Legislature dips into rainy day fund

After 37 days of very focused work, the Wyoming Legislature has finished the 2017 General Session. Since a General Session is when bills on general topics are brought, a wide range of issues have been addressed over the past two months. 

Representative Nathan Winters said 204 pieces of legislation made it completely through the process, focusing on diversifying Wyoming’s economy, balancing Wyoming’s budget, addressing education funding shortfalls and passing measures aimed at improving the quality of life for Wyoming families, seniors and young people.

The budget was the largest issue addressed this year.

Winters said a decline in energy prices coupled with heavy-handed energy regulations from the Federal government have resulted in a severe drop in state revenues, impacting both the General Operations Budget and education funding.

The supplementary budget passed, addressing the revenue shortfall for Wyoming’s general operations and keeps Wyoming on a path of fiscal stability.

On average, he said, state operations have seen a cut of 11.2 percent over the last several years and Education has seen a total cut of 3.7 percent.

“We dipped into the “Rainy Day” funds again this year about $108 million to get us through this crisis,” Winters said. “I am so thankful for the foresight of past legislatures to set that money apart.”

Current funding for K-12 Education is about $1.5 billion – almost as much as Wyoming’s entire operating budget for the rest of state government combined.

To put that into perspective, Winters said Wyoming spent $16,146 per student, $5,300 more than any other state in the Rocky Mountain region.

“We made the decision to reduce that amount by $383 to $15,763 per pupil,” he said. “That still leaves us at about $5,000 more than any other state in our region.

“Essentially, we still fund education at a higher rate than any of our neighbors, and our teachers still rank fourth in the nation for pay when adjusted for Cost of Living. These facts demonstrate that we value education as a top priority in our state.”

Among other major initiatives was the ENDOW initiative which is an effort to seek economic diversification.

The legislature also passed a bill to search for ways to become more efficient in how government programs are administered.

Another issue was taking care the cancer risks that our firefighters face as they work to keep us safe.

“I believe that Wyoming is on a good path for the future if we remain prudent during this downturn,” Winters said. “Thank you for your prayer and support during this session. It is an honor to serve as your State Representative.”