Governor Gordon Signs Supplemental Budget with Historic Savings to Keep Taxes Low For Future Generations

**Corrected with updated budget letter**

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon signed a supplemental budget that places more than $1 billion in savings, allowing the state to keep taxes low and generate higher investment returns that will benefit future generations. Today, the Governor also took action on 16 other bills.

“I congratulate the Legislature for its work on my budget recommendations,” Governor Gordon said. “It is gratifying that the budget submitted to me is closely aligned with my original recommendations. Where we disagreed, or where they overstepped the separation of powers embedded in our Constitution, I exercised my veto authority. The fiscal condition of the State remains strong.”

The Governor thanked the Legislature for delivering a budget that reflects the approach he outlined in his supplemental budget proposal – one that sets aside funds for leaner times ahead and addresses the inflationary pressures facing Wyoming citizens and the concerns of the state’s most vulnerable and those living on fixed incomes. Most notably, this budget provides for more property tax relief for citizens. 

Governor Gordon noted that for every dollar of state revenue spent in the supplemental budget, it saves roughly $3.50. In addition to savings, the Supplemental Budget makes strategic investments in Wyoming. These include additional funding for the Property Tax Refund Program, support for the state’s energy industries and a market adjustment for state employees and teachers to offset the impacts of inflation. 

The Governor used his authority to issue several line-item vetoes, including items that are overly prescriptive and those that present separation of powers concerns. The Governor’s budget letter explaining his line-item vetoes is attached and may be found here.

Governor Gordon also exercised his veto authority on Senate File 0071- State loan and bond programs. In his letter, the Governor pointed out that the bill reduces the amount of funding available to the State Loan and Investment Board for farm loans, shrinking the safety net available to the agriculture industry. The Governor also expressed concern that the changes the legislation makes to the interest rates for farm loans put the State in competition with private financial institutions.

The Governor signed the following bills into law: 

Enrolled Act Bill # Bill Title

HEA0035 HB0021 State lands-use of land qualification requirements.

HEA0038 HB0031 BOCES as local education agencies.

HEA0039 HB0174 Homestead exemption-amendments.

HEA0040 HB0027 School facilities-consolidated remediation schedule.

HEA0043 HB0165 Living organ donor protection.

HEA0045 HB0096 Transfer on death deed-insurance coverage.

HEA0047 HB0148 Airport liquor licenses-amendment

HEA0049 HB0062 Open banking

HEA0051 HB0042 Off-road recreational vehicle operation

HEA0052 HB0104 Hunting of predatory animals-amendments

SEA0040 SF0037 Podiatry medical services-Medicaid.

SEA0041 SF0029 Brucellosis management updates.

SEA0042 SF0095 Moon landing day.

SEA0043 SF0065 Compensation of local registrars-repeal.

SEA0044 SF0058 Sutton archaeological site administration.

The Governor exercised his line-item veto authority on the following bill. The Governor's letter is attached:

HEA  0037 HB001 General government appropriations.

The Governor vetoed the following bill. The Governor’s letter is attached and linked:

SEA0037 SF0071 State loan and bond programs..

-END-

Last prior edition:

The 2023 Wyoming Legislative Session. The road ahead. (Vol 5).