Showing posts with label Wyoming Freedom Caucus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wyoming Freedom Caucus. Show all posts

Sunday, May 25, 2025

The 2026 Wyoming Legislature, Part 1. The way too early edition.


April 10, 2025

Freedom Caucus leader John Bear went on record at a meeting of legislators on how to handle the upcoming populist initiative to reduce property taxes by 50%, after they've just been reduced by 25%, as favoring completely eliminating property taxes in favor of sales taxes.

On the imported geezer reduce my property taxes on the house I bought after I moved here from California initiative, he feels that the effect wouldn't be cumulative (50% of the just reduced 25%), while other legislators do.

May 2, 2025

A press interview of Freedeom Caucus member Bear reveals the WFC wants to treat the Wyoming budget to some DOGEy style actions, particularly in regard to grants and loans.

May 4, 2025

I don't know anything about the woman from Teton County who was his competition, but Miller was another individual who spent a career in the military, and therefore was a lifelong recipient of public funds, and who has now returned as an opponent of the Federal government.

May 7, 2025

Wyoming Legislature finalizes list of ‘off-season’ topics for study

May 9, 2025

Chuck Gray Supports 22 New Election-Reform Bills, Committee To Study 10

Some of these bills are frankly nuts.

May 19, 2025

Wyoming lawmakers go after funding for state associations that sometimes oppose their bills: Green River Rep. Marlene Brady is leading the charge on prohibiting cities, towns and counties from paying dues to elected officials’ associations.

May 21, 2025

Legislative panel pursues bills to regulate Wyoming library books with sexual material: Lawmakers are taking up library books as conservative activists around the state pore over material in young adult and teen library sections for sexual content.

For reasons I won't go into, I've seen some of the book that is featured in this article, and there's no way it should be in the children's section of a library.

May 22, 2025

Committee Adopts Bill To Make Wyoming Senate Confirm Supreme Court Justices

This is inaccurate. Rather they voted to have the LSO draft such a bill.

May 23, 2025

As scrutiny of judges grows, lawmakers weigh changes to Wyoming’s selection process: In her final official appearance before lawmakers, Wyoming Supreme Court Chief Justice Kate Fox defended the process for choosing the state’s judges. But some lawmakers still want changes.

May 25, 2025

A draft bill would allow for nuclear facilities to have armed guards as a type of private police force.

Private police forces are rare, but not completely unknown. The Wyoming Stock Growers Association at one time was authorized to have them, although that's long ago in the past.  While I haven't kept up on it, so I don't know the current status, railroads at one time had them as well.

Related threads:

The Wyoming Freedom Caucus and the 2025 and 2026 Legislatures. Some things to keep in mind.

Thursday, May 22, 2025

The Wyoming Freedom Caucus and its self-inflicted wounds

The Wyoming Freedom Caucus and its self-inflicted wounds: In a move that pokes holes in its "we the people" posture, the group of state elected officials is going after groups of local elected officials, columnist Rod Miller writes.

Sunday, May 18, 2025

Going Feral: Looking for Nate Champion.

Going Feral: Looking for Nate Champion.

Looking for Nate Champion.

He which hath no stomach to this fight,

Let him depart; his passport shall be made,

And crowns for convoy put into his purse;

We would not die in that man's company

That fears his fellowship to die with us.

Shakespeare, Henry V.

The views of average Wyomingites, by a huge margin, are clear on public lands.  We want them to remain public.

And yet our Congressman voted to transfer 500,000 of FEderal land in Arizona and Utah over to private hands. It's clear that at least one of our Senators is okay with doing something similar in Teton County.

Wyomingites aren't in favor of this at all.  Indeed, one of the most rabid Trumpites I know actually expressed bewildered opposition to this.

So here's the problem, and the question.

Why are Wyomingites still supporting the people who support this?

Politics are varied and complicated.  The reasons that Wyoming has gone so far to the right in its recent politics are as well.  A lot of it has to do with social issues, abortion, transgenderism, immigration, and so on, and much of that, here, has to do with the death of the Democratic Party and there being, seemingly, no where else to go.

But at least on the local level there certainly is, and what Wyomingites are presently doing is not in their own best interest.

Much of what they're currently doing is, frankly, based on a host of lies.  Donald Trump was not the victim of a stolen election with Joe Biden won.  Joe Biden won.  Global warming is not a fib.  The long drift away from coal cannot be arrested.  The state's petroleum industry was never under any governmental assault (leases went up under Biden).  There is no war on the West.  The region's agricultural sector isn't under governmental attack, but rather under real estate developer attack.  The Democrats really weren't advancing gun control.  

But we've been bought off on a bunch of dramatic assertions designed to cause the rise up of what plaintiff's lawyers call our "lizard brain".

Well, now we have a whole host of legislators, many from out of state, who don't share local values at all, and a Congressional delegation that is more interested in supporting the agenda of the far right and its ostensible leader, a nearly 79 year old real estate developer suffering from dementia, than paying attention to what we actually believe.

And that's because that's exactly what we let them do.

In reality, those close to the inside know that John Barrasso doesn't believe  what he's supporting.  It's pretty clear from her past that Cynthia Lummis doesn't either.  Harriet Hageman, well she probably does, as she's a political family that has always had this set of views.  Having said that, and importantly, she intends to run for Governor next election and Chuck Gray, who is a Californian with very little connection to Wyoming, will run for House.

In the next election Wyomingites have a chance to make their views known, although they really need to start doing so right now.  That can have an impact.  John Barrasso, in the last election, adopted a whole host of new views he probably doesn't hold at all to hold off an attack from his right.  Lummis just quietly mostly didn't say what her views actually are the last time she ran, which she could do under the circumstances, and which leaves her room to maneuver.

Maneuvering will, it must be noted, need to occur.  In 2026 the House is going to be Democratic and the MAGA reign will be over, save for in Wyoming, where there's every reason to belive it will keep on keeping on.

The Wyoming Freedom Caucus of its day, the Johnson County invaders.

Much of this, we'd note, is perfectly consistent with Wyoming's history.  Early on Wyoming sent a solidly Republican group of legislatures to our solon in  Cheyenne in spite of its association with large outside agricultural interest which were oppressing local interest.  That didn't end until the invasion of Johnson County in 1892 which briefly swept the Republicans out of power, and brought Democrats into the legislature and which sent Governor Barber packing, although not until after he tried to actually remain as Governor a la Trump insurrection in a way.  That event, however, shows the electorate can react.  It also shows us that politicians can too, as Francis E. Warren managed to survive the event, career entact, when really she shouldn't have, by changing views.

And this is happening in Montana, which was a little in advance of Wyoming in tilting to the far right, right now.























Just sitting and complaining "well that's not what we think" won't get much done.  

Politicians from any party ought to represent the views of their state.  They ought to also intelligently lead.  There's not much intelligence being manifested in the populist far right, which is mostly acting with a primitive response on a set of social issues combined with false beliefs, andy in Wyoming, with views they brought up from their own states which don't have much to do with us here.  We aren't Sweet Home Alabama.

But that won't happen unless Wyomingites educate themselves as to the truth, and what is truly going on, and how they're simply being fed raw meat for the dogs.  Until that occurs, we're going to go further into the abyss.


Thursday, May 1, 2025

Nativism is no virtue

Nativism is no virtue: A birth certificate stamped Wyoming doesn't qualify as authority or expertise, guest columnist Marion Yoder writes.

This is no doubt true, but I have to note that I'm very nativist myself.

What Yoder didn't note, interestingly, is that a lot of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, indeed, most of it, is made up of imports. 

Saturday, March 1, 2025

The 2025 Wyoming Legislative Session. Week 7. The photo says it all.

February 25, 2025


Governor Gordon signed the following bills yesterday.

HEA0001 HB0025 Vehicle accident reporting-amendments.

HEA0002 HB0027 Disabled parking windshield placards-revisions.

HEA0003 HB0092 Wyoming livestock board-memorandums of understanding.

HEA0004 HB0014 Solid waste municipal cease and transfer funding.

HEA0005 HB0022 Water and wastewater operator-emergency response.

HEA0006 HB0030 Driver's licenses and IDs-revisions.

HEA0007 HB0041 Environmental quality-irrevocable letters of credit.

HEA0008 HB0061 State land lease preference amendments.

HEA0009 HB0069 Foreign adversary ownership or control of business entities.

HEA0010 HB0073 Recreation safety-rock climbing.

HEA0011 HB0075 Coal severance tax rate.

HEA0012 HB0082 Provider enrollment-standards.

HEA0013 HB0004 Snowmobile registration and user fees.

HEA0014 HB0023 Surrender driver's license-repeal.

HEA0015 HB0045 Removing otters as protected animals.

HEA0016 HB0054 Chancery court judges-district and circuit court assistance.

HEA0017 HB0086 Public property and buildings-amendments.

HEA0018 HB0166 State auditor payment transparency.

HEA0019 HB0214 Local government payments-electronic payments.

HEA0020 HB0040 Sales and use tax revisions.

HEA0021 HB0017 Career technical education equipment grants amendments.

HEA0022 HB0132 Annual permits for specified commercial loads.

HEJR0001 HJ0001 Amending Wyoming's act of admission for earnings.

HEA0023 HB0038 Ad valorem taxation-payment and credit of penalties.

SEA0001 SF0015 Oil and gas conservation commission-regulation of pits.

SEA0002 SF0016 Industrial siting-tribal notification.

SEA0003 SF0020 Oil and gas bonding-options and bonding pools.

SEA0004 SF0023 Handicap placards-health care providers' approval.

SEA0005 SF0025 Electronic lien and title system.

SEA0006 SF0149 Wildlife conservation license plates-amendments.

SEA0007 SF0042 Resort hotel liquor licenses.

SEA0008 SF0049 Tangible personal property-index and depreciation.

SEA0009 SF0013 Reading assessment and intervention amendments.

SEA0010 SF0078 Distribution of unsolicited absentee ballot request forms.

SEA0011 SF0080 Abandonment of water rights-limitations.

SEA0012 SF0131 Charter school leasing.

SEA0014 SF0073 Charter school funding-amendments.

SEA0015 SF0081 Tax exemption-property owned by the state.

SEA0017 SF0088 2025 large project funding.

SEA0018 SF0063 State lands-fencing-2.

SEA0019 SF0048 Business property exemption.

SJ0001 SJ0003 Commemorating Nellie Tayloe Ross.

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

SEA0013 SF0096 Wyoming Gold Act

This is a really goofball bill out of the far right, of couse..

SEA0016 SF0120 Wyoming PRIME act.

SEA0020 SF0006 Residential property-removal of unlawful occupant.

The following have made their way to his deak:

House Bill 172 allowing for the lawful concealed carry of a firearm in any meeting of a governmental entity, including the legislature and committee meetings; any public school, public college or university athletic event that does not sell alcohol; any public elementary or secondary school facility; and any public college or university facility. passed the legislature, but will need reconciliation. The Senate added three amendments including changes stipulating that concealed carry is prohibited in public airports locations where federal laws apply and that people cannot carry a concealed weapon into any elementary or secondary school facility if the person is enrolled as a student at any elementary or secondary school.

That last one is a particularly good, and amusing, amendment.  The original bill would have allowed 18 year old students to pack heat at school

What could go wrong?

On this bill:

Wyoming students stage die-in outside governor’s office: CHEYENNE—Humming “Amazing Grace” and lying on the floor outside Gov. Mark Gordon’s office, a group of University of Wyoming students hoped to send the

This Governor should veto this, but it would be overridden, so my guess is he'll let it pass without his signature.

The bill barring issuance of out of state driver's licenses issued to illegal aliens passed as well, even though it is completely unconstitutional.

The amended bill creates exceptions for employees of the United States government operating a government owned or leased by the government on official business; nonresidents with a valid license in their immediate possession issued by the licensing authority in their place of residence; nonresidents on active duty in the armed forces of the United States with a valid license issued by their state of residence; and nonresident full-time students at the University of Wyoming, any Wyoming community college, any school licensed in this state offering post-secondary education or at a parochial, church or religious school with a valid license issued by their state of residence. 

All of which leads to the conclusion that the amended bill actually does nothing.  That's a good thing, but this was one of the five and dime WFC bills, and in the end, while they'll claim victory, it just does nothing much.

House Bill 46, “Homeschool Freedom Act,” passed the legislature in an effort to keep the education of children at home as secret as possible so that nobody knowns how darned ignorant the home schooled squeakers really are being kept.

This bill is bad, and should be vetoed.  Frankly, I'm at the point where I don't approve of homeschooling at all.

The Senate Education Committee rejected a proposal Monday that would have required University of Wyoming trustees be elected instead of appointed, which would have brought, in the eyes of its proponents, right wing populist to the university (before the law of unintended consequences kicked in. . . ).  It deserved to die.

The House Education Committee passed by a 6-3 vote a bill that calls on Congress to call a convention of states. The bill will next move to the House for final consideration, where it probably will passs.

A convention of the states, by the time it happens, would likely repeal the 2nd Amendment and limit the oval office to one six term, with the occupant pretty much politically castrated.

February 26, 2025

Governor Gordon Signs First Bills of 2025 Legislative Session 

 

CHEYENNE, WYO – Governor Mark Gordon signed the first bills of the 2025 Legislative session at the Capitol today.

The first bill to be signed by the Governor was Senate File 20, Oil and gas bonding-options and bonding pools, a bill that provides important support for producers in Wyoming’s core oil and gas industry. Sponsored by the Joint Minerals, Business and Economic Development committee, the bill benefits Wyoming’s energy industry and provides additional support for small oil and gas operators.  The bill was developed in response to excessive bonding requirements implemented during the Biden administration that would have been devastating to many Wyoming oil and gas producers. The bill establishes an account to allow small operators to cover the costs of bonding and eventually the costs of plugging dry or abandoned wells.

“Wyoming has always had a leadership position on these issues,” Governor Gordon said, thanking industry partners and the Legislature for working on the issue. “This is a wonderful bill.” 

The Governor also signed House Bill 75 - coal severance tax rate. The bill reduces the coal severance tax rate from 6.5 to 6 percent, bringing it in line with oil and gas severance tax rates. Also signed today was House Bill 54 - Chancery court judges-district and circuit court assistance, which can help address heavy caseloads in Wyoming’s District and Circuit courts by allowing Wyoming’s Chancery Court judge to hear cases in those courts.

The Governor signed the following bills today:

Enrolled Act Bill # Bill Title

HEA0001 HB0025 Vehicle accident reporting-amendments.

HEA0002 HB0027 Disabled parking windshield placards-revisions.

HEA0003 HB0092 Wyoming livestock board-memorandums of understanding.

HEA0004 HB0014 Solid waste municipal cease and transfer funding.

HEA0005 HB0022 Water and wastewater operator-emergency response.

HEA0006 HB0030 Driver's licenses and IDs-revisions.

HEA0007 HB0041 Environmental quality-irrevocable letters of credit.

HEA0008 HB0061 State land lease preference amendments.

HEA0009 HB0069 Foreign adversary ownership or control of business entities.

HEA0010 HB0073 Recreation safety-rock climbing.

HEA0011 HB0075 Coal severance tax rate.

HEA0012 HB0082 Provider enrollment-standards.

HEA0013 HB0004 Snowmobile registration and user fees.

HEA0014 HB0023 Surrender driver's license-repeal.

HEA0015 HB0045 Removing otters as protected animals.

HEA0016 HB0054 Chancery court judges-district and circuit court assistance.

HEA0017 HB0086 Public property and buildings-amendments.

HEA0018 HB0166 State auditor payment transparency.

HEA0019 HB0214 Local government payments-electronic payments.

HEA0020 HB0040 Sales and use tax revisions.

HEA0021 HB0017 Career technical education equipment grants amendments.

HEA0022 HB0132 Annual permits for specified commercial loads.

HEJR0001 HJ0001 Amending Wyoming's act of admission for earnings.

HEA0023 HB0038 Ad valorem taxation-payment and credit of penalties.

SEA0001 SF0015 Oil and gas conservation commission-regulation of pits.

SEA0002 SF0016 Industrial siting-tribal notification.

SEA0003 SF0020 Oil and gas bonding-options and bonding pools.

SEA0004 SF0023 Handicap placards-health care providers' approval.

SEA0005 SF0025 Electronic lien and title system.

SEA0006 SF0149 Wildlife conservation license plates-amendments.

SEA0007 SF0042 Resort hotel liquor licenses.

SEA0008 SF0049 Tangible personal property-index and depreciation.

SEA0009 SF0013 Reading assessment and intervention amendments.

SEA0010 SF0078 Distribution of unsolicited absentee ballot request forms.

SEA0011 SF0080 Abandonment of water rights-limitations.

SEA0012 SF0131 Charter school leasing.

SEA0014 SF0073 Charter school funding-amendments.

SEA0015 SF0081 Tax exemption-property owned by the state.

SEA0017 SF0088 2025 large project funding.

SEA0018 SF0063 State lands-fencing-2.

SEA0019 SF0048 Business property exemption.

SJ0001 SJ0003 Commemorating Nellie Tayloe Ross.

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

SEA0013 SF0096 Wyoming Gold Act

SEA0016 SF0120 Wyoming PRIME act.

SEA0020 SF0006 Residential property-removal of unlawful occupant.

February 27, 2025

The Senate will not be passing a supplementary budget, the first time anyone can recall this occurring.

Supplemental budgets have been done since 1975.  The fact that it couldn't be done shows that something went awry, even though its unclear what.  It even came as a surprise WFC figure John Bear, who bizarrely noted that the House would now have to work harder to make sure things were funded, which coming from the government dislikely WFC is a pretty odd comment. Bear also stated that "However, I do believe in the sovereignty in our God, he saw all this beforehand, so I’m not terribly surprised.”, which is also sort of a peculiar comment but an insight to Bear's thinking, and likely that of other WFC members, and almost reminiscent of the "Allah wills it (In sha' Allah,إن شاء الله)" view of Islam.

New WFC Natrona  County Rep Jamie Lien and Casper Mayor Pacheco sparred over the legislature's property tax bill which will gut municipal revenue like a fish.

The bill to make School Board races partisan so that voters could avoid thinking bout candidates and automatically just vote for declared Republicans died in the House.

March 1, 2025

And another week has passed.

HB 172, the free fire zone bill, um, the bill repealing gun free school zones, went into law without the Governor's signature.  He noted that he would have been inclined to veto it, but the veto would have been overridden.  He was right in his views all the way around.


The current tell of the tape:

Bills Signed by Governor Gordon

Governor Mark Gordon has signed the following enrolled acts into law. The full text of all bills from the 2025 session may be found on the Wyoming Legislature's website:


HEA0001 HB0025 Vehicle accident reporting-amendments.

HEA0002 HB0027 Disabled parking windshield placards-revisions.

HEA0003 HB0092 Wyoming livestock board-memorandums of understanding.

HEA0004 HB0014 Solid waste municipal cease and transfer funding.

HEA0005 HB0022 Water and wastewater operator-emergency response.

HEA0006 HB0030 Driver's licenses and IDs-revisions.

HEA0007 HB0041 Environmental quality-irrevocable letters of credit.

HEA0008 HB0061 State land lease preference amendments.

HEA0009 HB0069 Foreign adversary ownership or control of business entities.

HEA0010 HB0073 Recreation safety-rock climbing.

HEA0011 HB0075 Coal severance tax rate.

HEA0012 HB0082 Provider enrollment-standards.

HEA0013 HB0004 Snowmobile registration and user fees.

HEA0014 HB0023 Surrender driver's license-repeal.

HEA0015 HB0045 Removing otters as protected animals.

HEA0016 HB0054 Chancery court judges-district and circuit court assistance.

HEA0017 HB0086 Public property and buildings-amendments.

HEA0018 HB0166 State auditor payment transparency.

HEA0019 HB0214 Local government payments-electronic payments.

HEA0020 HB0040 Sales and use tax revisions.

HEA0021 HB0017 Career technical education equipment grants amendments.

HEA0022 HB0132 Annual permits for specified commercial loads.

HEJR0001 HJ0001 Amending Wyoming's act of admission for earnings.

HEA0023 HB0038 Ad valorem taxation-payment and credit of penalties.

HEA0025 HB0264 Central bank digital currencies-prohibitions.

HEA0026 HB0042 Regulation of surgical abortions.

HEA0027 HB0181 Funeral contracts-investment and bonding requirements.

HEA0028 HB0046 Homeschool freedom act.

HEA0029 HB0039 Property tax refund program-revisions.

HEA0030 HB0226 License plate-search and rescue council.

HEA0031 HB0005 Fishing outfitters and guides-registration of fishing boats.

HEA0032 HB0097 Property conveyances near critical infrastructure.

HEA0034 HB0242 Manufacturers and dealers of new trailers-changes.


SEA0001 SF0015 Oil and gas conservation commission-regulation of pits.

SEA0002 SF0016 Industrial siting-tribal notification.

SEA0003 SF0020 Oil and gas bonding-options and bonding pools.

SEA0004 SF0023 Handicap placards-health care providers' approval.

SEA0005 SF0025 Electronic lien and title system.

SEA0006 SF0149 Wildlife conservation license plates-amendments.

SEA0007 SF0042 Resort hotel liquor licenses.

SEA0008 SF0049 Tangible personal property-index and depreciation.

SEA0009 SF0013 Reading assessment and intervention amendments.

SEA0010 SF0078 Distribution of unsolicited absentee ballot request forms.

SEA0011 SF0080 Abandonment of water rights-limitations.

SEA0012 SF0131 Charter school leasing.

SEA0014 SF0073 Charter school funding-amendments.

SEA0015 SF0081 Tax exemption-property owned by the state.

SEA0017 SF0088 2025 large project funding.

SEA0018 SF0063 State lands-fencing-2.

SEA0019 SF0048 Business property exemption.

SEA0022 SF0064 Wyoming Opposes Mandatory Electronic ID Devices-Livestock.

SEA0024 SF0004 State park peace officers-definition and scope of authority.

SEA0025 SF0061 Pollution control property tax exemption-applicability.

SEA0026 SF0082 Omnibus water bill-planning.

SEA0027 SF0130 Emergency assistance immunity-mental health services.

SEA0028 SF0143 Public monies-deposits in credit unions.

SEA0029 SF0151 Monthly ad valorem tax distribution-amendments.

SEA0030 SF0075 Coroner investigations-disposition of decedent's property.

SEA0031 SF0114 Missing persons-reporting requirement.

SEA0032 SF0033 Noncitizen driver's license and ID card-revisions.


SEA0033 SF0007 Protection order amendments.


SEA0034 SF0008 Protection orders-effective during appeal or review.


SEA0035 SF0079 District courts-change of venue.


SEA0036 SF0110 Inclusion of crossing guards for governmental claims act.


SEA0037 SF0137 School finance-cash reserves.


SEA0038 SF0179 Sage grouse compensatory mitigation-amendments.


SEA0039 SF0181 Eminent domain-energy collection systems-2.


SEA0040 SF0039 Automatic transfer of automobile title upon death.


SEA0041 SF0119 Expedited professional licensure for military members.


SEA0042 SF0146 Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act-amendments.


SEA0043 SF0138 Energy impact on Wyoming economy-study.


SEA0044 SF0106 Motor vehicle dealer and manufacturer warranty rates.


SEA0045 SF0005 School district vehicles-flashing lights authorized.


SEA0046 SF0154 Industrial, wind and solar projects-hearing deadline.


SEA0047 SF0121 Rodeo license plate.


SEA0048 SF0113 Braider opportunity act.


SEA0049 SF0056 Providing false information to registered agents.


SJ0001 SJ0003 Commemorating Nellie Tayloe Ross.

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

SEA0013 SF0096 Wyoming Gold Act

SEA0016 SF0120 Wyoming PRIME act.

SEA0020 SF0006 Residential property-removal of unlawful occupant.

HEA0024 HB0172 Repeal gun free zones and preemption amendments.


SEA0021 SF0168 Budget reserve account-repeal.


SEA0023 SF0077 Compelled speech is not free speech.


HEA0033 HB0116 Driver's licenses-unauthorized alien restrictions.

A new law just passed restricting abortion caused the State's only abortion abattoir to file suit:

Abortion clinic files lawsuit to block new Wyoming laws: Wellspring Health Access in Casper — the only in-clinic abortion facility in Wyoming — asked a judge to block new laws it claims are trying to force its closure. 

Related Threads:

Blog Mirror: Judge Tells Wyoming Legislators To Buy More Computers And Fund Schools Better

Last edition:

The 2025 Wyoming Legislative Session. Week 6. In Otter News. Public funds for lack of education. Oh, Canada!