Wyoming Majority Enters 2018 Budget Session With Substantive Solutions

House and Senate Leaders Share Top Priorities and Confidence in Ambitious Agenda

Cheyenne, Wyo. - Going into the 2018 Legislative Budget session, leaders in the Wyoming House and Senate majority showed confidence that Wyoming’s fiscal position is strong and that the state is well equipped to tackle current and future challenges. Leaders for the Majority articulated their confidence that Wyoming remains the best place in the nation to raise a family, run a business and pursue your dreams after hearing Wyoming Governor Matt Mead’s final State of the State address on the first day of the session.

Republican leadership in the Wyoming Legislature expressed their commitment to continue working for Wyoming by focusing this session on:

●      Making government more accountable and efficient

●      Diversifying Wyoming’s economy for the long-term

●      Responsible spending & smart planning for the future

●      Putting Wyoming families first & preserving our way of life

“Wyoming’s citizen legislature is a gem of our state and Wyoming’s legislative process works. The work of legislating is not always pretty or without disagreement, but this body is forward-thinking, deliberative and deeply committed to strengthening Wyoming for our young people and families,” said House Speaker Steve Harshman. “In Wyoming, we believe in leaving things better than we found them. Be it our lands and natural resources, economy, education system, government services or financial stability, this session Republicans will work hard every single day to make Wyoming an even better place for current and future generations.”

“Wyoming is blessed with tremendous natural resource wealth. It is our natural resource economy that pays the majority of our taxes, funds our schools and creates jobs for people statewide. As we work on diversification we must also redouble our efforts to expand permitting and add value to the resources that deliver such incredible benefits to our state,” said Senate President Eli Bebout. “The Wyoming Legislature has already begun to chip away at our structural deficit because of the fiscal conservatism of the House and Senate and because of the vast mineral resources that allow us to build up our savings in preparation for downturns.”

“Our disciplined savings and stewardship of those savings - both rainy day funds and permanent funds - saved us during the worst of Wyoming’s recent downturn. Our savings also allowed us to make smart, thoughtful cuts and to begin reducing the structural deficit. In the last year, we have reduced our structural deficit by more than 20 percent. We will continue this session and beyond to protect our savings and extinguish the structural deficit,” concluded Bebout.

“We owe it to the people of Wyoming to squeeze more value out of every dollar by seeking out efficiencies within every government agency. By committing to improve the way government works we can expedite processes and enhance accountability while driving down costs,” said Senate Majority Leader Drew Perkins. “It is rewarding to see government work for Wyoming people. Our commitment to consolidating redundant functions and increasing efficiency across the board will allow Wyoming to run as smoothly and effectively as possible while increasing the quality of services to the public. The University of Wyoming is already deploying these efficiency practices and is achieving positive outcomes alongside cost savings. Now it is time for all of state government to adopt the same, common-sense practice.”

“House and Senate Republicans will advance a number of bills this session aimed at making lasting and meaningful gains in diversifying Wyoming’s economy, adding-value to our natural resources and expanding permitting so that more of our minerals are available for responsible production,” said House Majority Leader David Miller. “On the diversification front, I am particularly excited about a package of new legislation that supports the unencumbered use of blockchain as well as bills that can open Wyoming to serve as a leader in this exciting and cutting edge sector. These important bills will allow Wyoming people to participate in virtual currency markets, if they so choose, and create a business-friendly climate for innovators in the financial technology space.”

“We have a proud history of prioritizing education, investing in our young people and ensuring Wyoming students have access to the best learning opportunities – be it K-12, Wyoming community colleges or the University of Wyoming,” concluded Harshman. “Wyoming schools, community colleges and UW remain among the best funded in the entire country. Wyoming’s education system ranks as the best in the west and one of the best in the country. Our commitment to Wyoming’s young people - who are the next generation of Wyoming civic and business leaders - must remain a hallmark of our work and legislative action.”

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