Wyoming’s protocol for how to manage another anthrax outbreak is now backed by law.
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs are banned in state and local government and public schools, including the University of Wyoming.
And homeowners will get a property tax break of 25% on their home’s first million dollars in assessed value.
These are among the bills Gov. Mark Gordon signed into law March 4.
Gordon vetoed another DEI bill that would’ve impacted what instructors could teach in the classroom.
Tuesday was the last day for the House and Senate to hit third reading on bills. Wednesday the Legislature’s focus will be on veto overrides and concurring the two chambers’ separate versions of bills. The session is scheduled to end Thursday.
Signed: 25% property tax cut
SF 69 loomed large among the several property tax bills introduced in this year’s session. It offers a 25% exemption on the first $1 million of a single-family home’s fair market value. It went into effect immediately and has no sunset date.
“I have always supported tax accountability, and this bill provides tax relief without transferring the burden to our core energy industry,” Gordon said in a press release. “This act, coupled with the bills I signed last year, responds to the call for property tax relief. Now the practical impacts of this legislation will need to be navigated by our cities, counties, special districts and citizens.”
SF 69 was heavily amended on its journey to become law. A contentious point was whether or not to reimburse counties for tax revenue losses, known as a backfill. Ultimately, this bill did not include funds to cut counties’ losses.
To read more about how SF 69 took shape, click here.
Signed and vetoed: Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)
Gordon took action on two bills that would ban DEI programs in state and local government and public schools, including the University of Wyoming (UW).
He signed a House bill that bars DEI hiring practices and initiatives in government and in public education, but which didn’t explicitly seek to outlaw DEI in classroom instruction.
Dylan Croft is a social work graduate student at UW. As a type-one diabetic, she listed the programs she’s concerned about regarding students who are disabled.
“Targeted assistance, or tutoring, financial aid, even. There's scholarships that are specified for diabetics and individuals with disabilities. So those could be cut potentially. I mean, we don't know exactly what this is going to look like,” Croft said.
The ban goes into effect on July 1.
However, Gordon vetoed a Senate bill that would’ve taken that ban a step further, impacting what instructors could teach in the classroom, DEI practices in hiring and other scenarios.
Gordon said the bill was ill defined, created legal ambiguities and risked unintended consequences.
Signed: Expanded school voucher program
Wyoming currently offers $6,000 to low-income families to reimburse tuition at a private school.
The bill signed by Gordon raises the payout to $7,000 and opens the program to all families, regardless of income.
During a press conference, Gordon called HB 199 and the “Steamboat Legacy Scholarship” it creates a “remarkable achievement for Wyoming.”
“This particular piece of legislation will provide additional choices for parents with their child's education,” Gordon said. “But I'm really excited about the pre-K option.”
The pre-K option was debated by lawmakers, but the final bill includes pre-K tuition for low-income families.
“We know that early education builds a very strong foundation,” Gordon said. “It's important that when kids get to kindergarten, they have the grounding that's necessary to be able to move forward, thrive and do really well.”
During the press conference, the governor stressed that the voucher program will pull money from the general fund, not public education funding.
To read more about the Steamboat Legacy Scholarship, click here.
Line-item veto: An order to OSLI, now a request
Gordon sought to strike a section of this year’s funding vehicle for water projects using a line-item veto authority. Section 7 of the “omnibus water bill-construction” would direct the Office of State Lands and Investments (OSLI) to surround the LaPrele Dam and reservoir with public land by exchanging lands with private owners. The goal was to increase public access and recreational activity in the area.
“Despite the extraordinarily acrobatic approach this Legislature took regarding spending priorities, I thank legislators for heeding my call and working cooperatively to address the LaPrele Dam situation and Wyoming’s ability to effectively engage with interstate water negotiations,” he wrote in his line-item veto letter. “Mother Nature and downstream states will not wait around for Wyoming to act.”
But Gordon added he was nixing the land exchange section of the bill to avoid a “separation of powers issue.” He said existing authorities already grant OSLI investigative powers, and that as chairman of the State Board of Land Commissioners, he’d make the Legislature’s request to OSLI. Specifically, that “OSLI perform an analysis of opportunities to expand public access and recreational activity in the area using a well established process to identify voluntary exchanges or options as may reveal themselves.”
The rest of the bill is law and allocates money for water infrastructure projects. It specifically allocates $90 million for the rehabilitation of the LaPrele Dam, $30 million of which was appropriated in 2022.
The governor signed the following bills on March 4. Click this link and search by bill number or title to see drafts of the bill. A regularly updated list of bills Gordon has signed, let become into law without his signature and vetoed is here.
Enrolled Act, Bill #, Bill Title
HEA0050 HB0311 Exemption for transported fuel and power sales-amendments.
HEA0051 HB0018 Career technical education funding.
HEA0052 HB0199 Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Act.
HEA0053 HB0122 Senior citizen service districts-authorization and renewal.
HEA0054 HB0090 Anthrax outbreak protocol.
HEA0067 HB0147 Prohibition of institutional discrimination.
SEA0060 SF0069 Homeowner property tax exemption.
The Governor exercised his veto authority on the following bills. Click on the bill for a link to the Governor’s letter:
HEA0055 HB0079 Bond elections-voter threshold requirement.
SEA0059 SF0127 Administrative rules-legislative review.
SEA0061 SF0103 Terminating and defunding diversity, equity and inclusion.
The Governor exercised his line-item veto authority on the following bill
