Response to a Nasty Mailer


 
 

On July 18th, you may have received a mailer from the WY Freedom PAC, a group created by the Freedom Caucus and to whom my opponent is beholden. This mailer exemplifies the caustic approach they bring to the legislature and illustrates their tendency to avoid accuracy, favoring inference and innuendo. If re-elected, my votes will remain fact-based, pragmatic, and focused on our district.

Let’s clear the air and dissect their claims - then you decide if I need to retire.

1.  The Claim: I “voted with the radical left to remove Trump from the ballot” with reference to HB0001 and footnote #1, which is page 9 of the proposed budget.

Response:  I support President Donald J Trump, as the Republican Party nominee, to appear on the ballot - and President Trump will appear on the ballot. That was never in question in the state of Wyoming. What I do not support are statewide elected officials wasting your hard-earned money, without oversight, on unnecessary lawsuits that do nothing more than make a political statement. More specifically, we required the Secretary of State to get legislative approval to spend state funds to start or participate in lawsuits outside of Wyoming, where the state and/or the Secretary of State is not a named party in the lawsuit.  Lack of oversight and frivolous spending on issues that aren’t directly associated with the responsibilities of a statewide elected official isn’t something I can stand behind. That’s just not how we do things in Wyoming.

2. The Claim:  I “Voted ‘NO’ – to stop Chinese Communists from owning land in Wyoming” with reference to the vote on SF0102 Foreign Property Ownership-critical infrastructure.

Response:  SF0102 was poorly crafted and impractical, and would have caused undue burden on County Clerks. Worse, it would have failed to protect our critical infrastructure from adversaries because it would have overwhelmed our county officials with unattainable expectations. It was a bad bill that would have led to bad outcomes.  

Instead I supported SF0077 - Homeland defense-infrastructure reporting and investigating, which addresses critical infrastructure security more effectively than SF0102 while not overburdening County Clerks and not damaging job and revenue-producing trona, oil and gas industries. Additionally, I am now serving on a Joint Appropriations Committee workgroup convened to develop legislation to address additional infrastructure security gaps. Wyoming’s critical infrastructure safety is extremely important to me - but so is good legislation that makes sense. Wyoming citizens understand and respect independent thought, and that’s exactly what I’m practicing in my continued efforts around this important topic. Blindly following “group think” isn’t who we are in Wyoming, but the WY Freedom Caucus believes it’s their way or the highway. I would recommend they avoid telling Wyomingites what to do, who they can talk to, work with, or how to think. That is NOT the Wyoming way.

3. The Claim: I “Voted ‘NO’ to stop illegal aliens from using their out-of-state driver’s licenses as ID” with reference to SF0120 Driver’s licenses – unauthorized alien restrictions.

Response:  This deceitful claim makes it sound like I support illegal aliens voting in our elections. Nothing could be further from the truth. As a citizen’s legislature often there isn’t enough time to bring every bill to the floor, especially during a Budget Session, which only provides one month for legislators to review, debate, and vote for Wyoming laws. The only vote this bill received was on its priority relative to other, more pressing legislation. I voted “no” to moving it to a different committee so we could instead work on bills that had a more direct impact on you, the residents of our great state.

4. The Claim:  I “Voted ‘NO’ to cap property tax increase at 4%’ referring to HB0045- Property tax exemption-residential structures and land, but more specifically an obscure amendment to this bill, rather than the bill generally.

Response:  I am a co-sponsor of this bill which was passed into legislation by a unanimous vote in the House, and I was present for that vote.  The claim of a “NO ”vote to capping property tax is patently false.  Instead, this claim digs into a vote on a minor amendment, which failed.  The final vote on the bill included a 4% cap, and I voted AYE. Playing games with votes and spinning stories to smear opposing candidates on minor amendments to score political points is a sad commentary on how the WY Freedom Caucus attacks its fellow legislators. Again, not a Wyoming way of doing things.

Four claims, each misleading at best and purposely false at worst.  The bright side: if these are the most concerning claims that the WY Freedom PAC could tabulate against my work in the legislature, then I think it’s clear that my good work for this district is moving the state forward overall.  What is also clear is that the WY Freedom PAC would appear to endorse a candidate that wants to expand the scope and costs of state government (Claim 1); bring additional Federal government oversight into the lives of private Wyoming citizens (Claim 2); increase costs to the State through a longer legislative session and/or follow the rules only when it benefits them personally (Claim 3); and lie to get what they want (Claim 4). 

The flier asks who I represent.  I represent you - proud, independent, and free thinking Wyoming citizens of Fremont County. Not the Freedom Caucus. When I arrive in Cheyenne I’m not beholden to out-of-county or out-of-state interests.  I don’t isolate myself, and avoid tough debates or conversations - even with people whose ideals may differ from mine. I vote for what is in the best interests of the people I represent. I vote for you. The question I ask of you is this: will you vote for me, or for the unethical spin and group-think of the WY Freedom Caucus?

The Night Before Election

 
 

The night before election Ahaa!  I was in Casper today for the Capital Finance and Investment Committee (Cap Fin) in Casper.  We put the finishing touches on a couple of bills that will allow the State Treasurer to get a greater return on our state investments by removing some of the legislative obligations to our permanent funds allowing more of the corpus to be invested for a longer period and not be treated the same as “cash”.  We are doing this by creating some reserve accounts and funding them to the level where they can cover obligations that previously relied on corpus income to cover.  We also drafted a resolution to our Congressional delegation to amend Wyoming’s “Act of Admission” as a state redefining how income generated on state lands to include earning, and not just interest.

 

I would like to thank everyone for the words of encouragement, help, and contributions in this re-election effort.  I’ve knocked on a lot of doors and visited with a lot of people, which is something I really enjoy. I’ve appreciated the candor of the conversations and found them invigorating.  The strength of Wyoming is her people.  

I have had a number of people ask  questions on the constitutional amendments, and I encourage you to vote for them.  We currently require our judges to retire at age 70, and many are able willing, and eager to continue to serve in that capacity.  One of the amendments would extend the mandatory retirement age to 75.  We are younger today at 75 than our grandparents were fifty years ago. The other amendment would allow the State Treasurer to invest the local government funds entrust by cities, towns, counties, and other political subdivisions to him in the WYOSTAR 1 and WYOSTAR 2 funds in a more prudent diversified manner.  Allowing for a portion of these funds to be invested in stocks and other securities in addition to bonds or short-term cash type investments which is where these funds are currently invested.

 

As you vote tomorrow, I would appreciate your vote.

Thank You. 

Committee Work and LWV Forum

 
 

Oct 7, 2022

This morning I was asked by the Governor’s office to join Director Stefan Johansson from the Department of Health and the Governor’s staff for a 7:00 a.m. meeting with Jonathan Blum the Chief Operating Officer from the Office of the Administrator at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and his staff on the missed opportunities Wyoming has in providing better healthcare coverage in Wyoming because of rules and regulations put in place that does not take into consideration the population and landscape of Wyoming.  I thought the meeting was productive in that they acknowledged their lack of understanding regarding health care in Wyoming.  We hope to have a follow-up meeting to include driving them around the state so they can understand the challenges we face compared to the east coast.

I moved from the CMS meeting to the Labor and Health Committee meeting also being held in the Capitol Building to report on the progress of the behavioral health redesign assigned to the Mental Health sub-committee that I am the Co-chairman of.  We have been working on this task since May with the Department of Health and community mental health providers around the state.  This subcommittee has put into place a pilot for deliverables and funding allocations to align with the new policy to focus state funds for mental health on priority populations.  The pilot should let us know of any changes that need to take place before the change goes into effect in 2024.

I drove back to Lander for a election forum hosted by the League of Women’s Voters at the Fremont County Library in the evening.  I was very impressed with the turn out and the questions generated by the League of Women’s Voters and the questions asked by the audience.  The event gave me a great opportunity to explain my position on and my understanding of issues we are currently faced with in Wyoming.

It takes a lot of work to put this kind of event in place.  I appreciate the invitation to participate and the follow-up communications regarding the details of the forum extended to me and Mr. Martin. Thanks to the League of Women’s Voters, and I might add that Emily Tilden is a great moderator, but that is because she is a great person.

You can watch the forum on the YouTube link here: https://youtu.be/Mygv1F3RXsw

Kiwanis Meeting in Lander

 
 

Today I had the opportunity to address the Kiwanis at their weekly meeting.  The side conversations at the table where I was setting during lunch confirmed to me that folks in Fremont County are in tune to the events impacting Wyoming.

I shifted some prepared thoughts to provide more detail to those attending on impacts to our state revenues when the prices of commodities like coal, natural gas and oil move up and down.   I brought them up to date on the progress on Natrium’s nuclear demonstration project in Kemmerer, and visited briefly on the potential development of hydrogen.   The remainder of the time was informing the group on our legislative efforts to address the mental health challenges we have across the state.  I updated them on the progress of the behavioral health redesign efforts impacting our community mental health centers to provide services to priority populations plagued with mental health challenges.  I also shared with them our efforts to develop a policy to define the state’s role to provide mental health service to adolescent kids with high behavioral needs.

I appreciate very much the opportunity to inform people about all the things we are doing to move the state forward, thanks Kiwanis for the invitation!

Energy Council Meeting

 
 

As a member of the Energy Council’s Executive Committee I attended the Council’s annual meeting September 15-18 in San Antonio, Texas.  Wyoming is well represented as one of 14 states and two Canadian provinces sending legislators to meet and discuss energy issues impacting their respective states, and to collaborate on efforts to effect change.

An example of efforts we work together on is a resolution I prepared over the past three months after the Energy Council meeting in Kansas when we were informed the Department of Interior still has not adopted a policy that would share revenues with states where federal lands are used for wind and solar projects.  The federal government has historically shared 49% of the royalties generated from minerals such as coal, natural gas, and oil with the states where the royalties are generated.  States are impacted from wind and solar generation as well and it seems appropriate the revenues generated from these projects be shared with states as well. The resolution was adopted and will be delivered to members of congress and Secretary of Interior, Deb Haaland.

 

The Energy Council also spent time at this annual meeting to discuss the following issues:

1.     New Technologies in energy

2.     Reliability Challenges for RTOs and ISOs

3.     Critical Infrastructure Weatherization

4.     ESG Effects on Financing the Energy Industry

5.     Wildfire Risks and Relief

6.     Baseload Generation

7.     Load Following Power Plants

8.     Federal Energy Policy

9.     Advances in Carbon Capture

10. The Changing Landscape for Transportation

11. Non-variable Renewable Energy

Judicial Conference

 
 

I was asked by the Wyoming Department of Health director Stefan Johansson to join him and Dr. David Carrington who serves as the Chief Medical Officer at the Wyoming State Hospital to make a presentation at the request of Chief Justice Kate Fox to the judges attending the annual judicial conference in Casper today (Sept 14, 2022). Our assignment was to provide an update on the efforts made by the legislature and the Dept. of Health to establish a policy for the State Hospital and the Wyoming Life Resource Center to reflect the role of state government for the services these facilities provide to the citizens of the state. They were also interested in the implementation of the behavioral health redesign underway from the bill I sponsored two years ago to prioritize mental health services to populations often impacted by the judicial system. Forensic and civil commitments are a challenge to the judicial system, our counties and local resources. Prioritizing the resources to help divert people away from correctional facilities and the state hospital, and to provide services to individuals release from these same facilities provides a better foundation for them to stand on.

Our Community Mental Health Centers have been the key stakeholders in the implementation of this change. I appreciate the work from people like Scott Hayes from Fremont Counseling in this effort, it has been a “big lift”.

Joint Appropriations Committee

 
 

Today we had Joint Appropriations Committee in Casper. The agenda was full with detailed conversation between the committee and:

  • The Gaming Commission of propose gaming rule and statute changes

  • The Dept. of A&I on state employee compensation and health insurance

  • State Lands and Investments on state loan programs

  • Enterprise Technology Services on Agency Recommendations for the structure of their agency and a how to incorporate the responsibility of a statewide GIS also into that agency.

We also had a long conversation and debate on streamlining the School Capital Construction Account to make the funding of education more transparent and the funding easier to understand.

Coming off Beaver Rim about 9:00 p.m. I met an extremely impressive bull elk standing in the middle of the road. I went around him then turned around and watched him for a minute or two. It was a nice way to end the day putting in perspective why all of the time spent on the issues of the state are important.

September 11, 2022 Commemoration

Sunday Becky and I attended the 21 st anniversary commemoration of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and heroic sacrifices made by the passengers on flight 93. Thanks to the American Legion Post #33, VFW Post #954, the City of Lander and Fremont County for organizing the event and who once again rekindled the flame of patriotism in those who attended.

Michelle Motherway’s testimony on the courage and selfless sacrifice exercised by Emergency Medical responders, firemen, and law enforcement officers was profound. Prayers may sometimes be overlooked at an event like this one, but not today, Todd Wurth really did express all our feelings to God.

If you missed this event, please put it on your calendar for next year. You will get goose bumps when the pipers play while the fire department swings our flag into position and helicopters pass by.

I just makes you proud

Patti and Kasi Hessling singing the Star Spangled Banner just makes you stand a little taller.

Capital Expenditures for Fremont County

Riverton High School is one of the only high schools in the state without an auditorium, the school was built at the time when construction was funded locally and the planned auditorium was deleted from the project in a cost saving decison.  Fremont county legislators have been trying for three years to set aside enough funds in the budget or capital constructions bill to build an auditorium at the school, these attempts were unsuccessful when we didn’t pass a capital construction bill a couple of years ago and last year when we thought American Recue Plan Act (ARAP) funds could be used to fund the auditorium’s construction only to receive US Treasury guidance prohibiting  the use of those funds for that purpose.  This year when the Joint Appropriations Committee (JAC), where I serve as one of the committee members, started the budget hearings I worked with the Select Committee on School Facilities to make sure they had again included the auditorium as part of their budget request.  As the budget bill moved through the legislative process, we were able to keep the auditorium in place and I am please to report that Fremont County School District #25 will now have the funding to add an auditorium to the High School. 

I also worked with Superintendent Flanagan to ensure the funds previously withheld in the capital construction bill for the remediation of the Tonken property was put back in and allows the district to move forward with the demolition efforts on that property, which would reduced the major maintenance burden on the district for those buildings.

There is also good news for the longtime efforts at Central Wyoming College to get funding to build on their property in Jackson.  This funding effort has also encounter numerous detours over the past several years, but with the help of the Jackson legislators Senator Mike Gierau, and Representative Andy Schwartz who serve with me on the JAC we kept the funding in place this year and look forward to the enhanced presence of the college in Teton County.

Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Fund

When the Joint Appropriations Committee, which I set on contemplated what types of investment we should as a committee recommend to our legislative colleagues for the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds we were able to use as replacement funds for lost state revenue due to the COVID pandemic, we concluded we should recommend investment in savings or projects that would impact the state for generations to come.  With that vision and following on Governor Gordon’s recommendation we too recommended a deposit of $75-million dollars be put in the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Fund (WWNRT).

Investment revenue from this fund has been used year after year to protect landscapes and wildlife throughout the state.  It is not uncommon to have these funds leveraged at a 7:1 ratio.  When initially established the goal was to have $200-million-dollars in this permanent fund.  We have been adding to this fund as we felt appropriate, and at the end of 2021 it had a balance of $115-million-dollars.

The $75-million-dollar funding effort was included in the budget bill. There were some who disagreed to further fund the WWNRT and tried to remove it from the budget, I was proud to defend the funding effort in the House floor debate.

I am please to report our effort was successful and with this additional $75 million the WWNRT is almost fully funded.

Wyoming Life Resource Center and Behavioral Analysis

Last November, Jeremy Forbis the superintendent at the Wyoming Life Resource Center (WLRC) expressed concern to me that due to a gap in the Wyoming statutes his ability to recruit behavioral analysts (BCBA) had hit a road block.  Behavioral analysts help people with behavioral challenges cope in their environments, and are essential in helping those at the WLRC, the Wyoming State Hospital (WSH) adapt to their environment.  School districts use BCBA’s to help develop individual education plans (IEP) for students in special education.  BCBA’s who traditionally have a master’s degree in counseling, psychology, or social work have been providing services in the state of decades and have provided this service without the need to be licensed professionally because the state had never required it, although most other states do have a licensure requirement.  When a search of the state’s statutes revealed that the only reference to behavioral analysis was found in the Psychologist’s Act it was determined only those who were Doctors of Psychology could provide behavioral analysis.  This determination created a significant number of problems.

Responding to Superintendent Forbis’s concern, after Thanksgiving I reached out to the Board of Psychology and found they were aware of the problem and felt it needed to be corrected, so through the month of December I worked with the Board of Psychology and their association, the association for Board Certified Behavioral Analysts, the Wyoming Dept. of Health, and the State Board of Education to create a practice act for the BCBA’s in the psychologist’s act.  This was a vigorous effort by all who participated that resulted in House Bill 0110, which was passed into law during the budget session.  The passing of this bill provides the ability for BCBA’s to be licensed to practice in the state with the traditional educational requirements for that profession.

Capacity Purchase Agreement - ARPA Funding

Prior to the 2022 legislative session the Fremont County legislators were invited by the Riverton Chamber of Commerce to meet with Fremont County businesses and local government representatives and to discuss pending legislative issues important to them.  In that meeting Kyle Butterfield and Missy White made note of the huge improvement in the air service to Fremont County and attributed the improvement largely to the Capacity Purchase Agreement (CPA) through the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) with state general funds to increase passenger retention within the state.  They also noted the impact on those funds as a result of the COVID pandemic which resulted of less people flying nationally from the middle of March 2020 through December of 2021, this decline required an accelerated use of the CPA funds to keep those flights in place in Campbell, Sheridan, Fremont, and Sweetwater counties.  Kyle noted that these funds were eligible for reimbursement through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) but were not included in the legislature’s ARPA funding bill which was SF0066, which is a bill that came out of the Appropriations Committee where I serve as a committee member.  

Following the meeting in Riverton I reached out to all of the legislators in the impacted counties to see if they were interested in helping me put the State’s portion of the eligible CPA funds in the ARPA bill as an amendment.

I am please to announce that Gillette’s Senator Jeff Wasserburger moved the amendment in the Senate which was adopted, and the House of Representatives also kept the $8,832058.00 in place and is now available to continue funding of the CPA and insure air service to Fremont County Residents.

Summary of Amendment A in the 2020 Election

Amendment A to be considered in the 2020 General Election

And explanation by Representative Lloyd Larsen of Lander

This year voters will be considering an amendment to our State’s constitution that would remove a required 4% cap on the amount of debt a city, town, or sewer district is allowed to incur for repair, modification, replacement, or construction of new sewer systems.  The 4% is based on the assessed value of the taxable property therein.

In 2017 Lander’s mayor Del McOmie explained some of the challenges the city faced in its effort to replace outdated sewer systems as a result of restrictions laid out in our constitution.  Due to the insufficiencies of the 4% indebtedness cap, cities and towns often face an inability to fully fund efforts to expand, maintain, and upgrade existing sewer systems.  In some cases, projects become all the more expensive out of the need for contractors to mobilize and demobilize resources in response to available funds.

When drafting Wyoming’s constitution its framers placed limitations on the amount of debt a city or town could incur in Article 16, Section 5, and set that amount at 2% of the assessed value of the city or town’s taxable property (this amount was later changed to 4%).  In further deliberation, concern was raised that if a city or town was in need of sewer or water supply infrastructure the requirements of such a project could exceed the municipality’s previously set limit on debt and obstruct a municipality from providing services to the citizens of the community. An amendment was proposed to allow an additional 4% indebtedness by the city or town for the construction of sewerage, and an additional 4% for supplying water.

After some consideration John K. Jeffrey of Laramie said, “I am in favor of the general provisions of this section, but there is one question that I want to get the sense of this convention upon.  That is whether it is well to limit the indebtedness that may be incurred for building water works or sewers to four per cent? If a city or town needs water works or sewers and has not a sufficient amount of money to build a proper system, this four per cent indebtedness might be of no more benefit than none at all—.”  Mr. Jeffrey then proposed an amendment to remove the indebtedness limitations for sewerage projects and supplying drinking water.

John A. Riner from Cheyenne, who later served as a Federal Judge, opposed the waiver proposed in the amendment, and suggested that cities and towns have the ability to levy an additional tax above the 4% debt limit for the construction of sewerage, and therefore suggested the 4% cap be left in place.

Charles Burritt, an attorney from Buffalo, vocally supported Mr. Jeffrey’s amendment for exempting water supply from the debt cap but felt a cap should stay in place for sewerage. In his comments Mr. Burritt stated, “I second the motion of Mr. Jeffrey, but am opposed to so much of that motion as refers to sewerage.  The matter of sewerage can be got around, but that rule cannot be made to apply to a system of water works.  Suppose a city has to go twenty miles to get a supply of water, how are you going to assess the property then?  Take the city of Buffalo, the contract for its water supply will run out in three years, and at the end of that time, they may have to go back into the mountains to secure a supply somewhere, and if our city should increase in it assessable property at double the ratio it has for the last four years, we would not be able to raise enough money on a four per cent indebtedness to  the water out of the mountains and past Fort McKinney.  In the matter of water works I don’t think that there should be any limit, but that should be left to the people, when they want water they want it bad, and the tax payers should be able to say whether they are willing to contract a debt to build its water works.  Estimates made of bringing water to the city of Buffalo from a suitable place in the mountains fixed the cost at about forty thousand dollars.  Under this we wouldn’t be able to get that water halfway.”

The Jeffrey Amendment failed but Mr. Burritt brought back an amendment keeping the allowance of an additional 4% indebtedness for sewerage projects and exempting projects supplying water from any debt restriction.  This amendment passed and established the basis for cities and towns to incur debt for both sewerage and water projects. 

Changes were made to this section of the State constitution in 1919, 1953, and 1961.  The 1961 constitutional amendment changed the language from “for the purpose of building sewerage therein” to “for sewage disposal systems”.  Sewerage, referring to the infrastructure necessary for the draining of sewers, had evolved to much more complex systems than just the installation of pipe set at a grade allowing for proper drainage to a collection site.  The new term allows for the complexity of systems required for use as our population grew and environmental concerns became a critical component of sewer system design.

There have also been some Wyoming Supreme Court decisions on this matter. In the 1950 case Laverents v Cheyenne, the Court ruled “To constitute a debt within the intendment of Article 16, Section 5 it must be payable in whole or in part, out of the general resources of the municipality. That would include taxes, and revenue derived from sources other than the system for which the bonds in question are issued.”  There is a 1957 decision allowing application of the debt limitation to sanitary districts and sewer districts falling outside the geographic boundary and jurisdiction of a city or town. In the 1966 Rodin v. State decision the Supreme Court supported a lower court ruling in 1938 (Anselmi v. Rock Springs) to include storm sewer as well as sanitary sewer to the limitation put in place by the constitution.

During the 2018 Legislative Session, and after some examination of the matter, I sponsored a Joint Resolution with Senator Eli Bebout to place a constitutional amendment on the 2020 General Election Ballot which proposed to remove the required indebtedness cap and through the legislative process allow lawmakers to use flexibility to determine adjustments to city’s and town’s indebtedness cap as circumstances require.  This Joint Resolution passed the legislature exceeding the required 2/3 vote, indicating the legislature’s support of the change.

Why change the constitution?

Had the framers anticipated the sewerage requirements of 1889 would one day become complex engineering and technological undertakings--guided by modern-day consumer expectation, governed by stringent environmental requirements--that perhaps would benefit from the flexibility of lawmaker response, I have no doubt John. K. Jeffrey’s amendment exempting both water and sewer systems from the constitutional debt cap would have passed.

I encourage voters to pass Amendment A.

Garden Tea and Joining Together

 
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I was invited to attend one of the premier social events of 2020, the Larsen granddaughter’s 4th of July Tea Party, held at Becky’s newly renovated garden. The event was hosted by Millie Dayton, Annabelle Larsen, Ada Martineau and Ella Martineau, the ladies were gracious and elegant and were eager to engage in a conversation on current affairs.  We discussed the fiscal challenges facing Wyoming, why Mille’s dog in Cokeville doesn’t have a tail, how do worms see without eyes, and the impacts of COVID-19 on the businesses of Wyoming.  They stood firm with their opinions but we all agreed that this years refreshment of chocolate milk provided by Amanda Larsen was superb and all agreed to participate in an effort to secure her recipe  

The 4th of July is the Larsen family’s favorite holiday, and this year we are grateful that all of our six children and our 15 grandchildren (2 more on the way) are visiting us.  We have enjoyed robust conversations on government and the role of government in our lives.  I am proud that my children and their spouses have opinions on these important matters.  We are grateful to live in in this great nation and vow to labor to protect the values that has allowed our nation to set the standard for other nations to follow.

I was also reading today on the number of businesses in the state and in Fremont County benefitting from the funds provided through the CARES act by our legislature to address the impacts of the COVID-19 restrictions.  I am please that these funds have gone to businesses in our community and hope they are able to make a difference in their ability to move forward through these challenging times.

I am currently Co-chairing a legislative work group on mental health services provided by the state in Wyoming with the intent that the group report back to the Joint Appropriations and Joint Labor Committees with recommendations on ways to improve the process and give more direction on how these programs should be funded and the populations they should serve.  Our next meeting will be on July 8th, it will be a “Zoom” meeting broadcast live through YouTube.

We also have a Joint Appropriations Committee on July 13th and 14th, this too will be a remote online broadcast that can be view via YouTube.

With the Primary elections coming up in August my first event will be on Friday evening July 10th and the invitation of the Fremont County Republican Women and the park on Federal Ave. in Riverton.  These ladies have invited all Republicans running for state wide Senate and Congressional seats as well as those of us running for the state legislature.  I hope those of you reading will be able to attend, the event starts with a BBQ and time for all candidates to present their case.  I look forward to more events and the chance to visit with the constituents of House District 34.

My best wishes to everyone on this 4th of July!!

COVID-19 and the CARES Act for Wyoming

 
 

I have been receiving a significant number of emails and calls wanting to know when and how the restrictions put in place as a response to the COVID19 outbreak.  The opinions for relaxing the restrictions and for keeping the restrictions in place were all presented with passion and relevant perspective.  I know the local business owners spend their nights rolling over in their minds what few options they have left to keep their various enterprises alive.  Our health care professionals in light of 4 local deaths and an increased number of confirmed cases now at 51 must too be evaluating the few options they have available to insure public safety.   Our county emergency health coordinators under the direction of our county commissioners and Dr. Brian Gee our county health office are trying to find a balance for Fremont County’s need to save the economy and save lives. 

Governor Mark Gordon has in my opinion shown the leadership skills that won our confidence when we elected him as our governor.  He resisted pressure from the White House to place more restrictions on the state, placing his confidence in our professionals on the ground in Wyoming to give him the information he needs to make decisions.  In my conversations with Governor Gordon over the last three weeks I have found him to be open to any suggestions but then taking those suggestions and weighing them all the other information he has available.  We will see restrictions being lifted as appropriate with plans in place by May 1st. Because the impact of this virus varies greatly across the state, the Governor will rely on recommendations from our county officials on what and how restrictions in their county will be removed.  I support that approach and again express my faith and confidence in our county commissioners and county health officials.

I have visited the hospital here in Lander a couple of times with one extensive tour of how the Sage West administrations and staff have adapted their facility in preparation for a “worst case” scenario.  They have certainly thought outside the traditional box to realign space, beds, and supplies to maximize those resources.  They have been able to call on their national resources for supplies to give relief here in Fremont County.

I have been working with other legislators and the executive branch in an effort to address the enormous revenue shortfall Wyoming if facing, and as well trying to determine how to best use the money coming into the state from the federal CARES Act.  A week ago on Saturday morning as I sat at my kitchen table making a spread sheet to categorize and rank various suggestions for the use of these federal dollars, I look out the kitchen window and noticed several local citizens gathered on the corner visiting about life.  I pondered what they  must be thinking and what they would do if they were in my position.  I decided to find out, and so I approached them, introduced myself and shared with them what I was working on and then started asking them to share their thoughts and opinions on our current situation.  It was fun and what I was most pleased about was that their thoughts aligned with the thoughts and suggestions that I and my legislative colleagues have developed.

Is there a new normal on the horizon for us here in Wyoming?  I don’t know, I have never had a very good understanding of what normal is to begin with.  I do believe that Wyoming as a whole will adjust and resume.  I look forward to what the future brings.

COVID-19 in Lander

Life has been very interesting since being home from the legislative session. On the day I prepared to return to Lander, Governor Gordon met with me to visit about his concerns on the COVID 19 virus and the impact it could possibly have on the state. 

That was only one week ago and I am astounded at the global impacts the virus has had, and no more than we have felt it in the health of the people of Lander.  I can’t say enough good things about our County Commissioners, our County Emergency Coordinator, and the Lander City officials, they have been diligent and flexible through this challenge.  The Governor, his staff, the Department of Health Or Homeland Security have called everyday with updates or inquiring about local issues.

I have real concerns for our local business owners and our health care providers, please do all you can to thank and support them.

If I were given a crystal ball and could have known ahead of time the impact this would have, I can’t think of a better place to be, or  better people to be with than here in Lander.

Please contact me if you have questions about the state’s plans or suggestions you might have.

Joint Conference Committee

 
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I spent the last week as part of the Joint Conference Committee representing the House to work with the Senate to work out the difference we had in the Budget bill.  Some days our negotiations weren’t progressing as well as one would hope, so it required a deep breath and a brief look out the window from my seat in the Appropriation Committee room to look down Capital Street at the train station.  It is a great view and it allowed a reminder of why we work hard to make the best decisions for Wyoming.