Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon kicked off the 2022 budget session with his annual State of the State message. Gordon said growing inflation and lagging salaries have cost the state a number of employees who have left government to work elsewhere. So he is urging legislators to support a pay increase.
“I regard this as critical to the functioning of our state enterprise. From our Troopers, snowplow drivers, social workers and others, Wyoming is struggling to staff the very agencies that provide the services the people of Wyoming need,” said Gordon.
Gordon added that the state has other needs and urged legislators to support proposed improvements to health care, education and mental health. Gordon said Wyoming is still facing attacks on its energy industry from the Biden administration that could impact the state in the future and told President Biden to tear up his energy policy. The governor said that Wyoming has it all when it comes to energy and the ability to address carbon emissions.
“Innovation, and not regulation, is our way forward. To give our nation the energy it requires and simultaneously solve the world’s climate concerns,” said Gordon
But House Minority Leader Cathy Connolly said Gordon is hurting Wyoming by not having a seat at the table when it comes to energy.
“We are snubbing our noses at the federal government right now when we really should be working together. So I didn’t appreciate those comments,” said Connolly.
Senate Minority Leader Chris Rothfuss also took issue with the governor’s comments on how to keep young people from leaving the state. He said young people have needs that the governor and state lawmakers overlook.
“They go elsewhere because they don’t have the amenities here. They don’t have the confidence here that we’re going to protect the workers,” said Rothfuss. “They don’t have the confidence that we really do live up to the Equality State when we say we’re the Equality State. And they want to be somewhere else for that quality of life.”
While Rothfuss agreed with the need to raise state employee salaries, he’s urging lawmakers to also focus on improving teacher salaries in the coming session.
