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2006 Budget Session
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The primary purpose of the Wyoming's 2006 budget session was to approve a state budget for the next two years. Going into this year's budget session, the state saw revenue at an all-time high, with a booming minerals industry producing a budget surplus of nearly $2 billion.
Governor Freudenthal submitted his recommended budget for the 2007-08 biennium that totaled $2.74 billion in spending of state monies plus $415 million in savings in addition to what is automatically saved into the Wyoming Permanent Mineral Trust Fund (WPMTF) each year.
The Joint Appropriations Committee reviewed and modified the Governor's recommended budget, and submitted HB1/SF1 as their proposed state budget. HB1/SF1 recommended some cuts in spending of state monies coupled with additional savings of $715 million in addition to automatic WPMTF savings.
The JAC cut to zero Governor Freudenthal recommended $60 million for large new water storage projects and his proposed $100 million in impact aid to eight counties affected by natural gas development. The JAC reduced the Governor's recommended $35 million for the Wildlife Trust Fund to $1.5 million, and they reduced his recommended $105 million for highway construction down to $75 million.
The JAC and the Governor agreed on spending $8 million to help bring State government employee pay up to market levels, but the JAC rejected the Governor's request for $6.7 million to help pay health insurance costs for certain retired state employees. The JAC approved the Governor's request for $16 million for energy cost relief through the Low Income Energy Assistance Program.
The Governor's recommended budget included 780 new state government positions. The JAC trimmed this number by 17, down to 763. The majority of the positions (418) recommended by the JAC in HB 1/SF 1 were in the Department of Corrections, reflecting the need to staff the new prison in Torrington when it is completed. The Military Department would receive 71 new positions, 36 would go to the Department of Transportation, and 34 to the Department of Environmental Quality. The remaining new positions were spread throughout many other state agencies.
During House and Senate debate on HB 1/SF 1, various amendments were made to the bill. Both chambers accepted an amendment that would repeal the state sales tax on groceries for the next two years, with an accompanying appropriation of $46 million for local governments to make up for the revenue they would lose as a result the sales tax exemption on food. The Senate vote on this amendment was 23-7 (summarized below). The House did not record its vote on this amendment.
The House amended HB 1 to remove 88 of the new positions in the budget for the Department of Corrections, noting that the new prison won't need to be staffed until June 2007, so next year's legislative session can add the positions. The House also cut three of 34 proposed new positions at the Department of Environmental Quality, and 22 other new positions spread through 12 other state agencies.
The Senate (17-13, see vote below) amended SF 1 to include $33.5 million for the Wildlife Trust Fund, in addition to the $1.5 million already in the bill for the operating fund to pay for projects in the coming year. The House (unrecorded vote) amended HB 1 to include $20 million for the Wildlife Trust Fund. Both the Senate and the House included an additional $3 million for a Wildlife Trust Challenge account, to provide state funds to match private donations to the Wildlife Trust Fund.
Because of the differing amendments adopted by the House and Senate, a conference committee consisting of members from both houses ultimately worked out a compromise bill.
The conference committee agreed to invest $8.8 million for market pay adjustments for state workers. Another $41 million was committed for a 3.5% cost-of-living increase for state and community college employees each year for the next two years.
The committee agreed to invest $200 million in the Wyoming Permanent Mineral Trust Fund gradually over the next two years, transferring $20 million in January 2007, $60 million in July 2007, and $120 million in July 2008. This will allow the Legislature to meet twice more before the full $200 million is committed, so they can stop the transfer if the state budget declines.
The conference committee rejected a House amendment to approve $6.7 million to help retired state employees with health insurance costs, but did approve $50,000 to study state employee (both active and retired) health insurance issues.
The committee approved $270 million for local governments (towns and counties), and $28 million for deposit into the Wildlife Trust Fund.
The House and Senate both accepted the compromise bill as reported out of the conference committee.
The Senate recorded its votes on budget bill amendments, while the House did not. The votes listed below are the Senate vote on the amendment to exempt sales tax on groceries, and the Senate vote on the amendment to provide $33.5 million for the Wildlife Trust Fund plus $3 million for the Wildlife Trust Challenge account. A YES vote means the senator wanted to exempt sales tax on food, and supported funding for the Wildlife Trust Fund at $33.5 million plus $3 million for the Challenge account. A NO vote means the senator did not want to exempt food from paying sales tax, and did not want to fund the Wildlife Trust Fund and Challenge account at these levels.
| Bighorn Basin Legislators | Senate Sales Tax on Food | Senate Wildlife Trust Fund funding |
|
| S 18 | Hank Coe (R) | Yes | No |
| H 24 | Colin Simpson (R) | ||
| H 50 | Pat Childers (R) | ||
| S 19 | Ray Peterson (R) | Yes | No |
| H 25 | Alan Jones (R) | ||
| H 26 | Elaine Harvey (R) | ||
| S 20 | Gerald E. Geis (R) | No | No |
| H 27 | Debbie Hammons (D) | ||
| H 28 | Lorraine Quarberg (R) | ||
| Casper-Area Legislators | Senate Sales Tax on Food | Senate Wildlife Trust Fund funding |
|
| S 27 | John Barrasso (R) | Yes | Yes |
| H 35 | Roy Cohee (R) | ||
| H 36 | Gerald Gay (R) | ||
| S 28 | Kit Jennings (R) | Yes | No |
| H 56 | Tom Walsh (R) | ||
| H 57 | Thomas A. Lockhart (R) | ||
| S 29 | Bill Hawks (R) | No | No |
| H 37 | Steve Harshman (R) | ||
| H 59 | Mary Gilmore (D) | ||
| S 30 | Charles K. Scott (R) | Yes | Yes |
| H 38 | Bob Brechtel (R) | ||
| H 58 | Ann Robinson (D) | ||
| Cheyenne-Area Legislators | Senate Sales Tax on Food | Senate Wildlife Trust Fund funding |
|
| S 4 | Tony Ross (R) | Yes | Yes |
| H 7 | Doug Samuelson (R) | ||
| H 41 | Becket Hinckley (R) | ||
| S 5 | John Hanes (R) | Yes | Yes |
| H 8 | Larry Meuli (R) | ||
| H 42 | Pete Illoway (R) | ||
| S 6 | Wayne H. Johnson (R) | Yes | Yes |
| H 9 | Bryan Pedersen (R) | ||
| H 10 | Rodney "Pete" Anderson (R) | ||
| S 7 | Kathryn Sessions (D) | Yes | Yes |
| H 11 | Wayne Reese (D) | ||
| H 43 | Dan Zwonitzer (R) | ||
| S 8 | E. Jayne Mockler (D) | Yes | Yes |
| H 12 | Layton Morgan (D) | ||
| H 44 | Floyd Esquibel (D) | ||
| Gillette-Area Legislators | Senate Sales Tax on Food | Senate Wildlife Trust Fund funding |
|
| S 23 | John Hines (R) | No | No |
| H 31 | Thomas E. Lubnau II (R) | ||
| H 52 | Burke Jackson (R) | ||
| S 24 | Michael Von Flatern (R) | No | No |
| H 32 | Jeff Wasserburger (R) | ||
| H 53 | Erin Mercer (R) | ||
| Lander/Riverton-Area Legislators | Senate Sales Tax on Food | Senate Wildlife Trust Fund funding |
|
| S 25 | Cale Case (R) | No | Yes |
| H 33 | W. Patrick Goggles (D) | ||
| H 54 | Del McOmie (R) | ||
| S 26 | Robert A. Peck (R) | Yes | No |
| H 34 | Frank Philp (R) | ||
| H 55 | David Miller (R) | ||
| Northeast/East Central WY Legislators | Senate Sales Tax on Food | Senate Wildlife Trust Fund funding |
|
| S 1 | C.L. Townsend (R) | Yes | No |
| H 1 | Mark Semlek (R) | ||
| H 2 | Ross Diercks (D) | ||
| S 2 | Jim Anderson (R) | Yes | No |
| H 5 | James C. Hageman (R) | ||
| H 6 | Dave Edwards (R) | ||
| S 3 | Curt Meier (R) | No | No |
| H 3 | Deborah Alden (R) | ||
| H 4 | Edward A. Buchanan (R) | ||
| Sheridan-Area Legislators | Senate Sales Tax on Food | Senate Wildlife Trust Fund funding |
|
| S 21 | Bruce Burns (R) | Yes | Yes |
| H 29 | Jerry Iekel (R) | ||
| H 51 | Rosie Berger (R) | ||
| S 22 | John Schiffer (R) | Yes | Yes |
| H 30 | Jack Landon (R) | ||
| H 40 | Doug Osborn (R) | ||
| South Central WY Legislators | Senate Sales Tax on Food | Senate Wildlife Trust Fund funding |
|
| S 9 | Mike Massie (D) | Yes | Yes |
| H 13 | Jane Warren (D) | ||
| H 45 | Kevin A. White (R) | ||
| S 10 | Phil Nicholas (R) | No | No |
| H 14 | Kermit C. Brown (R) | ||
| H 46 | James Slater (R) | ||
| S 11 | Bill Vasey (D) | Yes | Yes |
| H 15 | George Bagby (D) | ||
| H 47 | Kurt Bucholz (R) | ||
| Southwest WY Legislators | Senate Sales Tax on Food | Senate Wildlife Trust Fund funding |
|
| S 12 | Rae Lynn Job (D) | Yes | Yes |
| H 48 | Marty Martin (D) | ||
| H 16 | Pete Jorgensen (D) | ||
| S 13 | Tex Boggs (D) | Yes | Yes |
| H 17 | Stephen Watt (R) | ||
| H 60 | Bill Thompson (D) | ||
| S 14 | Stan Cooper (R) | Yes | Yes |
| H 18 | Mick Powers (R) | ||
| H 39 | John Hastert (D) | ||
| S 15 | Ken Decaria (D) | Yes | Yes |
| H 19 | Owen Petersen (R) | ||
| H 49 | Bruce Barnard (R) | ||
| West Central WY Legislators | Senate Sales Tax on Food | Senate Wildlife Trust Fund funding |
|
| S 16 | Pat Aullman (R) | Yes | Yes |
| H 20 | Kathy Davison (R) | ||
| H 21 | Randall Luthi (R) | ||
| S 17 | Grant Larson (R) | Yes | No |
| H 22 | Monte Olsen (R) | ||
| H 23 | Keith Gingery (R) | ||
See Southwest Region for H 16 and S 12 | |||