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Plans For Economic Diversity Make Progress At Legislature

State of Wyoming Legislature

On Thursday, the Wyoming House of Representatives Committee passed the first reading of a bill that would establish a council charged with studying and implementing a plan to diversify Wyoming’s economy. The bill would create the ENDOW Council (or Economically Needed Diversity Options for Wyoming Council).

Lander Representative Jim Allen proposed an amendment adding a tribal member to the council, which he said fits with the stated mission of the council.

“The members shall represent new and emerging economic sectors,” said Allen during discussion of the amendment. “I would argue that the reservation has a labor force, that it’s resource rich, and the opportunity for value added to either agricultural or mineral products exists there. And so for that reason I think that position would be a good one.” 

But Allen’s amendment to add a tribal member ended up failing. Meanwhile, an amendment adding language about the examination of state and local sustainability did successfully get adopted.

The bill moves on to further discussion in a second reading in the House.

Tennessee -- despite what the name might make you think -- was born and raised in the Northeast. She most recently called Vermont home. For the last 15 years she's been making radio -- as a youth radio educator, documentary producer, and now reporter. Her work has aired on Reveal, The Heart, LatinoUSA, Across Women's Lives from PRI, and American RadioWorks. One of her ongoing creative projects is co-producing Wage/Working (a jukebox-based oral history project about workers and income inequality). When she's not reporting, Tennessee likes to go on exploratory running adventures with her mutt Murray.
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