 |
| ESPC Home | | | 2003-04 LAP* Book | | | Background | | | Legislator Profiles | | | Key Votes | | | LAP* Book Home |
|
|
| Numeric List |
|
|
| Accountability |
|
|
|
Health & Human Services |
|
|
| Justice System |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
| State Employees |
|
|
|
Taxation & Revenue |
|
|
|
Wildlife & Environment |
|
|
|
Worker & Public Safety |
|
|
| Tribal Affairs |
|
|
| Senior Citizens |
|
|
2003 General Session
2003 General Session
|
HB 61 and HB 143 both addressed the same subject, each proposing to establish an independent Office of Consumer Advocate within Wyoming state government. They differed primarily in two issues: in which state agency the consumer advocacy office would be housed, and how the program would be funded.
HB 61 set up the Office of Consumer Advocate within the office of the Attorney General, with an appropriation of $442,861 from the general fund.
HB 143 established the Office of Consumer Advocate as an independent division of the Public Service Commission (PSC), which would be funded through the mill levy assessed on ratepayers that pays for the PSC program.
Under Wyoming law, the PSC can levy up to three mills, but has been levying two and one-tenth (2.1) mills. With the $418,500 appropriation that was amended into HB 143 (the bill was introduced with a $250,000 appropriation), the levy assessed would increase to two and eight-tenths (2.8) mills.
Proponents of the bills spoke of the need to increase consumer representation in utility ratemaking proceedings, and to build and maintain public confidence in the regulation of utilities in Wyoming.
Opponents objected to the increase in the levy assessed on utilities, and maintained that the consumer advocacy program was not needed.
HB 143 was the bill the House Corporations Committee selected to debate, and it passed the House Corporations Committee on a 5-4 vote. Tony Ross (R-H7, Cheyenne), Pete Illoway (R-H42, Cheyenne), Jene Jansen (R-H31, Gillette), Lorna Johnson (D-45, Laramie) and Marty Martin (D-H48, Rock Springs) voted in favor of HB 143, while Ed Prosser (R-H43, Cheyenne), Frank Latta (R-H53, Gillette), Owen Petersen (R-H19, Mountain View) and Del McOmie (R-H54, Lander) voted against the bill.
HB 143 passed the House 45-14 (one excused).
The Senate amended a sunset date of 2009 into the bill, and then passed it, 18-12.
The votes listed below are Third Reading (final passage) votes in the House and Senate.
A YES vote means the legislator favored establishing an independent Office of Consumer Advocate within the Public Service Commission.
A NO vote means the legislator did not support the Consumer Advocate Office.
| Bighorn Basin Legislators | HB143 H3rd 2/10/03 | HB143 S3rd 3/4/02 |
|
| S 18 | Hank Coe (R) | Yes | |
| H 24 | Colin Simpson (R) | Yes | |
| H 50 | Pat Childers (R) | Yes | |
| S 19 | Laness D. Northrup (R) | No | |
| H 25 | Alan Jones (R) | No | |
| H 26 | Elaine Harvey (R) | Yes | |
| S 20 | Gerald E. Geis (R) | No | |
| H 27 | Jane Wostenberg (R) | No | |
| H 28 | Micheal Baker (R) | No | |
| Casper-Area Legislators | HB143 H3rd 2/10/03 | HB143 S3rd 3/4/02 |
|
| S 27 | John Barrasso (R) | No | |
| H 35 | Roy Cohee (R) | No | |
| H 36 | Liz Gentile (D) | Yes | |
| S 28 | Keith Goodenough (D) | Yes | |
| H 56 | Tom Walsh (R) | Yes | |
| H 57 | Thomas A. Lockhart (R) | No | |
| S 29 | Bill Hawks (R) | No | |
| H 37 | Steve Harshman (R) | Yes | |
| H 59 | Mary Gilmore (D) | Yes | |
| S 30 | Charles K. Scott (R) | Yes | |
| H 38 | Bob Brechtel (R) | No | |
| H 58 | Ann Robinson (D) | Yes | |
| Cheyenne-Area Legislators | HB143 H3rd 2/10/03 | HB143 S3rd 3/4/02 |
|
| S 4 | April Brimmer Kunz (R) | No | |
| H 7 | Tony Ross (R) | Yes | |
| H 41 | Becket Hinckley (R) | Yes | |
| S 5 | John Hanes (R) | Yes | |
| H 8 | Larry Meuli (R) | Yes | |
| H 42 | Pete Illoway (R) | Yes | |
| S 6 | Rich Cathcart (D) | Yes | |
| H 9 | Wayne Johnson (R) | Yes | |
| H 10 | Rodney "Pete" Anderson (R) | Yes | |
| S 7 | Kathryn Sessions (D) | Yes | |
| H 11 | Wayne Reese (D) | Yes | |
| H 43 | Ed Prosser (R) | Yes | |
| S 8 | E. Jayne Mockler (D) | Yes | |
| H 12 | Layton Morgan (D) | Yes | |
| H 44 | Floyd Esquibel (D) | Yes | |
| Gillette-Area Legislators | HB143 H3rd 2/10/03 | HB143 S3rd 3/4/02 |
|
| S 23 | John Hines (R) | No | |
| H 31 | Jene Jansen (R) | Yes | |
| H 52 | George McMurtrey (R) | No | |
| S 24 | Richard A. Erb (R) | No | |
| H 32 | Jeff Wasserburger (R) | Yes | |
| H 53 | Frank Latta (R) | No | |
| Lander/Riverton-Area Legislators | HB143 H3rd 2/10/03 | HB143 S3rd 3/4/02 |
|
| S 25 | Cale Case (R) | No | |
| H 33 | Harry Tipton (R) | No | |
| H 54 | Del McOmie (R) | No | |
| S 26 | Robert A. Peck (R) | No | |
| H 34 | Frank Philp (R) | No | |
| H 55 | David Miller (R) | No | |
| Northeast/East Central WY Legislators | HB143 H3rd 2/10/03 | HB143 S3rd 3/4/02 |
|
| S 1 | Bill Barton (R) | Yes | |
| H 1 | Mark Semlek (R) | Yes | |
| H 2 | Ross Diercks (D) | Yes | |
| S 2 | Jim Anderson (R) | Yes | |
| H 5 | James C. Hageman (R) | Yes | |
| H 6 | Dave Edwards (R) | Yes | |
| S 3 | Curt Meier (R) | No | |
| H 3 | Deborah Alden (R) | Yes | |
| H 4 | Edward A. Buchanan (R) | Yes | |
| Sheridan-Area Legislators | HB143 H3rd 2/10/03 | HB143 S3rd 3/4/02 |
|
| S 21 | Bruce Burns (R) | Yes | |
| H 29 | Jerry Iekel (R) | Excused | |
| H 51 | Rosie Berger (R) | Yes | |
| S 22 | John Schiffer (R) | Yes | |
| H 30 | Jack Landon (R) | Yes | |
| H 40 | Doug Osborn (R) | No | |
| South Central WY Legislators | HB143 H3rd 2/10/03 | HB143 S3rd 3/4/02 |
|
| S 9 | Mike Massie (D) | Yes | |
| H 13 | Jane Warren (D) | Yes | |
| H 45 | Lorna Johnson (D) | Yes | |
| S 10 | Irene Devin (R) | No | |
| H 14 | Phil Nicholas (R) | Yes | |
| H 46 | James Slater (R) | Yes | |
| S 11 | Bill Vasey (D) | Yes | |
| H 15 | George Bagby (D) | Yes | |
| H 47 | Kurt Bucholz (R) | Yes | |
| Southwest WY Legislators | HB143 H3rd 2/10/03 | HB143 S3rd 3/4/02 |
|
| S 12 | Rae Lynn Job (D) | Yes | |
| H 48 | Marty Martin (D) | Yes | |
| H 16 | Pete Jorgensen (D) | Yes | |
| S 13 | Tex Boggs (D) | Yes | |
| H 17 | Fred Parady (R) | Yes | |
| H 60 | Bill Thompson (D) | Yes | |
| S 14 | Larry Caller (D) | Yes | |
| H 18 | Mick Powers (R) | Yes | |
| H 39 | Chris Boswell (D) | Yes | |
| S 15 | Ken Decaria (D) | Yes | |
| H 19 | Owen Petersen (R) | Yes | |
| H 49 | Saundra Meyer (D) | Yes | |
| West Central WY Legislators | HB143 H3rd 2/10/03 | HB143 S3rd 3/4/02 |
|
| S 16 | Delaine Roberts (R) | Yes | |
| H 20 | Stan Cooper (R) | Yes | |
| H 21 | Randall Luthi (R) | Yes | |
| S 17 | Grant Larson (R) | No | |
| H 22 | Monte Olsen (R) | No | |
| H 23 | Clarene Law (R) | Yes | |
See Southwest Region for H 16 and S 12 | |||