Wyoming Legislature

Former Wyoming U.S. Senator Mike Enzi has died following a bicycle accident near his home in Gillette. Enzi had been life-flighted to a hospital in Colorado where he died a few days later surrounded by family. Wyoming Public Radio's Catherine Wheeler brings us this remembrance of his life.

Suicide prevention education can offer hope and concrete strategies to help people prevent suicide among their friends and family members. Advocates argue that it should be offered in schools. Many policymakers agree, theoretically, but actually getting suicide prevention education into schools is complicated.

A new state law allows the Wyoming State Insurance Commission to regulate the Wyoming air ambulance membership organizations. Consumers pay for air ambulance memberships to try to avoid high prices if they ever need such services. This is a serious issue in rural areas of the state where there is a lack of emergency health care.

This past legislative session, lawmakers passed a bill that will change who community health care providers can serve. Throughout the summer, stakeholders are now figuring out how to actually implement these policy changes on the ground. Wyoming Public Radio's Kamila Kudelska spoke with Andi Summerville, the executive director of the Wyoming Association of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers, on the current process. Summerville said the new system involves priority groups that so far have been separated into three tiers.

Over the last 20 years, the number of juveniles incarcerated in Wyoming has led to discussions over whether troubled youth is handled properly in the state. Despite stories of young people who've been improperly treated in Wyoming's juvenile justice system, little in the way of reforms have occurred. Part of the issue has been cost. Also, many prosecutors have opposed statewide reforms and the other problem is the lack of data. This year the legislature's Joint Judiciary Committee is the latest to explore the issue. Cheyenne Senator Tara Nethercott is a co-chair of that committee and she spoke to Bob Beck.

Wyoming projected over a $1 billion in revenue losses due to COVID-19, but it turns out the state could be looking at close to $1.5 billion in new state and federal money.

Wyoming legislators, especially Republicans, have been trying to change the primary election process ever since opponents of Governor Mark Gordon complained that Democrats voted in the Republican primary to propel Gordon to victory. While there is no proof that made any difference, Gordon won the Republican nomination in a crowded race with just a small percentage of votes.

Last summer, state officials cautioned school districts across the state to prepare for budget cuts. But in a turn of events, lawmakers failed to agree on the specifics of a bill that would have cut $135 million from schools over three years. Wyoming Public Radio's Catherine Wheeler looked into how districts chose to handle the dilemma—to move ahead with cuts or stay where they are.

This past legislative session, the Behavioral Health Division's budget was cut by $7.5 million. These cuts need to be implemented by July 1.

With potential federal funding from President Biden's American Jobs Plan, Green River State Representative Mark Baker said that he believes now is the time to create a plan for building a road between Green River and Rock Springs.