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January 24, 2007Day 12 – Wednesday INDEX OF BILLS COVERED IN TODAY’S REPORT HB 52: Game and Fish – License
Revenue Recoupment TODAY’S ACTION ON BILLS HB 52: Game and Fish – License
Revenue Recoupment HB 52 would create a license revenue recoupment program, under which the Wyoming Game and Fish Department would be reimbursed from the general fund for license revenue lost as a result of statutorily designated free and reduced priced hunting and fishing licenses. The House passed HB 52 on second reading, and the bill will move on to third reading on Thursday. HB 62: Natural Resource Large Project Funding HB 62 would authorize funding for two large projects under the Wildlife and Natural Resource Funding Act that have been approved by the board of the trust fund. The Bates Creek Watershed Restoration project would receive $200,000 and the Lander Front mule deer project would receive $230,000. The House passed HB 62 on second reading, and the bill will move on to third reading on Thursday. HB 85: Game and Fish - Funding HB 85 would provide a one-year appropriation of $5.66 million from the general fund to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, to be used for specified programs that benefit Wyoming citizens in general, regardless of whether they hunt or fish. The programs on which the general fund money could be spent would include sensitive species programs (including terrestrial and aquatic native nongame species and trophy game conflict resolution); habitat programs; conservation education programs; sage grouse planning and protection; and veterinary programs (including brucellosis, chronic wasting disease and other disease management programs). The House passed HB 85 on second reading, with funding reduced to $2.8 million. It will move on to third reading on Thursday. HB 93: Sales Tax
on Food – Permanent
Exemption 2 HB 93 would permanently exempt groceries from sales taxation, and as introduced would have altered the sales tax distribution formula to partially reimburse local governments for the estimated revenue decrease they would otherwise experience as a result of the exemption. The Revenue Committee passed a substitute version of HB 93, which contained no provisions for making up lost revenue to local governments. The House passed the substitute HB 93 on second reading, and the bill will move to third reading on Thursday. HB 95: Quality Child Care HB 95 would continue implementation of the quality child care program that was started by the 2006 Legislature, which authorized first year spending on the program to set up the program, develop rules for the quality rating system and devise the scholarship component of the program. HB 95 would authorize the Wyoming Business Council to fund child care facilities through the business ready community program. The bill would create a quality child care system to encourage the availability of high quality care for children in licensed facilities. The system would consist of a quality rating system; scholarships for families for higher levels of quality care; educational grants for child care providers; technical assistance, quality assessment and business management services; and capacity enhancement grants. Appropriations totaling $12.3 million to fund HB 95 were contained in a separate bill, HB 96 (Quality Child Care Appropriations). The House Labor, Health and Social Services Committee will continue its consideration of HB 95 on Thursday morning before the House convenes, if they have time after hearing two other bills on their schedule. HB 96: Quality Child Care Appropriations HB 96 would appropriate $12.3 million to fund the Quality Child Care bill (HB 95, see description above). The House Appropriations Committee will begin its consideration of HB 96 on Thursday morning after 8:00 a.m. HB 99: Hathaway Scholarship Program HB 99 would expand the Hathaway scholarship program to graduate and professional degrees and would extend the time students could attend post secondary educational institutions. HB 99 would clarify how to handle scholarships when a student attends more than one eligible school whereby the student would designate a home school that would be paid the entire scholarship amount granted to the student. The House passed HB 99 on second reading, and the bill will move on to third reading on Thursday. HB 115: School Finance – Amendments HB 115 would address a number of matters relating to the financing of public schools in Wyoming. The bill would extend the summer school, extended day school, and instructional facilitator programs, would clarify the enrichment program part of the extended day program, and would direct the Wyoming Department of Education to recommend permanent funding for these programs for consideration by the 2008 Legislature. HB 115 would continue the ongoing review and evaluation of the at-risk program, and would initiate a review of distance education programs. The House unanimously passed HB 115 on Wednesday, and the bill will now move to the Senate. HB 120: Sex Offender Registration HB 120 would amend a number of provisions related to required registration of convicted sex offenders. The bill would reduce the time in which an offender must register, eliminate district court hearings to determine the level of risk for re-offense that an offender may pose, eliminate risk levels for re-offense, require all types of sexual offenders to register, make registration information about all offenders public, increase the time of required registration for offenders, and increase the penalties for failure to register. The House passed HB 120 on Wednesday, 58-2. Representatives Jack Landon (R-H30, Sheridan) and Jane Warren (D-H13, Laramie) cast the two NO votes. The bill will now move to the Senate. HB 124: Eminent Domain - 2 HB 124 would strengthen landowners’ standing in legal actions to condemn their private property for public or private projects. It would allow better compensation for landowners, would require reclamation and restoration of property acquired by eminent domain, and would limit condemnation authority for urban renewal projects. It would also eliminate the maximum amount on relocation expenses for a displaced farm, organization or small business (now capped at $10,000). The House Committee of the Whole passed HB 124, and the bill will move on to second reading on Thursday. HB 143: Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle Electric Generation HB 143 would exempt coal that is used for integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) electricity generation from all severance taxes except the one and a half percent that is required by the Wyoming Constitution. The House Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee tabled HB 143 on Wednesday, and may reconsider the bill at a later date. HB 159: State-Owned Building Energy Efficiency Program HB 159 would create an energy efficiency program for state-owned buildings. Under the program, all state agencies would designate an energy efficiency coordinator, and would develop strategies for improving energy efficiency and reducing energy costs in the buildings in which it operates. The bill would establish incentives for state agencies and school boards to participate in the program, by entitling agencies and school districts to use 50% of all documented energy savings for maintenance projects. HB 159 included a $1 million appropriations to get the energy efficiency program started, and authorized one new position in the Division of Administration and Information to implement and coordinate the program. The House Appropriations Committee will continue its consideration of HB 159 on Thursday at 8:00 a.m. HJ 2: State Engagement
in Transmission Lines & Energy Facilities HJ 2 proposed an amendment to the Wyoming Constitution to authorize the state of Wyoming to construct or improve electrical transmission lines and related facilities, without having to submit the question of the state’s authority to do so to a vote of the citizens of the state. The Constitution currently prohibits the state from engaging in such activity without first getting approval with a two-thirds vote of the people. The proposed amendment would allow the legislature to directly invest state money in the construction of power lines, both inside Wyoming and extending into other states as well. The House Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee postponed action on HJ 2 until Friday. SF 52: Outdoor Lighting SF 52 would allow municipalities to adopt ordinances to regulate outdoor electrical lighting to reduce light pollution and light trespass. Proponents of SF 52 were concerned about light pollution that leads to diminishing night sky viewing. They noted that satellite images dramatically show that a third or more of outdoor lighting escapes upward into the night sky. Proponents also noted that more efficient, and less polluting, lighting conserves both energy and money. The Senate Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee will consider SF 52 on Thursday morning after 7:00 a.m. SF 72: Indian School Education Programs SF 72 would require the State of Wyoming and the joint business councils of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Indian Tribes to provide educational programs that address conditions of unemployment, poverty and lack of adequate job skills on the Wind River Indian Reservation. The bill would provide an appropriation of just over $1 million from the general fund to the governor’s office to fund the contracted programs for the coming year. The Senate passed SF 72, 24-5 (1 excused). The bill will now move to the House.
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