Strong and vibrant. That’s how Gov. Mark Gordon described Wyoming at the dawn of the 68th state Legislature’s general session.
“There are always concerns to be sure, but our future is bright,” said Gordon in his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature.
As in the proposed supplemental budget released in November, he highlighted the need for $130 million to fight wildfires and restore land damaged by them after a historic season.
He stressed the importance of adding more attorneys to the state attorney general’s office for lawsuits against federal policies stemming from the Biden administration, and he made the case for $3.5 million to be deposited in the state’s coal litigation fund, which supports lawsuits concerning Environmental Protection Agency rules that could result in the retirement of Wyoming coal-fired power plants.
He asked the Legislature to appropriate $20 million to the Mineral Royalty Grant Program for emergency infrastructure projects across the state.
Gordon made a specific infrastructure request to both chambers when he mentioned the LaPrele Dam, which the Wyoming State Engineer’s office recently ordered breached after it was discovered to have structural issues.
“I call upon the Legislature to send me a proposal not only to expedite the building of a new dam but also to defend existing use and storage rights, protect the safety of those living below the dam and provide appropriate assistance to those irrigators while the new dam is being built,” he said. “The stakes are high, so let me be blunt: This is a time to be bold but not dangerous.”
The governor’s speech grew more intense when he directly addressed lawmakers about his request for higher Medicaid rates paid to OB-GYN providers in Wyoming, which suffers from growing maternal health deserts.
“Is there anyone here today who finds this situation acceptable?” Gordon said. “Is there anyone here today who prefers Wyoming's mothers and mothers-to-be not to have access to quality OB care? I certainly hope not.”
Notably, Gordon didn’t directly mention the newly empowered Wyoming Freedom Caucus, which has a majority in the House between its members and allies. Instead, he defended his record as a Republican governor.
“There was a lot of rhetoric during the election about how big and expensive our government has become, but here's a fundamental fact: Today, there are 300 fewer Wyoming state employees than when I took office,” he said.
The Freedom Caucus is aiming to pass bills Gordon has vetoed before on subjects like abortion and property taxes. Many of its members and allies want to keep any state government expansion to a minimum.
“The supplemental budget should always be about emergencies, not adding positions here and there, growing government [or other] things that could wait until the next budget cycle,” said Senate President Bo Biteman of Ranchester in an interview with Wyoming Public Radio after the speech. “So we’ll take a look at that. I’ve put a lot of faith and trust in my Appropriations Committee on the Senate side to go through the supplemental.”
Also in the Senate this week, Sen. Larry Hicks (R-Baggs) made waves when he motioned for the chair of the Senate Labor, Health and Social Services Committee, Sen. Eric Barlow (R-Gillette), to be changed. Barlow – and all of the Senate’s new committee chairs – was appointed by Biteman.
Hicks said he thought Barlow wouldn’t be tough enough on abortion.
“The Senate spoke, I think quite loudly, with that 28-3 vote,” Biteman said. “We’re ready to move forward.”
Asked if he thought Hicks had a point that Barlow might not let some abortion bills through his committee, Biteman pointed to its four other members as a potential avenue to saving the legislation.
“[And] quite frankly, if a chairman comes up to me and says, ‘Mr. President, I don’t think that bill is going to pass my committee, you may want to consider moving it to a different committee,’ all my chairmen have made that pledge to me that we will have that discussion,” he said. “So if it’s a bill that I want to see get passed, I have the authority and the right to put it in a committee that I so choose.”
Overall, legislators will continue to work on Gov. Gordon’s proposed supplemental budget, culminating in a ‘budget week’ during the session.
This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.
