House Moves Forward Public Process to Address Education Funding Shortfall

Education Committee Calls for Public Comment on Comprehensive Funding Bill  

Cheyenne, Wyo. – With the goal of ensuring robust public input addressing the state’s education funding shortfall, House leadership announced a public meeting will be held this Monday evening at Cheyenne East High School with ample time built into the agenda for public comment.

“The tough reality is, we are facing a $1.8 billion education funding shortfall over the next five years,” said House Education Committee Chair David Northrup. “We can’t cut our way out of this problem, and we can’t tax our way out of this problem.  We have to work our way through it, and we continue to want public input to guide us through this process.”

“House Bill 236 is a comprehensive approach to tackling this challenge that incorporates the feedback and input of citizens and stakeholders across Wyoming,” said House Speaker Steve Harshman. “Working for Wyoming means working with Wyoming – with Wyoming citizens and with Wyoming solutions. Ensuring individuals have the opportunity to have their voice heard on this important issue is critical.”

The House Education Committee will host a meeting on Monday, January 30 at 6:00 p.m. Members of the public are encouraged to attend and offer comment. The meeting was moved from the Jonah Business Center to the high school to accommodate any and all citizens who wish to attend. Details are as follows:

House Education Committee Hearing
Topic: House Bill 236, School Finance Omnibus Education Funding
Date & Time: Monday, January 30, 2017 at 6:00 p.m.
Location: East High School, 2800 E Pershing Blvd, Cheyenne
Agenda:
6:00 pm:  Roll Call & Call to Order
Presentation of HB 236
Questions from Committee Members

6:30 pm: Chair Opens Meeting to Public Comment

6:30-7:15 pm: Public Comment on Budget Reductions

7:15-8:00 pm: Public Comment on Revenue Increases

8:00-8:30 pm: General Bill Comments
8:30 pm: Public Comment Closes; Committee Resumes Bill Debate

           

To ensure as many individuals as possible are able to give public comment, testimony will be limited to two minutes per person. In addition, Chair Northrup has asked individuals to make their public comments during the appropriate allocated time as noted above.

In addition to public testimony, lawmakers are encouraging citizens to submit written comment via the WyomingState Legislature’s website.

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Legislative Leaders Look to Partner with New Administration on Multiple Use of Public Lands

"We are unified in our commitment to multiple use and public lands access.”

Cheyenne, Wyo. - Wyoming House and Senate leadership released the following statement this morning regarding the future of public lands management in Wyoming:

“Wyoming’s vast natural beauty, immense water resources, and plentiful outdoor access showcase why many of us are at home on the range,” said Senate President Eli Bebout. “Sadly, the federal land and wildlife management agencies have failed the people of Wyoming - including our sportsmen and sportswomen - by inflicting reckless regulations and damaging rules that hurt our state, undermined our natural environment, stifled our ability to grow or even maintain jobs in our largest industries.”

“As an active stakeholder in the effort to preserve multiple use and public access, the Wyoming Legislature will not put the cart before the horse and advance an incomplete solution,” added Bebout. “Instead, we will hold our current legislation and continue our work with Wyoming’s congressional delegation and the new administration to push for local control and management of public lands.”

"Wyoming Republicans are unified in our commitment to public access,” said House Speaker Steve Harshman. “We are working for Wyoming to ensure management practices that responsibly develop our natural resources for the benefit of all Wyoming residents while protecting the natural splendor that defines our state."

"Starting today, from day one, leadership of the Wyoming Legislature is committed to working with the Trump administration and our congressional delegation to develop a solution that will ensure public lands are managed for multiple use and available to benefit all Wyoming residents,” concluded Bebout.

“It is important that all Wyomingites unite to uphold the current law of multiple use. Sportsmen, Ag producers, recreationalists and mineral producers are united in a ‘Wyoming Coalition’ that ensures open access, multiple use and responsible development. We know that excluding use for any of us puts all of us at risk.”

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Statement on the Inauguration of Donald Trump

Cheyenne, Wyoming – Wyoming Senate President Eli Bebout and House Speaker Steve Harshman released the following statement today on the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45^th President of the United States.

“Today is truly a historic day. The inauguration of a new president in the United States of America marks another peaceful and orderly transition of power that has served us well for more than 240 years,” said Speaker Harshman. “The office of the Presidency is so much bigger than any individual. Regardless of your politics, I hope we can all come together today to celebrate our great nation, our history and our democracy.”

“The inauguration of Donald Trump marks a new chapter for Wyoming, one that I hope means greater control for our state,” said Senate President Bebout. “Federal overreach over the past eight years has impacted Wyoming at nearly every level – from energy production and land management, to education and healthcare. I am hopeful that under a Trump Administration, we will see a transition of power and responsibility back to the people and lawmakers of Wyoming. I look forward to working with President Trump’s Administration and our congressional delegation in Washington on policies and regulations the impact Wyoming people, communities and businesses.”

“With 67 percent of our minerals owned by the federal government, we are hopeful that the new Administration will work with Wyoming so we can move our great state forward,” said Speaker Harshman.

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‘Police Body Camera’ Legislation Passes Wyoming Senate

SF 32 Moves to House for Consideration with Support from the WY Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police, Wyoming Press Association and the ACLU 

Cheyenne, Wyoming — With the goal of providing clarity to law enforcement and the general public, legislation passed the Wyoming Senate today to provide parameters and guidance on the handling of police body camera footage.

“Ensuring Wyoming’s peace officers have the resources they need to keep us safe while protecting both privacy rights and the public interest has always been the goal of this legislation,” said Senator Leland Christensen, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “I applaud the Task Force on Digital Information Privacy as well as the Senate Judiciary Committee for their hard work and dedication to addressing this important matter. “

Senate File 32, Peace Officer Recordings, passed 3^rd reading in the Wyoming Senate today. Current Wyoming law does not address how police body camera video should be handled. Many local law enforcement officers said they were reluctant to use body cameras, not knowing the rules surrounding usage of the footage.

The bill passed today will permit individuals who are the subject of a recording to view the footage in response to a complaint against law enforcement or if it involves an incident of deadly force or serious bodily injury, assuming the custodian of the recording determines it is in the interest of public safety and is not contrary to public interest. Additionally, recordings would be released to law enforcement or public agencies as required to conduct business or pursuant to a court order. The bill, sponsored by the Senate Judiciary Committee, will now move to the House of Representatives for consideration.

The legislation represents many months of hearings, meetings, testimony and input from key stakeholder groups including law enforcement and the media. The Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police, Wyoming Press Association, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault applauded passage of Senate File 32 today.

“I believe our collaborative solution will be workable for law enforcement as we look to deploy body worn cameras in Wyoming,” said Byron Oedekoven with the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police. “Thank you to the leadership in the Senate and all the stakeholders who worked on this legislation.”

“This is a great example of a compromise working. Everybody had different concerns. Ours had to do with public transparency. All sides recognized those concerns, so we had some great constructive discussions and figured out ways to address them,” said Jim Angell with the Wyoming Press Association.

“Police-worn body cameras hold the potential to enhance officer safety and to increase public accountability for law enforcement. But they also present significant privacy concerns. We are satisfied with the compromise reached on Senate File 32, and we look forward to working with law enforcement agencies to enact policies which will encourage agencies to adopt the use of body cameras and which can deepen communication and trust between citizens and the agencies and officers working to protect them,” said Sabrina King with the American Civil Liberties Union of Wyoming.

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