Op-ed: The 67^th General Session Positions Tomorrow’s Wyoming Leaders for Success

By Senate President Ogden Driskill and Speaker of House Albert Sommers
March 3, 2023
 
On March 3rd, the Wyoming Legislature gaveled out the end of the 67^th General Session. The work your elected officials achieved was remarkable. As the leaders of the House and Senate chambers, it is our privilege to report out the accomplishments of this body’s work, which are strengthening the future of Wyoming, starting with strong investments in education. 
 
Educating Wyoming’s children is perhaps the single greatest investment our state can make. Public education is the crucible of democracy and the very foundation of our system of government. Providing the next generation of Wyoming leaders the resources and tools they need to lead in today’s world economy will pay dividends for our state now and in the future. 
 
Wyoming has always placed a priority on providing a world class education and the results speak for themselves. According to the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results, also known as the nation’s report card, Wyoming students were among the top in the nation. The report demonstrates a trend of strong performance for Wyoming education.
 
Notably, for all 50 states, Wyoming is among those leading the pack in grade 4 reading and math. Wyoming students also outperformed the national average for grade 8 math. Grade 8 reading is even with the national average for public school students.
 
When our state has the money, we happily fully fund Wyoming’s education system. When we don’t have the money, we ask our education programs to tighten their belts just like all other state agencies. This year, we were fortunate to have the money. 
 
And invest we did. Our spending in the budget bill is a judicious and strategic long-term approach for the benefit of the education system and school facilities. This funding will help make much-needed improvements to our schools, provide competitive salaries and benefits for our teachers, and better ensure our children are receiving a high-quality education that prepares them for success. 
 
About half of the savings in the bill goes to K-12 savings in the Common School Permanent Land Fund and the Common School Reserve Account. The other half goes to general fund savings. More than half of the $380 million in policy funding fully finances Wyoming school construction and maintenance and the External Cost Adjustment to make up for inflation faced by school districts. 
 
In the supplemental budget bill, the House and Senate invested a historic $1.4 billion in savings in total, a combination of permanent and long-term investments. These savings will benefit future generations and provide returns that will help tackle our state’s economic ups-and-downs. Because we know from experience that good times are usually followed by hard times. 
 
This is important to us, because the Legislature has no greater responsibility than to set up future generations to tackle the challenges of tomorrow. We are proud of this record-setting savings and the fact that for every $1 that is spent on running our schools and funding local governments, more than $3.50 goes to savings. This budget plans for our most pressing needs, but also sets Wyoming on a path of continued prosperity and leadership. 
 
The House and Senate were also committed to reducing tax burdens that are hurting our hardworking men and women. Wyoming is on the cusp of a property tax crisis. Rates have more than doubled in some parts of the state over recent years. Families are facing the unimaginable decision of having to sell their home just to pay the tax bill. Skyrocketing rates are making it more difficult for young families to own a home, forcing others to delay retirement, and driving up costs for renters.
 
This session the Legislature passed HB0099, which provides immediate property tax relief by opening up the eligibility process of an existing property tax program to more Wyoming residents. The bill counters rising home values due to inflation by broadening eligibility for tax refunds to more qualifying residents. The bill bumps up eligibility to 125 percent of median income and allows for a refund up to 75 percent of a residential property owner’s tax bill.
 
The House and Senate also passed Joint Resolution 3, which will go before Wyoming voters in the general election in 2024. The resolution authorizes the Legislature to create a subclass of owner-occupied primary residences. Creating this subclass is critical for the Legislature’s capability to bring bills in the future that could result in more meaningful property tax relief for Wyoming citizens. Governor Gordon signed this resolution into law on Friday, March 3. 
 
Wyoming has long benefitted from far-sighted leaders that have prioritized our state’s long-term economic health and diversification. During this session, we strived to continue to build on that legacy, with the goal of positioning tomorrow’s leaders for success. This work is a continual process; it’s never fully done. Yet, this year the Legislature made good progress towards setting our state on a path of sustainable prosperity. And we look forward to continuing to work on behalf of the men and women of Wyoming to build solutions for the challenges of the future. 
 
Ogden Driskill is the President of the Senate and has served in the Wyoming Legislature since 2011. Albert Sommers is the Speaker of the House and has served In the Legislature since 2013.
 

Budget Bill Places Record $1.4 Billion in Savings, Fully Funds Education

Budget Bill Builds a Stronger Future for Wyoming

 

CHEYENNE— Today, the Wyoming House of Representatives and the Wyoming Senate voted to move forward an unprecedented $1.4 billion in savings and fully fund Wyoming’s K-12 education system in the supplemental budget bill.

 

HB0001 doubles down on the Legislature’s bet on Wyoming families, investing in Wyoming people and promoting economic development and diversification.

 

“This bill is a record-setter for the amount of money we are putting away,” said Senate President Ogden Driskill. “This budget was built with our children, grandchildren and Wyoming’s future generations at the center of our work. Bottom line: this bill means a stronger Wyoming.”

 

“For every $1 that is spent on running our schools and funding local governments, about $3.50 goes to savings in this bill,” said Representative Bob Nicholas, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. “This budget bill represents disciplined savings and stewardship alongside a priority on education and investments in Wyoming’s future generations.” 

 

About half of the savings in the bill goes to K-12 savings in the Common School Permanent Land Fund and the Common School Reserve Account. The other half goes to general fund savings.

 

More than half of the $383 million in policy funding fully finances Wyoming school construction and maintenance and the External Cost Adjustment to make up for inflation faced by school districts. 

 

State employees will receive an average eight percent pay increase effective July 1, 2023.

 

Finally, in another first, the bill was drafted faster than ever before, allowing greater transparency and public input with 10 days of available review prior to further action. 

 

The House vote was 37-25.

The Senate vote was 20-10.

 

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House Budget Bill Focuses on Strengthening Wyoming’s Economy

 

CHEYENNE – The general session of the 67th Wyoming State Legislature is marking a month of work by both chambers focused on Wyoming families, investing in Wyoming people and promoting economic development and diversification.

 

The House of Representatives and the Wyoming Senate passed their versions of the budget bill on Friday, February 3. HB0001, also known as the supplemental budget bill, focuses on the pocketbook and kitchen table issues affecting Wyoming’s hardworking men and women. 

 

The House and Senate versions of the supplemental budget bill are remarkably close when it comes to dollar amounts. 

 

“The House of Representatives’ budget bill puts nearly $1 billion into savings, making significant investments in Wyoming’s people, the state economy and in Wyoming’s future. We also are placing a special focus on the fight against government overreach to protect and promote Wyoming small business owners and medical providers,” said Speaker Pro Tempore Clark Stith.

 

The House and Senate versions are identical on K-12 school spending, fully approving a recommended inflation adjustment of over $70 million and allocating $129 million to school construction and maintenance.  

 

Both the House and Senate versions save almost twice as much as they spend, with $1 billion in savings and about $515 million in spending. The Senate’s bill outspends the House slightly, by about $1.5 million. The Senate version of the budget bill allocates less to health care and $28 million to property tax relief. There are disagreements about where the savings go and what to spend it on, but the budget bills reflect a Wyoming Legislature fully aware of the volatility of state revenue and the need to balance present and future needs. 

 

In HB0001, the major areas of focus are:

 

·      K-12 education - $129 million

·      Department of Health - $38 million

·      Wyoming Business Council -$37 million

o   Following on the success of attracting advanced vertical farming company Plenty, Inc. to relocate its research headquarters in Wyoming, $30 million is allocated to the Wyoming Business Council for further economic development.  

·      University of Wyoming - $36 million   

o   School of Energy Resources - $12 million for carbon engineering research

o   Engineering School - $6 million 

o   College of Agriculture - $2.5 million

·      Substantially adjusting the reimbursement rate to our dentists who provide critical dental health services to 40,000 children and senior citizens in the state

·      Increased funding for nursing homes and for the developmentally disabled, where funding had been cut during the pandemic.  

·      Funding trust funds as a savings mechanism and utilizing the interest income to make our communities more livable, develop Wyoming’s workforce and to enhance the state’s wildlife

 

The House and Senate bills will now move to conference committee for reconciliation. 

 

Other bills that are still alive contain an additional $333 million for the benefit of Wyoming communities including $202 million for capital construction, $38 million for water projects, $26 million for support to local governments and $10 million to enhance the safety of school crosswalks. These bills are currently in various stages of discussion and debate. 

 

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Planning for Wyoming’s Future: Wyoming House of Representatives to Finish Budget Bill Debate Today

Wyoming Legislative Majority Focuses on Wyoming Economy, Creating Prosperity for Wyoming Families 

CHEYENNE – Today, the Wyoming House of Representatives will finish debate on HB0001 also known as the Supplemental Budget bill, which makes significant investments in Wyoming’s people, the state economy, Wyoming’s children and the state’s future.

“With this bill, the House Republicans are focused on saving, investing and meeting the needs of Wyoming citizens. It is a challenging balance to strike, but the work so far is leading us in that direction,” said Representative Lloyd Larsen, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “This legislation is about Wyoming’s economic outlook and acting on good fiscal policy that provides for Wyoming’s people, our infrastructure and our children.”
 
During this session, a major priority is the supplemental budget bill and how the Legislature should allocate a nearly $2 billion budget surplus. Much of this is a one-time windfall, which owes to improved revenues from oil and gas production, smart investments, and federal stimulus spending. Highlights from HB0001 follow:
 

• By adjusting the reimbursement rate to our dentists who provide critical dental health services to 40,000 children and senior citizens in the state, House Republicans are ensuring that these children and senior citizens who qualify for Medicaid will continue to have access to critical dental care. 
• Those citizens of our state who have developmental, intellectual disabilities or acquired brain injuries are only able to live in our communities because of the community provider network whose dedicated employees ensure for the protection, wellbeing and happiness of these people. These dedicated and critical service providers continued services even after significant cuts were made to their budgets in 2021. We restored these cuts and adjusted their reimbursement rates to ensure they can continue to provide these essential services well into the future. 
• $5 million to fully fund the property tax refund program.
• Creation of an ombudsman position in the Department of Environmental Quality to enhance the ability and timeliness for industrial permitting processes.
• Funding to assist with retention and recruitment of state agency employees. Wyoming state agencies report significant challenges with recruitment and retention of employees due to current salary rates. Current provisions in the budget increase state employee compensation to bring employee salaries from 83 percent to 98 percent of 2022 market rates.
• Funding trust funds as a savings mechanism and utilizing the interest income to make our communities more livable, develop Wyoming’s workforce and to enhance the state’s wildlife.

“The people of Wyoming are a priority with this budget,” said Representative Larsen. “We are restoring cuts and enhancing mental health, social services, education and job training. We are using a responsible approach to ensuring citizens' needs are met and funding is leveraged for future needs. Prudent decisions and investments today will protect Wyoming’s future generations.”
 
“This bill strengthens the ability for our community providers to continue essential services to those who are living in the least restrictive environment,” said Representative Larsen.
 
“We are always cognizant that our extractive industries provide the revenue that allows us to provide critical services to our citizens. In this budget, we respond to industry and ensure the permitting process is streamlined and efficient to empower the sector to continue their key role in our economy. We accomplish this budgetary exercise in restoring cuts and services without implementing or raising any taxes.”
 
The House of Representatives will debate the budget bill a final time today before it moves to conference committee for reconciliation.

Legislators Honor Teacher of the Year, Applaud Wyoming Students’ Ranking in Nation’s Report Card

Wyoming Teachers are Responsible for Wyoming Students Consistently Outperforming Peers

 

CHEYENNE –Today, the Wyoming Legislature honored Wyoming’s teacher of the year, Zach Beam, a high school science teacher from Newcastle High School. House Republican legislators recognized Beam’s contributions to Wyoming’s youth and the day-to-day efforts made by all Wyoming teachers that are resulting in the strong performance by Wyoming students in the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results, also known as the nation’s report card. 

 

“Teachers are the key to student success,” said Speaker of the House Albert Sommers. “Today, we had the distinct privilege of honoring one of Wyoming’s finest, Newcastle High School’s Zach Beam. We thank him, and all Wyoming teachers for their dedication. What we see in the NAEP results tells us that the commitment of Wyoming teachers is paying off,” Sommers continued. “Quality education is and will continue to be a top priority for the Wyoming Legislature.”

 

“It is an honor to recognize Zach Beam today,” said House Education Committee Chairman David Northrup. “There is no doubt - the effort of Wyoming teachers is making a difference and the NAEP results are a testament to the good work of Wyoming’s teachers and the benefits Wyoming’s students are gaining. Wyoming students also deserve congratulations for their hard work. Wyoming is well positioned to continue our momentum as a leader in education throughout the country.”

 

This 2022 report demonstrates a trend of strong performance for Wyoming education. Some highlights from the 2022 report include:

 

•          For all 50 states, Wyoming is among those leading the pack in grade 4 reading 

•          For all 50 states, Wyoming is among those leading in grade 4 math

•          Grade 8 math students outperformed national average test results 

•          Grade 8 reading is even with the national average in reading for public school students

 

The NAEP assessments were established in 1969 and evaluate students in grades 4 and 8 in reading and mathematics every two years. The 2021 assessments were postponed until 2022 due to the pandemic.

Press Release

Republicans Prioritize Savings, Tax Relief as Session Kicks Off

By Ogden Driskill and Albert Sommers

This week we had the great honor of calling to order the start of the 67th General Session of the Wyoming State Legislature. Now begins the hard work on behalf of the residents of our great state.

 

We are committed to upholding the rules and traditions of this institution to ensure fairness and respect, building up leaders at every level and debating policies on merit and substance. Wyoming solutions are needed to address the challenges that lie ahead. We have never taken our cues from Washington, D.C., and it would be a grave mistake to start now. The people of our great state deserve better.

 

To be sure, we have our work cut out. During this session the Legislature will decide how to allocate a nearly $2 billion budget surplus. Much of this is a one-time windfall, which owes to improved revenues from oil and gas production, smart investments, and federal stimulus spending. It does not represent a wholesale change to our long-term economic outlook. 

 

As the House and Senate have in years past, we will prioritize savings—with the goal of putting these funds into short, mid and long-term endowments and savings that will benefit future generations. We are stewards of taxpayers’ money, and, as recent history has shown, it’s not a matter of whether the good times will last, but rather how long until they run out.

 

We are committed to fiscal responsibility and reducing tax burdens that are hurting the men and women who are working hardest. In fact, our state is on the cusp of a residential property tax crisis, in which hardworking families are often faced with the unimaginable decision of selling their home just to pay the tax bill. In the supplemental budget bill, the Legislature has fully funded the Property Tax Refund Program at $5 million to provide relief to our most vulnerable, like retirees and critical workers, who are facing financial hardships due to inflationary pressures. We will continue to fight for commonsense solutions to cap or rollback property tax increases and make our tax structure simpler and fairer.

 

As we consider spending, our focus will be on our state’s greatest needs, like education and infrastructure, creating efficiencies and removing bureaucratic red tape in the way of economic growth and protecting Wyoming’s most vulnerable citizens. 

 

Funding an education system that prepares all our young people to succeed is perhaps the highest duty of the Legislature. Every dollar invested wisely in our schools benefits our communities, and we will work to establish sustainable revenue streams that ensure Wyoming remains a leader in education nationally and globally. 

 

At the same time, we will strive to craft policy that fosters economic growth and diversification—to help create economic opportunity and stop the “brain drain” of young people having to move out of state to find good jobs. Over the past decade Wyoming has offset its reliance on mineral extraction revenues by nearly 20 percent. That is a remarkable accomplishment that owes to pragmatic policymaking that has made Wyoming a destination for new industries.

 

Finally, we will continue to support Wyoming’s traditional energy producers, which have been and will remain a key driver of our economy. Forward-looking investments in carbon capture and hydrogen production, as examples, are helping to secure a cleaner, independent energy future for our state and our country. And this progress is far from done.

 

Wyoming is one of only a few states with a citizen legislature. Our members come from all walks of life. The diverse personal and professional experiences each brings are tremendous assets. We look forward to drawing on that collective knowledge and working with all members to set our great state on a path of continued opportunity and prosperity. And we hope you, the residents of Wyoming, will join us.  

 

Ogden Driskill is the President of the Senate and has served in the Wyoming Legislature since 2011. Albert Sommers is the Speaker of the House and has served In the Legislature since 2013.

 

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

January 10, 2022 

Contact: Majority of the Wyoming Legislature 

Wyolegmajority@gmail.com

 

Republican Leadership Calls for Decisiveness and Decorum at Start of 2023 General Session

 

CHEYENNE – House and Senate majority leaders began the 67^th General Session of the Wyoming Legislature today following the administration of the oath of office. 

 

The Wyoming Legislature is a 93-member citizen legislature. A total of 34 new members were sworn in during today’s proceedings. It will be the first year in office for 27 House members and 3 Senate members. The House and Senate bodies elected their leaders after one round of voting for each chamber. Albert Sommers was duly confirmed Speaker of the House and Ogden Driskill was duly confirmed President of the Senate.

 

The Republican Leadership expressed optimism in the work ahead to continue to make Wyoming the best place to live, work and raise a family. 

 

House and Senate leaders outlined several priorities leading into the 67^th General Session, including:

 

·      Smart fiscal stewardship and planning that creates future opportunities and bolsters the state’s fiscal position

·      Cultivating growth in emerging industries while keeping the mainstay energy, agriculture, and tourism sectors strong

·      Building the bench of Legislative leaders

·      Promoting a responsive, efficient, and limited government mindful of Wyoming’s most vulnerable citizens

 

“Our focus will be on thoughtful planning and saving for the future,” said Speaker of the House Albert Sommers. “We have a responsibility to leverage the recent revenue surplus to benefit generations of Wyoming people. This will be accomplished by building strategic investments, maximizing efficiencies, and placing a priority on helping the most vulnerable among us.” 

 

“Together, we must continue to develop Wyoming solutions to the challenges we face,” said Senate President Ogden Driskill. “It is our essential purpose, the expectation of the people of Wyoming, and the duty of each member to welcome robust discussion with respect for each other and for this great institution. Civil, open debate is what we owe the people we serve and it’s the best path forward to fulfill our critical obligations and create a stronger Wyoming.”

 

All House and Senate meetings are open to the public. Proceedings will be livestreamed on the Legislature’s website: www.wyoleg.gov.