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HB 84: Sales and Use Tax - Utilities
2006 Budget Session
Sponsor: Rep. Dan Zwonitzer (R-H43, Cheyenne); Co-sponsors Reps. George Bagby (D-H15, Rawlins), Kathy Davison (R-H20, Kemmerer), Mary Gilmore (D-H59, Casper), Bill Thompson (D-H60, Green River), Jane Warren (D-H13, Laramie) and Sens. Pat Aullman (R-S16, Thayne), Stan Cooper (R-S14, Kemmerer), John Hanes (R-S5, Cheyenne)
2006 Tax Relief Bill Summary
HB 55: Sales and Use Tax Refund
HB 69: Home Owner's Tax Credit - 2
HB 84: Sales and Use Tax - Utilities
HB 97: Property Tax - Assessment Rate
HB 117: Consumer Tax Relief
HB 122: Home Owner's Tax Credit - 3
HB 123: Tax Refund to Elderly and Disabled
HB 157: Homeowner's Tax Credit - County Option
HB 163: Veteran's Property Tax Exemption
HB 172: Sales/Use Tax - Removal of 4th Cent
HB 187: Sales and Use Tax - Utilities - 2
HJ 5: Distribution of Excess Funds - 2
HJ 7: Distribution of Excess Funds
Legislator votes
by regions
Big Horn Basin
Casper-Area
Cheyenne-Area
Gillette-Area
Lander/Riverton-Area
Northeast/East Central
Sheridan-Area
South Central
Southwest
West Central


         HB 84 would have exempted the sale of gas, electricity or heat for domestic home consumption from paying sales tax for two years, from July 1, 2006 until June 30, 2008.
         The bill would have appropriated $14 million from the general fund for local governments to maintain the revenue that they would otherwise lose as a result of this sales tax exemption.
         Supporters of HB 84 noted that sales tax is a regressive form of taxation, especially when food and home heating and lighting are included, as they currently are in Wyoming. Everyone must heat and light their homes, and when basic living necessities are taxed, low-income families are hit the hardest. They have no choice about buying these items, and they end up paying a higher proportion of their income on taxes than do families with more money.
         Opponents may have preferred other tax reduction options before the 2006 Legislature, or they may have opposed sales tax reductions for citizens in general.
         Another bill in this 2006 legislative session, HB 117, proposed a permanent sales tax exemption on food for home consumption from paying sales tax in Wyoming, plus the same two-year sales tax exemption on gas, electricity or heat for domestic use as was proposed in HB 84. (The House Revenue Committee defeated HB 117.)
         HB 84 did not pass the vote for introduction in the House. The vote for introduction, which was 39-20 (1 excused), fell one vote short of achieving the necessary two-thirds majority (40 votes in the 60 member House) that is required to introduce a non-budget bill during a budget session of the Legislature.
         The votes listed below are the House votes for introduction. A YES vote means the representative wanted to consider exempting the sale of gas, electricity or heat for domestic home use from paying state sales tax. A NO vote means the legislator did not want to consider this sales tax exemption.


Bighorn Basin Legislators House Intro
2/16/06
S 18 Hank Coe (R)
H 24 Colin Simpson (R) No
H 50 Pat Childers (R) No
S 19 Laness D. Northrup (R)
H 25 Alan Jones (R) No
H 26 Elaine Harvey (R) Yes
S 20 Gerald E. Geis (R)
H 27 Debbie Hammons (D) Yes
H 28 Lorraine Quarberg (R) No


Casper-Area Legislators House Intro
2/16/06
S 27 John Barrasso (R)
H 35 Roy Cohee (R) Yes
H 36 Gerald Gay (R) No
S 28 Kit Jennings (R)
H 56 Tom Walsh (R) Yes
H 57 Thomas A. Lockhart (R) Yes
S 29 Bill Hawks (R)
H 37 Steve Harshman (R) Yes
H 59 Mary Gilmore (D) Yes
S 30 Charles K. Scott (R)
H 38 Bob Brechtel (R) No
H 58 Ann Robinson (D) Yes


Cheyenne-Area Legislators House Intro
2/16/06
S 4 Tony Ross (R)
H 7 Doug Samuelson (R) No
H 41 Becket Hinckley (R) No
S 5 John Hanes (R)
H 8 Larry Meuli (R) No
H 42 Pete Illoway (R) No
S 6 Wayne H. Johnson (R)
H 9 Bryan Pedersen (R) Yes
H 10 Rodney "Pete" Anderson (R) Yes
S 7 Kathryn Sessions (D)
H 11 Wayne Reese (D) Yes
H 43 Dan Zwonitzer (R) Yes
S 8 E. Jayne Mockler (D)
H 12 Layton Morgan (D) Yes
H 44 Floyd Esquibel (D) Yes


Gillette-Area Legislators House Intro
2/16/06
S 23 John Hines (R)
H 31 Thomas E. Lubnau II (R) No
H 52 Burke Jackson (R) Excused
S 24 Michael Von Flatern (R)
H 32 Jeff Wasserburger (R) Yes
H 53 Erin Mercer (R) Yes


Lander/Riverton-Area Legislators House Intro
2/16/06
S 25 Cale Case (R)
H 33 W. Patrick Goggles (D) Yes
H 54 Del McOmie (R) Yes
S 26 Robert A. Peck (R)
H 34 Frank Philp (R) No
H 55 David Miller (R) Yes


Northeast/East Central WY Legislators House Intro
2/16/06
S 1 C.L. Townsend (R)
H 1 Mark Semlek (R) No
H 2 Ross Diercks (D) Yes
S 2 Jim Anderson (R)
H 5 James C. Hageman (R) Yes
H 6 Dave Edwards (R) Yes
S 3 Curt Meier (R)
H 3 Deborah Alden (R) Yes
H 4 Edward A. Buchanan (R) Yes


Sheridan-Area Legislators House Intro
2/16/06
S 21 Bruce Burns (R)
H 29 Jerry Iekel (R) Yes
H 51 Rosie Berger (R) Yes
S 22 John Schiffer (R)
H 30 Jack Landon (R) Yes
H 40 Doug Osborn (R) Yes


South Central WY Legislators House Intro
2/16/06
S 9 Mike Massie (D)
H 13 Jane Warren (D) Yes
H 45 Kevin A. White (R) Yes
S 10 Phil Nicholas (R)
H 14 Kermit C. Brown (R) Yes
H 46 James Slater (R) No
S 11 Bill Vasey (D)
H 15 George Bagby (D) Yes
H 47 Kurt Bucholz (R) Yes


Southwest WY Legislators House Intro
2/16/06
S 12 Rae Lynn Job (D)
H 48 Marty Martin (D) Yes
H 16 Pete Jorgensen (D) No
S 13 Tex Boggs (D)
H 17 Stephen Watt (R) Yes
H 60 Bill Thompson (D) Yes
S 14 Stan Cooper (R)
H 18 Mick Powers (R) No
H 39 John Hastert (D) Yes
S 15 Ken Decaria (D)
H 19 Owen Petersen (R) No
H 49 Bruce Barnard (R) No


West Central WY Legislators House Intro
2/16/06
S 16 Pat Aullman (R)
H 20 Kathy Davison (R) Yes
H 21 Randall Luthi (R) Yes
S 17 Grant Larson (R)
H 22 Monte Olsen (R) No
H 23 Keith Gingery (R) No

See Southwest Region for H 16 and S 12