lceditor posted on March 06, 2008 10:22
By David Peck
To borrow a sports phrase, it’s almost all over but the shouting for the Wyoming Legislature as the 2008 budget sessions winds to a close this week.
“It’s winding down, and it feels good,” said Sen. Ray Peterson, who has had to be in Cheyenne twice as long as most other legislators as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “I’m ready to come home. It’s been eight weeks.”
After wrapping up budget work last week, the Senate has been concentrating on consensus meetings this week and passing final bills.
Peterson’s two bills have done well, except for a hiccup regarding one bill. Senate File 12, which would allow periodicals as well as billiard and dart supplies to be sold in liquor dispensing rooms, was amended in the House Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee to strike the language about periodicals, essentially gutting the bill, Peterson said.
The purpose of the bill in the first place, he said, was to allow business owners to place adult magazines in the liquor portion of a store to keep them away from minors, but the sale of periodicals in liquor sales areas is not currently allowed under state law, although many stores sold magazines in liquor departments for years.
Some citizens and House members misinterpreted the bill, thinking that it would expand the sale of adult magazines, but Peterson pointed out that the bill is designed to control the sale of such magazines to keep them away from minors.
Despite Peterson explanation, the bill was amended in committee Friday but the original language was restored on second reading in the House Tuesday in an effort led by Rep. Owen Petersen (R-Mountain View) and Rep. Elaine Harvey (R-Lovell). Third reading was scheduled for Wednesday.
Senate File 81, which would allow the new Deaver-Frannie Fire District to receive tax monies immediately by declaring that districts that split off from existing districts are not to be treated as a new taxing entity, passed the House 58-0 Monday and was signed by the speaker of the House and the Senate President on Tuesday. It is now on the governor’s desk for his signature.
Budget passed
The House and Senate concurred on the $3.5 billion budget for the 2008-10 biennium Friday, compromising on how the Senate and House versions of the budget bill funded cities, towns and counties, roughly splitting the amendments from the two bodies, Peterson said.
He said there were 48 non-identical amendments in the bill, and the conference committee chose 27 Senate amendments and 21 House amendments during a week-long consensus process, funding local government in the amount of $340 million.
Big Horn County will receive $10.7 million, including a direct distribution of $1,039,876 to fund county government and $5.9 million for the consensus block grant program for projects approved by 70 percent of the county’s mayors and by the county commissioners.
Peterson said the budget bill funds the State Loan and Investment Board to the tune of $30 million for under-funded projects and $10 million for health and safety projects over the biennium. He said he preferred $60 million for under-funded projects and $20 million for health and safety.
The bill did include $40 million in a direct distribution to cities, towns and counties to replace revenue lost due to the removal of sales tax on food.
Peterson said he fought for community colleges during the budget work. The conference committee gave the colleges the authority to raise and allocate almost $80 million to construct dormitories, which helps Northwest College because the college has already raised money for an addition to Simpson Hall. The bill also funds an additional $4 million for the endowment challenge fund, but the consensus work struck from the budget capital construction projects including a learning center at Casper College and a science and technology center at NWC.
Peterson said he argued that other colleges had already received funding for capital construction projects based on a priority list approved by the Wyoming Community Colleges Commission and that now it was Casper College and NWC’s turn.
“This will come up in the future to find a permanent funding formula for community colleges,” Peterson said.
Peterson said he has received a lot of e-mails concerning the “castle doctrine” bill that would grant civil immunity to a person who uses deadly force against an intruder entering a home. He said the concept of the bill is good, but the language in the bill is “too open and too vague” so that it may justify killing in too many ways.
He said the legislature is trying to reach “a happy medium” on the bill.
The legislature is wrapping up work quickly and could adjourn as early as today (Thursday), Peterson said.