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The problem solving, the power struggles and the priorities of the 68th Wyoming Legislative session.Starting January 10 — join Wyoming Public Media and WyoFile reporters every Friday for the Cheyenne Roundup, a weekly look at what’s happening in the Wyoming state house.Produced by Wyoming Public Media and WyoFile.

Cheyenne Roundup: Freedom Caucus-stacked committee proposes big budget cuts

Lawmakers are in the midst of deciding how much the state should spend on programs that impact people's lives across Wyoming — from wildfire recovery to energy projects to support for vulnerable children. WyoFile and Wyoming Public Radio compare what the governor recommended against what lawmakers cut, and where things go from here.

Lawmakers are in the midst of deciding how much the state should spend on programs that impact people's lives across Wyoming — from wildfire recovery to energy projects to support for vulnerable children. WyoFile and Wyoming Public Radio compare what the governor recommended against what lawmakers cut from this year’s supplemental budget, and where things go from here.

Maggie Mullen: This is the Cheyenne Roundup, a weekly look at Wyoming’s legislative session, from Wyoming Public Radio and WyoFile. I'm Maggie Mullen, WyoFile's state government and politics reporter, and with me is Wyoming Public Radio’s statehouse reporter, Chris Clements.

Chris Clements: So stoked to be here, Maggie, in the media room in the capitol's basement.

MM: We’re here recording at 9 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 31, and I'm glad you're stoked, because we're talking about the supplemental budget today. This is funding for programs and services that impact people's lives across Wyoming in numerous ways – we’re talking wildfire recovery, energy projects and emergency funds for local governments.

CC: The supplemental is meant for emergencies or special circumstances that come up after the two-year state budget becomes law. The Legislature has the final say on the budget, since it controls the state’s purse strings.

MM: The topline from the Freedom Caucus-stacked Joint Appropriations Committee’s proposal: They want to slash about $235 million from what Gov. Mark Gordon originally recommended. Of course, Gordon’s recommendations are based on what different government departments said they need to do their work.

CC: These proposed cuts aren't all that surprising, because Freedom Caucus-aligned lawmakers hold the majority of the seats on the Joint Appropriations Committee. Shrinking the state budget is a big Freedom Caucus talking point.

On a past Cheyenne Roundup episode, we talked about the interplay between the legislative and executive branches, and the supplemental budget can definitely be a point of tension. Maggie, you and I both reported on how the Appropriations Committee kicked off the budget process by adding in language that Gov. Gordon vetoed last year during the budget session.

MM: This seems like a good time for a little State Budget 101. In even-numbered years, lawmakers craft the state’s upcoming two-year budget, also known as a biennium budget. In odd-numbered years, as they are doing right now, lawmakers work on the supplemental budget, which, as the name implies, supplements the financial plan already in effect. For both budget processes, lawmakers begin by considering recommendations from the governor.

CC: But like we said, we’re seeing this year that lawmakers are revisiting the full budget passed last year, and also slipping some policy goals into the supplemental budget.

For example, there’s a bill that would give the Legislature more oversight of energy matching funds for large projects, but that piece of policy has found a home in the supplemental instead. And the committee undid Gordon’s veto of language around diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, so that those lines now mirror part of a DEI bill moving through the Senate. Also of note is that the committee’s work is being bogged down by first-time committee members not fully understanding the process.

MM: The committee’s overall inexperience was evident when on more than one occasion, they had to reconsider a vote after members voiced confusion over what they had just approved or rejected. At one point, Rep. Bill Allemand, (R-Midwest), voted both for and against his own motion.

Bill Allemand: I voted twice. I’m sorry.

MM: On another occasion, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Sen. Tim Salazar, a Riverton Republican with several years of experience on the panel, urged members to get up to speed.

Tim Salazar: This is too important to be voting and not knowing what we are voting on.

CC: To be fair, this is a confusing process, with lots of jargon. Despite those hiccups, though, they did get through it. Then the Legislative Service Office (LSO) put the budget into bill form. The committee unanimously sent it to both the House and the Senate for deliberations, totaling about $265.5 million.

MM: That process of working in separate chambers and then reconciling differences has a lot of moving parts, too. We’ll get there, but let’s take a deeper look at the cuts lawmakers are making to Gordon’s original recommendations.

CC: Let’s start with social services. Wyoming has long wrestled with one of the nation’s highest suicide rates. So Gordon asked lawmakers to increase the rates paid to behavioral health providers in his supplemental ask. But the committee struck that funding.

MM: Another issue that's top of mind is Wyoming's significant shortage of obstetric services, as WyoFile’s five-part Delivery Desert series detailed in 2023. The shortage has forced many families to go to extraordinary lengths to deliver babies, and fixing the problem has proven to be difficult for the state.

CC: Gordon wanted 2.4 million dollars to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for OB-GYNs, because Medicaid-funded births account for a third of all deliveries in the state.

Mark Gordon: Is there anyone here today who finds this situation acceptable? Is there anyone here today who prefers Wyoming's mothers and mothers-to-be not to have access to quality OB care? I certainly hope not.

CC: But the majority-male committee cut it, with no discussion whatsoever. I talked to Rep. Trey Sherwood (D-Laramie) after the vote.

Trey Sherwood: I am definitely disappointed with decisions around maternity care, seeing the governor’s recommendation denied for that when we have a shortage of providers in the state.

CC: Medicaid reimbursement rates was something the Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Committee considered over the summer, but ultimately didn’t draft a bill on it. Rep. Mike Yin (D-Jackson Hole) summed up that committee’s work on maternal health thusly:

Mike Yin: Maternity care was the number one issue for the labor and health committee this year, and we did literally nothing about it.

MM: One area where Gordon and the committee agreed on cuts was to the state’s child development centers. These centers act as preschool programs for children up to age 5 who are developmentally delayed or disabled. They provide free screenings and interventions to help prepare Wyoming kids for their K-12 education.

The Department of Health requested about $11.7 million for the centers. Gordon denied the request in his recommendations, but Sen. Mike Gierau, a Jackson Democrat, brought a motion to try to get the center’s $4 million. He said early intervention can save the state money in the long run.

Mike Gierau: By the time they get into the K-12 system, their needs are already identified, so they don’t have to spend more money to even just diagnose and then start a training regimen there.

MM: Even though the centers serve children in vulnerable positions, Gierau’s motion failed.

CC: So that's highlights from social services. Let's move on to fire recovery.

As we all know, last year was a big wildfire year – 850,000 acres burned, mostly on private and state land. Completely depleted the state’s wildfire accounts. Gordon has pointed out the finances of recovery are falling largely on landowners and counties, and federal resources just aren’t enough.

MM: Gordon asked the Legislature to add approximately $20 million to the Mineral Royalty Grants (MRG) program. That fund awards money to local governments and entities for emergencies that pose a direct and immediate threat to health, safety or welfare. The committee approved most of the governor’s request, but reduced it by about $5 million.

Why is that important? Special districts that deal with things like irrigation and weed and pest are eligible for MRG funds. So the reduction means fewer dollars available to them for things like cheatgrass mitigation or restoring watersheds.

Separate from the MRG funds, Gordon asked lawmakers for $130 million in grants for landowners and producers who are dealing with the damage of the fires. But lawmakers cut that down to $100 million and switched it to a loan program. Gordon says he has “grave concerns” about trying to get those funds out via loans, he says it’s just not feasible. And that’s what I also heard from a couple producers in Wheatland last Monday who were at an informational meeting for the funding.

CC: A third priority in this year’s supplemental is energy. This is an area where we’re seeing a growing split between the governor’s “all of the above” energy strategy versus the climate change denialism of some members of the Freedom Caucus.

MM: That’s right. The committee took aim at the governor’s Energy Matching Funds, striking about $100 million from the program, which is intended to leverage private and federal funds for energy projects, like carbon capture. Last year, the funds landed on the chopping block when lawmakers pushed back on Gordon's support for carbon capture. Some lawmakers opposed the governor having so much authority over these funds. Ultimately, a portion of the money made it into the final budget bill.

CC: This year, former Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. John Bear (R-Gillette) pushed the state to “move away from a carbon-negative position” when he motioned to strike the Energy Matching Funds. At the Governor’s Business Forum in Laramie this past fall, Bear talked about one day building a network of mini-coal fired power plants across the state, each powering their own grid.

Maggie:  Economic diversification was another sticking point.

Gordon requested about $5 million for the third and final phase of his Wyoming Innovation Partnership. It’s intended to build workforce resilience and boost the state’s economy.

Gordon’s ask was based on what lawmakers had recommended he do at the end of last year’s budget talks. Those funds were intended to help the program transition its education partners from state to private dollars. But the committee cut all but $200,000 from that $5 million. That money will cover an efficiency study of higher education.

CC: Bear also brought a successful amendment to cut the Wyoming Business Council’s Business Ready Community Grant and Loan Program by about $14 million. That would support local business’s infrastructure needs, things like water lines, sewer and roads.

But Gierau pushed back against the grant cuts, explaining that if the state is committed to diversifying the economy and supporting businesses then cutting these programs doesn’t make sense.

MM: We’ve just talked about items in the budget that have clear statewide implications. But there’s also items in there that are super specific to certain communities. Like, we heard from folks who care about historic buildings who are watching funding for the High Plains Arboretum. That was cut.

CC: There’s a lot in there. There’s a reason the budget book is so thick.

MM: The budget passed out of committee and now the House and Senate get to weigh in. The budget goes through three separate readings in each chamber between now, Jan. 31, and Feb. 7. This process opens up the possibility that the House and the Senate could pass different versions of the budget bill. If that happens, then the two chambers will have to negotiate on the differences and come to an agreement.

CC: Beyond the budget, lawmakers also need to keep their eye on bills that have their own price tags that are still in play.

MM: They sure do. That includes several property tax bills, such as one to use $125 million in General Fund dollars to reimburse local governments for lost revenue. Don Richards, the LSO’s budget and fiscal administrator, pointed out that non-budget bills could cost the state an additional $413 million if they all pass.

Thanks for listening to the Cheyenne Roundup, your weekly look at what lawmakers are up to during the 2025 legislative session from Wyoming Public Radio and WyoFile. New episodes drop every Friday throughout the session.

Editing and producing by Tennessee Watson and Nicky Ouellet. Follow our ongoing legislative coverage at wyomingpublicmedia.org and WyoFile.com. And thanks again for listening.

This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.

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