Legislative Update – Day 16

February 2, 2023

Day 16 Navigating the Budget is Like Playing Chess Sara Burlingame, Sheila Bush, and Tyler Lindholm take a quick break during budget discussions to get a game of chess in. WBA President Cindy DeLancey speaks to the 2023 class of Leadership Cheyenne’s government session about how the WBA engages with the legislature. Yesterday was Cindy’s 50th Birthday! Thank you to everyone for making it such a wonderful day! Yesterday, the Second Reading of the Budget was up on both sides of the Capitol. Both budget bills, SF 1 and HB 1, started out as identical mirror bills of each after being developed by the Joint Appropriations Committee. Now that both houses of the legislature are adding amendments to each budget bill, the chess match within and between the House and Senate really begins. We saw a flurry of amendments on Second Reading of both budget bills. In the House, we saw 53 total amendments submitted with 25 being adopted. In the Senate, we saw 52 total amendments submitted with 25 of them being adopted. Third reading of the budget will be on Friday. Once the budget bills get through the house of origin they will go to Joint Conference Committee where the members will begin negotiating what the final budget bill will look like and be ready for final passage and the Governor’s signature (or line-item vetoes). It will be very interesting to see which of the 50 budget amendments will make it to the final budget bill as each house has its own policy priorities. In between budget amendments, I had the honor of speaking to the current Leadership Cheyenne class and the role the WBA plays in the legislative process. The group was very engaged and asked some really good questions. It’s always good to get more people involved in Wyoming’s unique process and share the message of how Business Makes Wyoming Better! What Happened Wednesday, Feb. 1st (Day 16) Senate Labor, Health & Social Services Committee SF0151 – Wyoming prescription drug transparency act (WBA MONITORING). – Bill passed the Committee. Senate Education Committee SF0050 – Charter school amendments (WBA MONITORING). – Bill passed the Committee. Senate Floor SF0143 – Wyoming freedom scholarship act-2 (WBA SUPPORTS). – Bill passed Second Reading. SF0174 – Wyoming charter school authorizing board (WBA SUPPORTS). – Bill passed the Committee of the Whole. House Floor HB0190 – Wyoming value added energy and industrial plan (WBA MONITORING). – Bill passed Second Reading. HB0121 – Property tax deferral program-amendments (WBA MONITORING). – Bill passed Second Reading. HB0124 – Electricity generation-taxation (WBA OPPOSED). – Bill passed Second Reading. HB0099 – Property tax refund program (WBA MONITORING). – Bill passed Second Reading. Bills the WBA is Closely Monitoring We will update our bill trackers daily as bills are posted to the LSO website and as action is taken on bills. The trackers include hyperlinks to the individual bills as well as the WBA’s position on those pieces of legislation. The WBA’s positions are taken in accordance with our official process. If you would like more information about a bill position or to request a position on a bill, please reach out to Cindy DeLancey to begin the committee review process. Legislative Tracker Tax Bill Tracker Bills Scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 2nd (Day 17) Livestream video from the floor and committees via the Legislature’s YouTube Channel. This listing below only includes bills WBA is tracking. Thursday, Feb. 2nd (Day 17) Committee Hearings Senate Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions, 7:00 AM, State Capitol, Room W110 & Online SF0147 – Government contracts-labor organization (WBA MONITORING). Senate Appropriations, 8:00 AM, State Capitol, Room E301 & Online HB0003 – State assessment of independent power producers (WBA SUPPORTS). Senate Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions, 12:30 PM, State Capitol, Room W110 & Online SF0142 – Carbon capture and sequestration (WBA MONITORING). House Revenue, 7:00 AM, Capitol Extension, Room E003 & Online HB0114 – Leasing and sale of state lands-amendments (WBA MONITORING). HB0174 – Homestead exemption-amendments (WBA MONITORING). HJ0002 – Constitutional amendment-residential property class (WBA MONITORING). HB0098 – Property tax-homeowner’s exemption (WBA MONITORING). Thursday, Feb. 2nd (Day 17) Floor Sessions Senate Floor Session Begins at 10:00 AM on Feb. 2nd SF0143 – Wyoming freedom scholarship act-2 (WBA SUPPORTS). – Third Reading SF0174 – Wyoming charter school authorizing board (WBA SUPPORTS). – Second Reading SF0125 – Property tax-limiting the maximum taxable value increase (WBA MONITORING). – General File SF0090 – Wyoming property tax relief authority (WBA MONITORING). – General File SF0110 – Personal property-tax exemption (WBA SUPPORTS). – General File SF0145 – State budgeting and reserves (WBA MONITORING). – General File SF0050 – Charter school amendments (WBA MONITORING). – General File House Floor Session Begins at 10:00 AM on Feb. 2nd HB0190 – Wyoming value added energy and industrial plan (WBA MONITORING). – Third Reading HB0121 – Property tax deferral program-amendments (WBA MONITORING). – Third Reading HB0124 – Electricity generation-taxation (WBA OPPOSED). – Third Reading HB0099 – Property tax refund program (WBA MONITORING). – Third Reading HB0080 – Medical treatment opportunity act-Medicaid reform (WBA MONITORING). – General File HB0109 – Wyoming works for tomorrow (WBA SUPPORTS). – General File HB0085 – For-profit public benefit corporations (WBA MONITORING). – General File HB0140 – Mental Health care Access-Collaborative Care Model (WBA SUPPORTS). HB0151 – Property tax exemption-child care facilities (WBA MONITORING). 2023 WBA Legislative Priorities ​WBA’s Guiding Principles: Business Makes Wyoming Better. The Wyoming Business Alliance supports public policy and legislation that enhances a sound business environment and promotes economic diversification. We do not support adding regulatory barriers or additional burdens on business in Wyoming. WBA members support the following: Supporting legislation and budget items that promote modernization and efficiency in government, education, and promote workforce development. Supporting legislation that incentivizes investment to broaden Wyoming’s tax base. Supporting legislation that encourages enhanced production of natural resources. Promoting certainty and clarity of current and future tax policy for all industries. Other Session Information Bills Legislator contacts: LSO web page Schedule: The Session is scheduled to run 37 business days, Jan. 10th – March 3rd. Download full schedule Standing Committee Handouts: In the event you would like to send a handout to either chamber Floor or a Committee, make sure to email the completed handout form with your documents to each member of the chamber or committee and also send it to legdocs@wyoleg.gov. Please be sure to include all of the information asked for on the form. Committee members and their e-mail addresses can be found here. Daily floor calendars/meeting schedules: Sign up here. Online Hotline: During the legislative session, you can recommend support for or opposition to a particular piece of legislation by using the Online Hotline. Learn more here.