Wyoming House Members Getting Antsy As Senate Holds Onto State Budget

Leadership in the Wyoming House of Representatives is starting to lose patience with how long the Senate is taking to address the supplemental budget the House sent it nearly two weeks ago.

State Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, chairman emeritus of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, called this delay “excessive.”

The supplemental budget is crafted on odd numbered years, designed as a way to make revisions to the state’s full biennial budget, crafted in even years. Both chambers build their own versions of the budget after an initial budget is presented to them by the Joint Appropriations Committee. 

After each side makes its own version of the budget, it goes to the other for consideration, which usually leads to a negotiating process known as a Joint Conference Committee (JCC).

The House passed its supplemental budget on a 43-14 vote Feb. 7, which was received for introduction in the Senate the next Monday, Feb. 10. 

The Senate passed its budget on the same day and sent over its version of the bill to the House within the same timeline. The House immediately acted on it within a day, sending the Senate’s bill to a JCC.

The Senate added $228 million to its budget since Joint Appropriations Committee negotiations ended last month, putting it around $680 million total. The House added $119 million. Both chambers came in lower than Gov. Mark Gordon’s $692 million supplemental budget request.

“When I look at the differences between the House and the Senate on the budget, I see on the Senate side the governor’s budget,” Bear said. “I see him getting everything that he asked for.”

Bear also believes the Senate’s opposition to putting in any backfills for local governments and schools to make up for a proposed property tax cut is hypocritical when considering it spent more money than the House in the budget.

“They’re asking local governments to cut spending without doing it themselves,” Bear said.

Response

Senate President Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester, responded to the House’s impatience, saying that the Senate has been “killing ourselves” working on the huge number of other bills that the House has sent it.

He told Cowboy State Daily the Senate plans to take its first look at the House’s budget on Tuesday and will appoint a JCC team shortly after.

“We’re trying to get as many bills out of here as we can and we have a plan, and we’re sticking to our plan,” Biteman said. “We’re sticking to our plan and everything is under control, and the budget will come out next week.”

Through the first 22 days of the Legislature, the House sent the Senate 135 bills for consideration. Conversely, the Senate sent the House 143.

Biteman said there is still plenty of time to work on the supplemental budget and Vice President Tim Salazar, R-Riverton, said he agrees and doesn’t understand the House’s urgency on the matter. 

The budget doesn’t have to be complete until March 6, and the Legislature can add an additional three days if it wants to.

“Their hair is on fire down there, of course they’re concerned about it,” Biteman said. “We’ve got it under control and everything is fine.”

Why Concerned?

The Senate, on the other hand, has done nothing with the House’s bill, which is drawing Bear’s concern.

“It’s not just coming from me that we’re running out of time, it’s the clock itself,” Bear said.

Bear said he was told by members of the Legislative Service Office staff that if the House wants to have time to negotiate a supplemental budget with the Senate, they must reach an agreement by next Friday if they want to override any potential vetoes from Gordon.

In addition to the budget, the Freedom Caucus also made a major effort to get its “Five and Dime” bills passed as quickly as possible, sending all of those over to the Senate by the eighth day of the session. 

Bear said the House gave a similar sense of urgency to addressing the Senate’s bills when they crossed over, including the Senate’s version of a 50% property tax cut bill.

“It was all in an effort to try to have ample time to work through any details and difference,” House Speaker Chip Neiman said. “We wanted to have enough time to have that discussion.”

Rep. Jeremy Haroldson, R-Wheatland, took a more positive angle, saying it doesn’t matter who’s “vehicle” passes into law as long as it’s positive for the state of Wyoming.

Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.