CHEYENNE – About two-thirds of state lawmakers will have served two terms or less by the start of the 2025 legislative session, a fact Gov. Mark Gordon pointed out Wednesday during his keynote speech to the Wyoming Taxpayers Association.
“There’s a lot to learn, and there’s a lot of attitude involved,” Gordon said. “And I’ll tell you at least part of that attitude: We want to do the right thing for Wyoming, so it’s not all bad. It’s about (how) we want to make this state better for our children, for the neighbors, for the parents, for our veterans.”
Lawmakers consider and approve a supplemental budget each general session. A supplemental budget is funding that is added to the biennial budget already approved by the Legislature during the previous legislative session.
Gordon said the purpose of the supplemental budget is to fund “unforeseen and urgent needs” recognized by the state. Current issues such as property tax relief, replenishing the state’s wildfire bill and school funding will be on the table during the 2025 general session.
“There are a number of things in this supplemental budget that require attention and a willingness (to fund),” Gordon said.
Several long-term lawmakers lost their seats in the Republican primaries, and lawmakers have described this as a major “loss of institutional knowledge.” Gordon told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle that there are “a lot of concerns or a lot of expectations” for the newcomers coming out of the primaries.
“And both, I think, will be moderated as people start working together because they have to address issues,” Gordon said. “That doesn’t mean that everything that’s going to come out is going to be the best in some respects. And hopefully not the worst.”
Wildfire funds have been depleted
Historic wildfires have burned about 887,000 acres of land this summer and fall, Gordon said during his keynote speech, and the Elk Fire has burned “almost continuously” in recent weeks.
The state has spent about $53 million fighting fires this year, Gordon said, depleting the emergency firefighting bill and then some.
“We burned everything we put away, plus the allocation we have this year, plus all the governor’s emergency funds,” Gordon said. “Our ability to defeat fires in the coming year must be replenished.”
He added that the majority of these fires had burned on private property, “which means there are no federal funds and grants available,” only federal loans. Homes, miles of fencing, litter and people’s livelihoods were destroyed in the natural disaster, Gordon said.
The governor called on the state to boost efforts to provide relief to affected communities in Wyoming, but not necessarily with monetary means.
“That would be nice, but that’s not what we do in Wyoming,” Gordon said.
Instead, the governor proposed leading efforts to restore damaged areas, protect watersheds in Sheridan, Dayton and Ranchester and combat invasive species.
‘Loss of institutional knowledge’
Sen. Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne, said she is concerned about the loss of experienced lawmakers and their institutional knowledge of Wyoming spending policy.
The state’s investments have grown to $30 billion over the past decade under Chief Investment Officer Patrick Fleming of the State Treasurer’s office, who retires next summer. The loss of Fleming, combined with the loss of several long-term lawmakers, has caused some concern for the Cheyenne senator.
“It’s a disorienting time, I think, for those of us who are going to remain in the Legislature and try to steer the ship forward in justifying the need for responsible savings and responsible spending policies,” Nethercott said.
Rep. Tom Walters, R-Casper, who has served on the Legislature’s Joint Appropriations Committee since 2017, is among those who lost their reelection campaign this year. Walters said some investment accounts, such as the Permanent Mineral Trust Fund, are constitutionally protected. However, other reserve accounts, such as the Legislative Stabilization Reserve Account, are not protected in the state constitution, Walters said. He told WTE that this account is “highly liquid without protection.”
“You could spend it today,” Walters said.
About two-thirds of the LSRA, also known as the state’s “rainy day fund,” is required by law to be spent on education and loans, among other things. He said new lawmakers may not understand why certain spending policies were put in place and be unaware of the consequences of sudden changes in those policies.
“That’s where the institutional knowledge comes in,” Walters said. “We need to take a timeout and make sure we’re not overspending based on other liabilities that aren’t visible, because the liabilities aren’t necessarily visible when you look at the account balance.”
