Capitol Outlook

The 50 nights Wyoming state legislature is getting down to work in China again for a grueling eight weeks in which they'll decide which colleges and which college students get funding. Tax cuts for power plants or tax cuts for power bars childcare or welfare. We'll hear about these and other issues from Wyoming's legislative leaders on Capitol outlook. Up next. Hello to our viewers. This is Wyoming Public Television's capital outlook. I'm Jeff and Kara coming to you from Cheyenne. It's the first week of the fifty ninth Wyoming legislature and there are 17 new and 73 experienced members of the Wyoming Senate and House of Representatives. They have eight weeks to work their way through hundreds of bills that have already been filed in this first week was spent framing the big picture of the state government that continues a multi-year run of budget surpluses and how we spend those surpluses cautiously said the legislature's leaders with an eye to the future.

The new speaker of the house Royko he stressed building the infrastructure of the state its highways its schools a more diverse economy while continuing to put some of the extra revenue into savings in the permanent mineral trust fund. But there are words of caution to warnings that a drop in natural gas prices and the severance taxes the gas generates is chipping away at the budget surplus that excess money above and beyond what is already committed in the states to your budget has dropped to perhaps a mere 500 million. Governor Dave Frieden falter in his sails a bit when he heard of that projection but in his State of the State Address on Wednesday he encouraged legislators to spend on highways child care and research into clean coal technology and other energy innovations. He talked about Wyoming's future and the various futures it might face. If you're going to have an economy that will support me and support many of us in this room as we grow older and that they'll be key services available we're going to have to have an economy that invites young people and young families to come to this state and they invite young

people and young families that we want to retain in this state. For if we do not have a climate in which those who seek not just to hold on to the wealth they've got. But seek to create wealth. If we don't have that climate we will simply become a retirement community with the vestiges of it in an energy industry that has moved on. For now though it's the legislators who must work in the trenches and they get right to it. Here are just a couple of topics that heated up in the first week and a domain was fanned by a vigorous lobbying campaign led by a group called landowners Association of Wyoming. The property owners expressed fear that their lands could too easily be harmed or taken away. Under current Wyoming law allowing government to take land with compensation for the common public good. This can include streets reservoirs and power lines. But recent court rulings in other states suggest that governments might also have the power to take private land and turn it over to other private property owners are asking the

legislature for more protection. And the House Education Committee with a lot of new members met to talk about the rules governing how the way scholarships. The Hathaways scholarships are only a year old but already they're closed. Hundred kids getting help from the program at the University of Wyoming and more at community colleges. The legislators must decide what standards future students will have to meet to get a scholarship will C-plus average be enough. We need to learn a foreign language so the first week is over. Legislators have moved into their homes away from home for the next eight weeks. That's often a motel room. They've risen early for coffee and conversation and committee meetings stayed awake through lengthy introductions of bills read literally hundreds of those bills and weathered a crowded evening schedule of receptions where they get lobbied fed and given things like well this I'm going to show it because you can't tell what it supports. But you're not thrown into this cauldron entirely unprepared. In recent years the old pros here in Cheyenne have created a school for the

newcomers in which they can learn the ropes from the complex process of shaping a budget to the proper decorum when addressing a committee chair. David Madison joins us with a report. There are 17 totally green freshman legislators this year in Wyoming and during three days of freshman orientation they're given tips on how to turn their ambition into successful legislation. You. Don't know much. I represent House District 5 which is Goshen and Platt counties mostly rural Goshen and black counties. I'm 23 years old and this is my first my first run for public office. And it's been quite an experience. But I'm looking forward to the upcoming session. The Wyoming legislature is a citizens legislature and so it's very important for those of us that are new to be able to have the ability to get up to speed on some of the issues that are affecting the state of

Wyoming and some of the issues that we'll be dealing with also we're going to be covering a lot of procedural things in the next few days and that's really what the purpose of this school is is to enable those folks to hit the ground running so to speak to step out with confidence and went out and begin work immediately. But it doesn't take long to get on board I mean to figure out because you'll get you'll get told you know don't do that and I mean that's what part of this training is for is that you know time to ask questions is now a parade of experts answer questions about ethics decorum and where to get the best advice if you will. If there are. Veteran legislators also share their experience including Senator Jim Anderson who was appointed temporary speaker of the house the very first day he set foot in the Capitol. At first when I saw my name on the script I thought that somebody was joking with me. No joke. This is Wyoming State politics the last.

You know you're right you're right. I mean this is exactly this. You get all pumped in to get ready to get in a game and you know you listen to the issue and and boy something comes across the floor and that's something you know something about and used oftentimes you can jump up and go to the microphone. You all tensed up to go and sometimes if you start you might draw a blank. And then you've got people that are talking all the time so it's about balance it's about you know learning about each thing that you're voting on about the process and you know the people you can trust and count on for good advice. And if you do that I think you'll get respect. And I don't think it takes very long at all. To have some clout. OK. Here's what else you learn in orientation where to make a quiet phone call where to find a snack where they keep the little sticky door stop for accessing the smokers hang out on the fire escape.

And when it comes to escaping the lobby outside the house chambers a place known as Ambush Alley because it's where lobbyists and constituents lie and wait. Here's a valuable tip. And so rather than go out and face that that crowd quite often it's been known that you take the stairs up into the upper balcony quickly step out into the upper lobby which doesn't have as nearly as many people and it gets the elevator quickly downstairs into the basement and make your way out. Wyoming's freshman legislators have chosen to insert themselves into the fray and help shape public policy orientation offers a user's manual. Now it's time to get to work. Thank you David for that. You know I found over the years that it's sometimes a little hard to get politicians to talk about vision at least in Wyoming so that I thought I'd have my best shot at it by getting all the leadership from this year's legislature here and we're going to give it a shot.

So let me introduce you beginning with Senator John Schaeffer of Casey the new president of the Senate. Welcome. Thank you Jeff. To his left we have represented Marty Martin of Rock Springs the minority leader from the house. Thanks for being here. And to his left from Evanston Senator Kandahar in the Senate's Democratic minority leader. Nice to be here Jeff. Good to have you here. And finally on my right the speaker of the house the new speaker of the house Royko he can't drink with me Jack. You bet. So it's cold enough that we don't have to talk about global warming I guess tonight we can get some of the Wyoming topics that we've got. It's not a budget year. But I find that when I come down here we often start talking about money right away so let's do a little of that. First I think we ought to give viewers an idea of the fiscal situation of the state now as you guys see it and since you're president will pretend you're president of a bank Senator Schiffer and ask you to begin with that. Well Jeff you know we're very lucky in this state. We're in wonderful financial shape. We dropped in the projections somewhere around 250 million dollars that we had projected we would but it would have just by medium that went

away with it with a lower price of natural gas. And we still got 500 million dollars over and above what our biennial budget calls for. So that's a pretty good place to be. I'd gives us a lot of maneuvering room and and perhaps a lot of places we can move money and have the ability to do it. I think I've been hearing caution really as long as I've been coming down or even in these years these boom years and I'm wondering if that drop in the projected revenues is affecting anyone's ability to put forth new ideas for how to spend it and we can go right around the table represented. MARTIN Well Jeff Like I said I do believe that there's some caution in what the members in the house. When you start to see a decrease like that is it going to continue. You know some of the things you would ask Are we moving into a cycle. But you know Alternately we still we still have areas and issues in this state that we need to. And I hope that during the session and during the budget session

that we still continue with that investment in the state and the residents and I guess there's always people coming down with ideas for how to spend money. So what are you hearing and what's at the top of the list in terms of how you might spend some of the surplus. We'll start with represented Cody. We hear all kinds of things. There's workforce development which includes the 40 million dollar package for workforce housing you know making the sales tax exemption on food per minute is somewhere around 40 million dollars a year. The budget itself I mean you know we are in October we had 800 million seven hundred fifty million dollars expected surplus now it's down to somewhere around 450 million dollars which includes 100 million dollars that were left to me when we left and last March we now have somewhere around eight hundred fifty million dollars worth of expenditures and Bill proposals. And so you know we have twice as many requests for money as if we as we actually have said it would cover it would you would you want to start setting the priorities for what will get that money.

Well Jeff I think that part of it has to be cities towns and counties and we have to invest in the in the people of the state of Wyoming. I think there's a lot of ways to do that I think it starts all the way going back to quality child care starting helping you know children when they start into the school system and then making. Plan so that you can have affordable housing. There are proposals to do that so that when people can still have that American dream of owning their own home I think it's crucial that we have good roads to drive on and good infrastructure in those cities. I mean if you can build the houses you're going to need that. So I mean I think there are a lot of very important things out there that that we're going to have to focus on when we talk about these expenditures though especially with the surplus. We often talk about them being maybe one time expenditures in that ongoing litigation and so I was this in the list I was like well childcare that sounds like an ongoing obligation. Do you worry about that.

In other words about committing the state to something that's going to have to be spent again and again to get a loan of worry is the right word but I am you know obviously aware that it's an ongoing source of funding that will need to move forward. However that proposal comes out I mean you know what you always start it at one place and very seldom I found out through my years in the legislature d end up at that dollar figure. It doesn't make it any less important I think. You know out of the way I look at child care is it's one of those key components to economic development I mean if you're not going to have child care you know then you have when you have working families you have parents who are worried about where they're going to be able to put their kids while they're going to the job and what's going to go on with their children. You know and it really kind of spirals out from that place I mean you know if they can't find quality childcare. A lot of these workers that we're trying to attract into the state to do some of these jobs they're not going to bring families with them and I think that's just kind of as an effect that that kind of cascades through our system.

And there was mention of tax cuts and of course we talk about tax cuts. We're talking about taking away revenue stream. The grocery tax is one that the legislature began a year ago and it's quite popular I gather senatorship for that which is on the table as possibly being made permanent and other tax exemption possibilities. Where do you sit with those. Jeff I'm in the least on the Senate side you know. Even the temporary tax cut for the for food items was very popular it was over a woman vote. I'm trying to remember what it was but it had a large majority. My guess is that hasn't changed that if we see that bill and it's got a start in the house because of the constitutional issues I think it will have a relatively easy time in the Senate. Part of that is you have to or maybe we should look at making cities a whole in terms of the sales taxes that they're giving up I don't know that quite a lot of money

from other sources I'm not married even to that idea particularly there are some other tax cuts out there. Some of them are quite you know our I think will struggle for example of a tax cut on new energy facilities by and large those are very large facilities. Tremendous impact on communities and it's a sales tax that are associated with them that funds the industrial side impact. So as we take those away it means those poor communities they get hit with these large plants have no ability up front to cope with them. So my guess is those kind of taxes will have quite a bit of trouble in the Senate. And that exemption was aimed wasn't it at the environmental agreements for Yogi Quitman and things like that and involving lots of workers. Sure lots of impact. I think those kind of things will have trouble in the Senate. Let's come back to the grocery tax a little bit and talk about that and I'll start with you Representative Martin when

cities and towns worry that they're going to lose their share of sales tax if the grocery tax remains off. Is that can be taken care of at the state level or do we just let it ride. Jeff I think that it will be taken care of at the state level. During this this period after the Budget session last year we did attempt to hold them harmless. Some of the concern that I heard in my community was are we truly getting our fair share of the amount of money that we should be receiving. I think that the revenue department needs to look at it. A bit better more efficient way of trying to hold them harmless so that they have some idea that you know this we are receiving will profit what we should of God. Mr. Speaker this work has already begun on this in the house at least in committee. Where do you see it going or any of the other potential tax changes that might take place.

We're going to be seeing a property tax at requests for property tax reduction in the assessment ratio when not the assessment ratio but a reduction in the value of the appraisal of the property. We we had two bills in the revenue committee how to make me today one of them was for a permanent exemption of the sales tax on food. The other one it was to pay was an exemption on the sales tax of food but to pay cities towns and counties back on the optional sales taxes. I'm not sure if there's a lot of support for that exactly but there is some support a great deal of support for the permit exemption on the statewide 4 percent sales tax. If we can get the funding mechanism correct that would mean not only that the state loses its share of those that sales tax but they're also repaying the cities and towns for what they lose. That is correct it's an overall cost of the state of somewhere around 40 million dollars give or take because the state would lose its portion of what it typically would receive in the sales tax on food. Plus the payback to the cities towns and counties for what they would have received had we still taxed food.

And what about the property tax. The idea of a reduction in property tax or some way of of curtailing or protecting people from property taxes. I always felt like the governor was backing off that in the state of the state address because of the drop in in revenues from severance taxes. But is this an idea that's going to likely to fly. I think we'll see something you know that at least some attempt whether there's a flavor for it. You know overall in the legislature I don't know. We still tend to move somewhat with caution because we're operating on a mineral flow and not knowing what our revenue streams are at Sun. If we if we reduce the property taxes at Someday we'll have to raise them back up and that will be very very unpopular at that time so we need to move with that with the exercise. One other thing that came up that I don't think you guys have to deal with but I'll ask you and that's the abandoned mines money that is apparently going to be released to the state after a long struggle. Federal money. That's a great deal of money I believe it's over five hundred million more does that affect what you're doing now does that come into play this year. Anybody want to comment on that.

I'm Jeff and I think it's being drafted right now. It appears that the direction we may go is create a statutory account and dump that money into that. It gives this segregates money. We do have some federal obligations with that. And there are things I think we should get done in terms of mitigating a band in my mind and also that gives us an opportunity for about 18 months to maybe put a task force together to think about how we want to invest what is basically one time money right. And now will take some time with it. I think this session you'll see a bill come forward to segregate that money in its own account and let that federal those federal dollars flow into that account rather than the general fund. I think there's a certain feeling at least back in Appalachian that the Wyoming for instance doesn't have a lot of abandoned mines that need fixing right now and that maybe we're getting some money to play with here. We'll fair to say that are.

Actually we do have some impacts I think you get over this we want to carry particularly in in Rock Springs Green River you'll see some significant impacts that need to be repaired. That's there there. Perhaps not to the extent that you see back east I don't know but maybe we've taken a little better care of our state than what they did of theirs I don't know because I'm from that area you want to add something to that. Well that Jeff there's there has been a large amount of amyl money spent on the negation of the underground mines and virtually all of Rock Springs is is has mines all mine shafts underneath there some of them far deeper were or are you still have a lot of overburdened. And I don't have the subsidence problem. But in the downtown area and in the older part of town it's been a huge problem. But over

the years as being mitigated but there's still continued work that needs to take place. So you know we're glad to see that some of that money is coming this way and that we'll be able to mitigate those problems. And I think you know if you look and you go back and you in a county they have old mines from when the world first went through they're still burning underground and they haven't dealt with them and the you know the effects of some of those those mining activity you know so I think you know most people would be surprised at how many places in the state you probably could look at as far as you know going back and trying to you know mitigate some of the you know that environmental effects that that were caused by the mining industry. Before we get off the subject of revenues and taxes I want to bridge ask a question which is Is there any talk in any area about tax increases. Mr. Speaker I mean is that even on the table in sudden. The only thing that I've heard is if there is a bill to increase the motor fuel tax rate with a corresponding drop and the Reds have motor vehicle registration rates so that the average consumer

in Wyoming would pay just about the same amount in that motor fuel taxes but have a drop in his registration of that vehicle of about the same amount. The issue there is most of that money would go to highway funding where the much of the registration reduction would come out of what is now going into the school Foundation program. I think that's correct. And so you know we'll be swapping money out of one account going into another so that we would build highways with it. But the key would be to keep it neutral for the consumer in corralling. Yes although there would be a fuel tax rise but the effect would be nil here who's paying for it than the outsiders coming through. The true 50 percent of the fuel purchased in this state is might buy somebody else. So you know if you shifted those costs from registration to another Ultimately somebody else would pay a little bit more than the ramekins and then the need for highways we hear it all the time. There's going to be some money put into it I'm sure the cyber center shipper. What do you see coming there was four hundred sixty two million two hundred sixty million or something. Yeah I'm I think we need to look at it you know again they picked up over the

last two years they've picked up an additional 85 million going to the highway department. One of the things it's that that we have to look at is that money goes into the construction and maintenance eye which is the federal side of their budget which traditionally the legislature has not we've not even looked at it. It's run by the commission. And we start sending general fund money there. Traditionally we want to know how the money is going to be spent and whether they're operating as efficiently as possible. And no one has even looked at that the legislature does not look at that budget. But now it's kind of a new ball game and I think we will be looking at that budget. I just see how they spend in the past how efficient they actually have been what the their response to their declining revenue stream they've seen over the last five years which is by long the declines been how they responded to that. We asked the other state agencies to operate

efficiently but we've never really looked at wideout. And I suspect we'll have to do that again. And then there's an IED running through your neighborhoods. A problem that everybody worries about and I know that's not necessarily where this hundred eighty hundred sixty million would be directed but what about the problems with IED and what might be done to address those. Today in the in the house the general file we passed a person passed a bill which would set up a task force to look at the problems with IED specifically the the high truck traffic and that comes across state. I think that they estimate eight to nine thousand trucks a day crossing while mean on I-80 and that is just going to increase tremendously over the next 10 years or better. But it it. This bill had some funding with it for

study to determine how we're going to deal with that. And I think it's not too late but I can guarantee you that Haiti needs money because I drive all but 50 miles of it because I come from corner to corner and there are very few miles of I-80 that I don't drive on a regular basis. We've got you here tonight Berkeley because you didn't want to drive. And I think that's part of the reason they couldn't get home but you know there is a lot of damage to it now and I think most people if they drove it very very frequently would be amazed at the amount of truck traffic that goes up and down that corridor and of course those trucks you know they're heavy. There's a lot of wear and tear on the road and so I think you know that we have to maintain it I mean it's also a good corridor and it's good for Wyoming to have that at that commerce corridor. But if we don't maintain it I think we're just going to see a multitude multitude of problems down the road. OK and you know Jeff maybe and I was just curious with that with the study if you only study I-80 it seems to me you're only getting part of the picture because when we point out when I

go home I go up by 25 a portion of which is the least used interstate highway in America and it always makes me wonder why they keep that I probably five in wonderful shape and they just redid another chunk of it. Why were putting money up in I way that is used relatively little use some truck traffic some car driving but don't even hold a candle to high. Why doesn't the money flow to where the need is. And that seems very strange to me. I haven't quite got it figured out. Well they do last year the two only bicycle trip was going over that section. There we go now they're starting up but I just. And when are you going to have the Tour de Wyoming I meet that's the way you get money dear highway i 80 maybe that's going to be good. Let's move on to some other topics because we will want to cover some of the other things you're working on this week. It wouldn't kill me. It's certainly been in the news. It's gotten a fair amount of publicity and in fact it is an

issue nationally and I think in the state Mr. Speaker why don't we start with you on that what do we do about it. I think there are 39 or 44 states something like that in the union that are out there working on eminent domain their let their legislatures are based on the keno decision from the United States Supreme Court and we probably need to say briefly what the killer to say well the keno decision was was were they a community of New London Connecticut basically condemned some properties home properties in on on a seashore in New London Connecticut. The woman named kilo sued the city of New London. They took the property because what they want to do is enhance their tax base by having a shopping mall or something like that but they're. It was taken to the United States Supreme Court it was determined that the city of New London had the right to do that under the under. And it gets that eminent domain statutes. Many states are wondering oh maybe we have a problem too if a state entity could come in or a minister Polk County you know the governmental entity could come in and take my property and build something else there just because it would it would create a better at tax valuation on that property. Many people why am I concerned about that as

well and particularly AG producers where there might be oil or gas pipelines built across their properties or maybe a high tensile electrolyte and an electrical transmission lines and the concern about that wait a minute part of my property is going to be used for this should I receive some benefit from that. Let's talk a little bit about that because of course transmission corridors we took we hear about that all the time we need them we've got to get this fuel get the energy out of here. Do you all see this is being a big problem. I'll start with you Senator. I don't know if I characterize it as a big problem but I think that you know it's an issue that obviously if i guess if the lines are coming across my land it's a much bigger problem than if they're coming across someone else's land. I think it's one that we have to be very careful with I think we need to be aware and protect private property rights but we have to be careful that we don't do it in such a manner that that we completely shut down you know development that that needs to be done or projects for the public good so I mean I think it's a it's a fairly complicated problem and I think you know if you talk to a

lot of people they probably have a simple solution but it's really not a solution it looks that the entire range of needs that are going to be out there everybody else have a particular slant on this because I guess the question is what really needs to be done. You know what tweaking of Wyoming law if any Geoff and others see it it's a big item up in my part of the world for a number of reasons but it always strikes me as odd that. Had for years we said we want to bring our younger generation on so we're going to I'm going to educate him and we're going to promote higher paying jobs and we want to keep these kids in the state. And now we've got the jobs and we're getting in place workforce training. But what I'm finding is these are pretty smart kids. And the biggest investment they're making their life is buying a home and then they find out gee in Wyoming us along with 12 other states when I buy my home the city can come in and take it away from me and use it to create affordable housing or economic development or a water sewer plant that is not a

very good investment. And then we ask ourselves why don't these young people come home and buy a house this because when it's a really poor investment you think they're really thinking that though that they're worrying about it. It could be a sore loser. I asked them you know and they do I mean they are sharp. They're going to Colorado which has very stringent eminent domain last year and then they come up here and they say who this isn't what is good. So do we have the language that we can take from Colorado or elsewhere I think we're working on it Jeff I could come up with a good product it'll be somewhere the be some compromise desperate people say restraint restraint let's not overdo it. You and I we just heard it. OK. Any other thoughts about eminent domain and the other concerns about how that's going to be approached. GOODMAN Well let it go. I want to ask about the whole question that I raised earlier about taking care of people. I mean it is one of the things you think about and we've talked about earlier about housing. We've talked about child care. These are all issues that you all dealt with somewhat before but child care I think the idea now is we need to go further than we've gone so far represent a

word you want to talk a little bit about what we might be doing in that in that area in this session. Well the. Thing. Slike Maynard has come back with proposals and it's it's gone through the the Labor Health Committee. I think I still think at this point in time that we need takes baby steps as we move forward. I know but I know in my area in Sweetwater County as the childcare and the lack of childcare is a huge issue. Whether it's quality childcare or not but I think that we still need to take some time to think what we're doing and make sure that we get it right. Well I think what Senator Korea said earlier about this being a part of how you keep workers attract workers attract people to live here also speaks to what you're talking about people trying to make

decisions about whether to come here. And these issues of care and services do come into play when they're an issue. I think it's a complete package I mean I think if they look at all the factors that go into their day to day life and I mean I think you know if you took that you know I mean with with child care I mean we could even start just by making sure that that we give incentives to make the child care providers that we have now give them some incentive to you know maybe have better education programs for their employees and try to do some of the developmental things that we need so that those when those children are ready for school you know they're ready to go into school and they're ready to move forward and I think that saves money on the other end when you get you when you get him into school. And and so I think it's an important piece. But again I think it also makes for a workforce because I mean a lot of families in this day and age you have two income earners and they need to have to know that there's somebody that can take care of their their children while they're While they're at work.

In the other areas I mean housing is certainly one and I'm not sure I have seen yet very clearly how we're going to approach that I mean the shortage of housing for workers. People want to bring their families up and represent a code. Do you see the interesting advances their approaches that might work and take care of a problem that's fairly immediate. We hear some ideas we have some constitutional restraints you know and I think there's there's maybe some consideration that that in order to attract the families here and people to look for work and they want to gas fields of Wyoming in the minerals industries that would be probably a wise thing because housing a so expensive here has risen up so much in the last four or five years and the fact that a scarce good housing is scarce. We're talking about here though. One thing of building housing in the hundred and hundred thousand one hundred forty thousand dollar range. I'm not sure if there's a connection between the people that are that we're looking for in the minerals industries if they'd be interested in hundred forty thousand dollar homes. There are some folks that wonder is government intrusion into this industry is that a function of government. You know it's a question that has to be

answered I'm sure we'll get to it in this legislative session. But there are some fundamental questions in there. Is that considered low cost housing at this point I mean that's what the bill here that's I was yeah that's what I hear you know. Any other thoughts about the housing issue and how it might be tackled or handled. I think one of the things that has to be done is just making sure the infrastructure is in place I mean I talked to a developer before I came over for the session and he indicated to me that you know he thought that it you know if you have the sidewalks the sewer and water the infrastructure in place you know then that makes it much more much easier and more possible for them to actually do the development and to move forward with it. And he was you know totally candid about you know that there needs to be some agreement also that that's just not that well that we take that money off the table we put it right back into our pocket. There has to be the agreement that if if the government's going to make that investment that some of that money is actually going to lower the price of the house and not just go to the person that's doing the development.

You know there's been restrictions on the way Business Council in terms of money from their programs going into housing. You know they do infrastructure for business. Business Ready communities that's always been restricted funding mechanism so it doesn't really provide that kind of infrastructure for residences. Anyway. On to the next thing we talk a little bit. Well actually I want to give you a chance. We ought to do it right about now before we start getting short of time we're not yet to talk about legislation and issues or projects that are a little under the radar that you individually are interested in and would like to highlight. You know take a little time and give you a chance to do that you know kind of go randomly around you and give you all a moment to thank represented Martin why don't we start with you. Thanks Jeff. I think one bill that there has been some mention of it in the newspapers but the starting in the Senate it's a it's a committee bill coming out a Labor Health long long term care choices. And what this is it will really really move the state in a different direction in that we would look at ways to keep the

senior citizens home instead of institutionalize them in nursing homes to where that they can age with dignity in their home. And it's a package of different options which would in it it would enhance that many many of the states presently are starting to move that direction move away from nursing homes and try to keep people on there. And I feel you know when we talk about a subject like this any subject really we probably ought to give that little fiscal doubt. What kind of costs are we looking at if one were to take that out. I think. Somewhere around 23 million dollars for one look at that a bleep is that quote so we three from three million customers so we should forgive anything you want to highlight about the upcoming session and what you want to see happen. Jeff I think with that we're going to see it a number of bills that are that are more in the line of housekeeping bills. A number of them dealing with state

lands and state investments. Those kind of things that that they're really housekeeping because we've advanced very rapidly in the area school construction school funding kind of bring some loose ends together. There's probably six or eight of those bills out there. There's four on state lands I believe there's. He's a 4 or 5 on the Senate side on school was alone not any big policy decision kind of wrapping up correcting glitches if you will or things of that nature. We've got a number of those bills they need to be done General Session This is the time to get them done. I hope as they move forward with time tested some of these programs now we can go back and make them a little bit better. We can if you will you know you mentioned school funding I mean that's all we talk about for a few years in various ways and now you've seen it tend to move away a little bit. There are at least on our side it's it's not the big I don't maybe on the House side it is but I mean it's I'd It's it's relatively for a school funding

call I think that it would let you have a community college maybe in your backyard. You do through with what we do here. Casper does you know this recession is one of the more interesting I have ever seen in that we have some very heady issues that are all below the radar screen of the public co-employees liability immunity that I find to be on topic could be hot sexual offender not stop right there. Sure it's hot but you have to tell people what it is I don't well that's an issue that is going to take an awful lot more time to take than this program will allow if that's it you know where one employee has the right now to sue another employee and for an egregious act in the work in a workplace accident. We're dealing with sexual offenders which seems to be a hot topic with with a lot of people in Wyoming. The open container law that has been back six seven or eight years right now and you know what we have a good chance of getting it passed this year. The problem up in the northwest of Wyoming and the delisting of that animal by I but by the United States government and the state of Wyoming and how to manage that problem substance abuse particularly methamphetamines is a continuing problem in the state of Wyoming to the point it that is devastating US

and it's a very expensive problem. But the treatment of that and the treatment of the of the disease in the patient seems to be far more humane and reasonable than building jails. OK. You have you were all ready for that question a lot of things on the lot of things under the radar. You mentioned you mentioned wolves and this is not something that should be too directly connected with it but what about the Wildlife Trust Fund that comes up. The Wildlife Trust Fund or something with it with the legislature in its wisdom started several years ago we we continue to put all the money into it each year I think the governor I recommended thirty five million dollars this year I think our appropriations committees considered somewhere between 10 and 15 million dollars I would hope that we put a good 20 million dollars maybe a little bit more into that fund I'd like to see maybe a hundred fifty million dollars into it to a good five ten years from now. I'm going to do some good things. All right. Senator Kerry. The speaker mentioned quite a few of those issues but you know the first one that popped into my mind was you know substance abuse. Obviously there are some needs out there in the communities around the state that we have to look at and make sure that we're taking care of those problems trying to help people

you know get their lives back in order. One Judiciary Committee which is sort of on that is always seems to be a topic is juvenile justice in the end which is dealing with the juvenile population when they fall into the legal system for whatever reason that is and I think that we need to you know finally get kids together and find figure out how we actually want to deal with the juvenile population you know right now. Often they they get. Misplaced between different levels of our system between district court between circuit court and between municipal court and so I think there has to be a unified plan in place. I think people would like to see maybe some of those courts go to toward problem solving courts which could be a family cordura or a DUI court or whatever that they happen to be. I'm firmly convinced that they have to be driven primarily by the judicial system itself and if you don't have a judge that believes in those courts I don't think the legislature is going to be able to say you know you will do this I think somebody has to really believe in the rules those courts in order to make them work.

What we I think we hit some of the things you wanted to highlight I'm going to ask you a question that I have to ask because here I've got all the leadership here and it's a question for the leadership. There are a lot of new people in the legislature this year quite a few women but there are no women at this table. I don't see any women in the list of chair chairs of the committees. What's going on there. Anybody want to comment on that. That's what. I that's sort of a trick question in that I just reported right when I was. In Jeff you know it's kind of a it is there's some concern in the Senate we have had women who have been and I'm the committee chairman but but President of the Senate. It's just I'm I'm not sure we know for sure we're quite as tuned in to even worrying about that aspect of it as who would be good serving in the position of chairman of whatever committee that we're going to look at. It seems to me that that if you look tickly it at the Senate not just speak for them. In the majority side we have a woman who I think is going to

move into a German ship of the committee. She's not quite there yet but I think she will be very very very shortly and I'm tickled that she's done it because she's extremely knowledgeable about that area and is extremely enthusiastic to see some legislation come forward so I I think maybe by the end of the session you may see things change a little bit there. But again it's soil in the Senate time running out in the house and have any thoughts about that. Well in the selection of the committee chairman in the house I you know I had some consideration of a female or two and frankly it wasn't in my mind to consider gender. It was this period to pick the best person for the job with the bills that were coming through the legislature at the time. And to be honest with you I didn't give an awful lot of thought towards dinner perhaps I should have done that I caught a little bit of the Bacons from the Star Tribune about that you know and and but we are at least the Republican side I hope the minority party is doing the same. But we're working on our conference process trying to develop future leaders. Whatever gender I were to trying to do is

develop the future leadership that the House will be looking for in the next four to six sessions and I certainly hope that some of the female counterpart take place in that and and express their opinions and and we'll see what we can do over the next three years. Quickly Jeff just in the mind of the minority party you know I'm kind of a blip because the previous two minority leaders were women and the next minority leader if everything goes according to plan will be you know a female so you know I'm just kind of a temporary blip on the screen for an exit and that process house so that you know it's it's Will we have a woman who's minority whip and hopefully yes at some point she'll move a bit up into the position where we're all blips on the screen at this point you have started the session but thank you very much for being with us tonight. We're going to take a little break now and then bring political side is David Mark about to talk a little bit about what's going on. But for the moment we're going to go visit a coffee shop up there in Wyoming and hear what people are talking about.

You can come down to show you and to hear the issues debated. But you don't really have to. In towns all over Wyoming in coffee shops all over those towns. You can listen in on what's right and wrong with the world. So here's a cup of fresh brewed. Yeah yeah yeah. She was mean and she. But but when you talk about wars and you you read the press clippings from back east. Why do you think we were just torturing those poor animals. And I mean nothing more amazing than that. But I think a solution to the introduction problem is to reintroduce them into all of their former native environment. You know back about 600 which would

include of course Manhattan. And I think that's where the scholarship also has kind of come along the same way. It's gone to the kids was a top grades rather than down to the kids need to make education vast education and haven't got the grades to support to qualify for. And so this comes down to the traits of carpenters plumbers electricians. But Masons and whatever cement people all the way down and they got to have a continuing education program because of the new materials or.

The materials or were known of 25 years ago off the market. Newer better minds came on but somebody's got to use it you know and that's that guns a continuous education. But who's got a suborder can get people that are out there working and you know that's why I think that Hathaway scholarships should be a little broader and do it. Governors. Well the last tax on beer was one hundred thirty five cents a gallon on beer. To me it's a no brainer that we could be paying for that type of a treatment center by just raising the tax a little bit on. The coal industry is a lot of a pretty tough lobby is my understanding.

Or back at the hearse or building in Cheyenne. And we're here with David Markham who is an instructor in political science at Laramie County Community College. David people know you because you've been on before and shows you know you got something interesting to say. But let's take a look at the legislature which again just getting under way. I think my impression has been that there are a number of issues out there. The thing that jumps out at you the way for instance public schools did just a year ago or two years ago you know that what we're paying teachers how we're taking care of that whole issue there's a lot of different things. And of course there's that big pot of money right there has been for many years. What do you see going on in this legislature. Well the thing that interested me in the governor state of the state address was the suggestion the argument that Wyoming needs to start

planning for the time the day that there's boom that we are enjoying right now goes bust and if you've been living in Wyoming long enough you know that the boom is going to go bust at some point. And the governor was talking about those especially. So you know I mean people don't quite completely buy into it I think they start thinking him so good here for what about five six seven years now that I think people are maybe thinking that this is a boom with a difference. But again you know the governor talked about her use language that suggested that we need to spend some of the wealth that the state of Wyoming is earning right now to create wealth in the future. Speaker Coe he talked about using some of the revenue that we are earning as a state right now to finance projects that transcend a generation so you've got this sense that people understand that. We have maybe a unique historical moment right now we have revenue coming into the state that maybe we can spend that money to diversify the economy bring young people into the state things like that.

They're talking about projects which I think in the past have been very malicious to do. They say oh the bust is coming. Let's put some lights put it away. Right. So I guess what strikes me though is that the projects that they talk about you know spending money on highways and things like that are the kinds of projects that you traditionally hear the legislature talk about funding. It's going to be kind of interesting to see if maybe there is in a bit more imagination a bit more of a and I don't mean to say that in a mean way but you know the projects they are talking about of the traditional projects that the legislature always talks about and I think would have to be a bit more imaginative if we're going to transcend the generations that speaker co he says we need to be focusing on here with some of our. Our initiatives and things like that. I think I said it earlier I mean I thought and felt a little frustrated talking to Wyoming politicians about the vision thing. Right. Nobody wants to be accused of creating a vision by trying to do something like that. Right.

So it does tend to be a little incremental. That also may be sort of institutional problem with a legislature Exactly. It's very very hard given the way our legislature works for folks who come to shine and for 40 days during a general session or 20 days during a budget session to really I think sink their teeth into the really complex issues that we're going to have to deal with to diversify the economy to get us to maybe where we want to be 50 60 years down the road. So if you think about that and I don't think you're right now proposing that we change the structure of the legislature. Well but it would be the first time that I was actually there. Oh sure. We just started classes at the end over the Christmas break of course I was prepping for the upcoming semester and I've got this classic Wyoming government textbook that dates from 1953 and 1053 in this textbook they were talking about we need to change the legislature because in 1953. Currently the state

legislature meets 60 days every two years. In 1953 it was 40 days every two years. Back then it was even shorter and there was an argument that the issues were just too complex that the legislature was not really institutionally capable of dealing with some of these things. Back then to the budget must have been a lot smaller than the problems were in years. Complicated as they are now. Absolutely. But I don't hear anybody at least in the legislature now doubting the idea well in fact I think that if you were to talk to the four individuals who you were just visiting with about my ideas of maybe expanding the sessions of the uninsured I know well that's a citizens legislature in the state of Wyoming is working fine. We maybe don't need to. Make any fundamental changes. But then I would be you know I would counter that if you look at the way the legislature does its business we're seeing committees that are meeting basically year round now. We change the Constitution and the Constitution a couple years ago to allow the legislature to call itself into special session so they probably wouldn't agree that

we need to change you know the length of the session but on the other hand you know it seems like we've already done that in kind of a formal way. And you see a little panic in the eyes of these freshman the legislators Ristori the absolute overwhelmed by Well absolutely it's incredible. If you've never been to the state legislature if you look at the state legislature state of Wyoming it is amazing the show of the first day of the session and watch what happens here you know these folks work at their desks and those poor desk are just groaning under the amount of work that they're going to have to deal with during a 40 day session. So I don't know if you have if you would have this in mind but when you talk about something projects that aren't just piecemeal doing something it's a little more visionary. You have something in mind visionary. I don't know Suppose there were any political science fiction now here. OK the big projects the ones they don't consider because they're in such a rush in their in their schedules are so crowded. And then I've had I've had a Wyoming politician say to me recently that it was really time to try to shake Wyoming out of its victim mentality. Then again that's not something anybody really likes to say in public and maybe it's true or maybe it's not. But there is a little bigger

thinking going on. Well but the you know the but that but that's a term that is commonly associated with political culture in the state of Wyoming it's a very fatalistic that we're a small state we don't have a lot of people that we're always subject to market forces and big corporations in the government Washington D.C. and factors like that we need to be more proactive and is this the moment when maybe we can change. I actually think this is going to change you know we are a small population state with some money to spend and we could probably do some innovative things if we had the time to do it if we had a discussion in the state of Wyoming about where we would like to be 20 30 years down the road. Well then the question just becomes you know what can we have that discussion now or does it require a lot of see it happen. I absolutely love to see it happen and the media can play a role in that. You know you've got a wonderful venue here to get people. To discuss things that we might be doing in the state of Wyoming do you think though that out there in the state of Wyoming there are people really paying that much attention to the legislature there are some people out there paying attention to the

legislature there are a lot of people also who are paying attention to you know what's going on in Britney Spears life and things like that but I think you know there are a fair number of people out there who are paying attention that the legislature is doing who have some ideas about what maybe the legislature should be doing. Yeah yeah. OK and then you've got the perfect vehicle to not hurt those folks out. All right well you'll have to get you back in next time you have to come with a portfolio of ideas and we'll lay them out and then you do not want to get me started with sleeves rolled up about an act at all. And I'm not sure that I'm here so that will be to me before I went out right here. Very quickly OK we're talk about eminent domain. How about creating juries. Ok then when you've got an image of the main issue you take to the jury you present the case and let the public actually decide if this is a public use for life. We've given the people of oil the US something to think about. I want to thank David Markham in my other guests for appearing on capital outlook. You viewers around the state of course we thank you for tuning in as we always do. We're going to be here every Friday and Sunday for the next eight weeks. We'll be your eyes and ears at the state capital. We'll have guests from the legislature the media and the

busy community of lobbyists and people like David Mark and we can get them all in an effort to keep you informed about your government. Please join us.