To save money, the Wyoming legislature may meet only 37 out of 40 possible days next year and will make other reductions in travel, staffing, and purchases.
Due to a downturn in expected revenues, the legislature’s management council voted to reduce the legislature’s upcoming two-year budget by 12 percent. The governor is working with all state agencies and the University of Wyoming to reduce their budgets by an average of eight percent.
Speaker of the House Kermit Brown said the upcoming session may be difficult and lawmakers may need all 40 days.
“I mean the tougher it gets for the agencies, the more cuts that have to be made…the more careful we have to be. And that’s not a time to be cutting down on how careful we are.”
Senate President Phil Nicholas said reducing the length of the session is a good way to save money.
“This works through the executive branch and it works through the legislative branch and we have to lead by example.”
The 12 percent legislative budget cut adds up to roughly two million dollars.
