Op-Ed: Higher Education with Hathaway

By: Representative Hans Hunt, House Majority Whip

As state legislators, we are charged with building a better, brighter future for our state; for ensuring a robust, growing economy and job opportunities for all citizens, and for creating an environment that allows future generations to grow and thrive right here in Wyoming.

The Hathaway Scholarship Program does just that – providing Wyoming students the opportunity to learn and excel in-state and fostering future generations of Wyoming talent that will be critical to growing and diversifying our economy. Since its inception in 2006, the Hathaway Scholarship Program has provided merit- and need-based awards to thousands of Wyoming students. In 2014, 5,302 students were awarded scholarships to the University of Wyoming and Wyoming community colleges.

Aiming to strengthen and improve the Hathaway Scholarship program, the Wyoming State Legislature has considered a number of bills that address how the scholarship should be awarded, what the requirements should be, and how much should be spent from the state coffers.

Over the past several years, dozens of changes have been made and the 2015 session is no exception.

Three significant Hathaway-related bills were brought forward this session: HB 191, HB 192, and HB 231. 

HB 191, which failed to pass the House Education Committee, would have increased the number of hours a college student would have to take to be considered a full time student from 12 to 15 hours.

HB 192, which is now being debated in the Senate, would allow a student, after graduation, to become eligible for the next-highest level of the scholarship if he or she can maintain a 3.25 GPA or better for two consecutive semesters in college. 

HB 231, which is currently being heard by the Senate Education committee, would allow for emancipated minors or those who are the legal guardians of a minor to qualify for a scholarship, assuming they have at least obtained a GED.

There is a fourth bill concerning the scholarship program which I co-sponsored, and which impacts not only the Hathaway Scholarship, but looks at the larger picture of what opportunities students have for continuing education, including pursuing a vocational education program at one of the state’s community colleges. Originally envisioned as a separate scholarship program all together, HB 103, has been refined into a task force which would look at putting enhanced focus on scholarships for vocational programs. 

In a state where the vast majority of the economy is fueled by the energy industry, there are many well-paying job opportunities for students wishing to pursue careers in mechanics, wielding, electrical work, plumbing, and other trade crafts.  It is vital for someone looking to work in these fields to have a specific certification for their desired trade. Our seven community colleges around Wyoming are invaluable educational assets. Wyoming’s greatest export should never be its children and our youth should be able to get the education or careers they desire here in Wyoming.

While students can use the Hathaway Scholarship to attend a community college and enroll in these trade programs, current high school curriculum is generally geared toward encouraging students to focus on core classes such as math, science, and English. For those interested in going to UW, these high-set requirements for obtaining the top level of the scholarship are what makes the Hathaway program such a valuable tool, incentivizing students to take advanced and college prep classes.

However, there are students whose aptitudes are geared toward vocational trade skills who might feel like they are steered towards an English class when they would rather be taking agriculture education classes. Students who have ambitions of going into a vocational program should not be discouraged from doing so. By arming Wyoming students with technical degrees and certificates we can ensure that they can be prepared for competitive trade jobs. It is my hope that the task force would look at promoting these types of opportunities for students and finding ways to provide financial assistance.   

 
Having reaped the benefits of the Hathaway Scholarship myself, I can say it is an immeasurable help in reaching your higher education goals. But higher education does not necessarily mean a four-year degree at the University. There are plenty of economically viable jobs available after earning certifications from one of Wyoming’s vocational programs.  It is my hope that we can continue to provide educational financial assistance and keep Wyoming’s best and brightest in Wyoming.  

Representative Hans Hunt is the only current member of the Wyoming Legislature to have attended college with the assistance of the Hathaway scholarship. He currently serves on the House Education Committee.    

Concentration at Crossover

Legislature continues hard work as bills leave their house of origin

Cheyenne – The 2015 Legislative session is at the halfway point: crossover. In this session, the House sent 157 bills to the Senate and the Senate sent 103 bills to the House. A bill relating to asset forfeiture was the first bill to pass both legislative bodies and is on its way to the Governor’s desk.

“I am incredibly proud of our legislators, they are working hard and putting in the long hours to make sure that we continue to move Wyoming forward,” said Representative Rosie Berger, Majority Floor Leader. “We heard 257 bills in committees and on the floor and have moved 157 bills to the Senate and have already begun to tackle what they have sent our way.”

This session saw 24 bills related to education in the House and the Senate. The topics ranged from curriculum, to testing, to standards reviews, to the creation of a distance education task force. Wyoming’s most valuable resource has always been its people and its children are the future of this great state. The Legislature’s commitment to providing them with a world-class education is unwavering.

Speaker of the House Kermit Brown has passionately argued on behalf of the children of Wyoming multiple times this session. “We need to prepare our kids for the global marketplace, and that means giving them access to all the information that is out there and teaching them how to interpret what is in front of them.”

The Legislature continues to take a proactive role in supporting and developing Wyoming’s energy industry, as well as providing policy that encourages entrepreneurialism and business recruitment to the state. Ensuring Wyoming has a thriving economy is of the highest priority.

The support for Wyoming’s energy industry continues with a bill looking to create a task force to study and make recommendations for a fair, viable, and simplified system of valuation and taxation for minerals.

The House passed a repeal of malt beverage tax, encouraging and promoting the growing industry of microbreweries as well as continuing to support the state’s hospitality industry. With the passage of Senate files that give preference points for the use of Wyoming materials, give exemptions for commercial driver’s licenses to local companies, and authorize worker’s compensation coverage for all county officials, it’s clear that Wyoming is open for business.

Infrastructure is a key component of providing a business friendly climate. Landfill remediation bills are working their way through the session this year, as is the extension of the Wyoming Telecommunications Act.

“Building a brighter future for Wyoming is the goal of every legislator here,” said Senate President Phil Nicholas. “We have worked on major bills that will increase jobs, improve infrastructure, and continue to evaluate how to use the taxes from our mineral industry most effectively. We are currently working on SF 122, named Vision 2020, which would create a modeling tool so in the future the Legislature can make data-based decisions on how much money to spend versus how much money to save.”

The House and Senate began debating this year’s Supplemental Budget bill yesterday. The funding strategy put forth by the Joint Appropriations Committee would have programs receive payment in stages, as capital gains become available in 2015 and 2016. This plan will slow down the growth of the state’s rainy day account but will ensure that capital construction projects continue to be funded over the following two to six years. The budget bill is presented in mirror sessions to both legislative branches.

“Our priorities with this supplemental budget were to take care of Wyoming’s most vulnerable, to take advantage of programs that had matching funds available, and to provide funding for one-time expenditures,” House Speaker Pro Tem Tim Stubson explained.

Providing additional health care programs and resources has been a major issue this session and has seen a multitude of bills related to the matter. Bills include permitting health care sharing, extending the Wyoming Health Insurance Pool Act, providing some compensation to hospitals for uncompensated care, and providing nursing education programs are all still being worked on by the Legislature.

As with all sessions, the Legislature continues to fight for state sovereignty rights and continue to support local governments and the personal freedoms of Wyoming citizens.

The belief that the federal government is broken is wide-spread through the Legislature and it has become apparent that some are done waiting for the problem to be fixed in Washington D.C. Two bills came out the House that call upon Congress to pass a balanced budget amendment.

While pushing Congress to balance its budget, Wyoming continues to follow its own methods of ensuring local governments have a high level of autonomy and the funding they need to function effectively.

“We continue to stop federal overreach from Washington D.C. and to solve Wyoming problems with Wyoming solutions,” said Senate Majority Floor Leader Eli Bebout. “We appreciate and support Wyoming’s citizens’ right to personal freedoms and our policy efforts prove that. We also agree with the notion that the best government is closest to the people and fund local government projects and their initiatives. The most important thing for Wyoming is jobs and a thriving economy.”

Personal freedom bills that are going through the Legislature include bills relating to trespassing issues, protecting land owners from pipeline incidents, allowing for the sale of locally grown food to individuals, and the protection of personal assets from seizure.

The Legislature entered this session with a handful of priorities and a clear vision of what they wanted to accomplish; thoughtful of how they could best represent the citizens of Wyoming and what kind of legacy they wanted to leave for future generations. At the halfway point of the session, it’s clear that it is full steam ahead.

Medicaid Fails the Senate

SF129 failed on with a 19-11 vote

Cheyenne, WY – A bill supporting the expansion of Medicaid failed the Wyoming Senate today. The bill, sponsored by Senators Von Flatern, Emerich, and Pappas and Representative Wilson, failed with a 19-11 vote.

 “I commend the Senate for working incredibly hard over the last two weeks to try and put together a piece of legislation that proposed to expand Medicaid services on a cost neutral basis to the general fund,” said Senate President Phil Nicholas, “The bill was improved at several stages but did not achieve majority approval of the Senate. Many Senators campaigned on the promise to not expand Medicaid services. The bill was worked hard and all Senators had a difficult final decision to make.”

SF129 was a working bill of the Governor’s SHARE plan. It had an amendment coming into the Senate that added Senator Charles Scott’s health savings account model but that amendment was defeated by the Senate last Friday. Today, with an additional two amendments added, the bill was still defeated.

Amendments to the bill included requiring Medicaid enrollees to work 32 hours a week, though today an amendment from Senator Meier allowed for the exemption of the work requirement for students.

There were concerns voiced from multiple Senators that other states who have enacted Medicaid have had a plethora of administrative difficulties when rolling out the program, that adding this program would only increase the federal debt, and that Wyoming has succeeded in finding their own way to serve the needs of the citizens in the past.

A bill brought forth by Representative Wilson that would have introduced a Medicaid bill into the House was withdrawn from further consideration today from the House Labor, Health, & Social Services committee. During the committee hearing, Chairman Harvey said “the House could amend this but it would be an exercise in futility, the Senate won’t pass this no matter what we do.” Chairman Harvey is further resolved to find solutions that will ease hospitals losses and help Wyoming citizens with medical needs.