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2003 General Session
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This joint resolution declared that a state of emergency exists in Wyoming due to a shortage of water. SJ 3 further declared that this shortage of water was due to the deteriorated conditions of watersheds located on federal lands in Wyoming. Finally, this deteriorated watershed condition was attributed to "excessive and unjustified overgrowth" of the forests on federal lands.
SJ 3 asserted, in rather strident tones, that "literally billions of excess junipers and confiers" were selfishly drinking up too much water before it could reach streams and rivers and flow off the federal land and onto state and private land.
Therefore, SJ 3 directed the state of Wyoming to use its police and contract powers to assert sufficient control over these federal forests to correct the overgrowth sitiation. In other words, the state was directed to log national forests in Wyoming to produce more water runoff.
Furthermore, SJ 3 exprressed the expectation that the federal government would pay for the state to do this logging and whatever else the state thought it needed to do to eliminate the self-declared state of emergency.
Finally, SJ 3 directed the Governor to direct the Wyoming Attorney General to consider a lawsuit against the federal government, in the (seemingly likely) event that the federal government should refuse to grant Wyoming the authority and necessary federal funds to do as it wishes on federal forests.
Supporters of SJ 3 seemed swept up by the rhetoric of the bill, in a kind of "Let's tell those feds off, once and for all" sentiment.
Opponents explained research that clearly shows the primary factor affecting spring runoff is previous seasons' precipitation. They mentioned innumerable other studies that demonstrate the value of forests in preventing soil erosion, protecting water quality, providing wildlife habitat and multiple other benefits.
Supporters were unswayed by these rather rational arguments. The Senate passed this non-binding resolution 18-12, with no amendments offered.
The House amended the bill to change the "billions" of unnecessary trees down to millions and to drop the word "literally", presumably when someone comprehended that it was not a literal figure at all. Then they, too, passed SJ 3, 40-19 (one excused).
The votes shown below are Third Reading (final passage) votes in the House and Senate.
A YES vote means the legislator supported this non-binding resolution that urged confrontation with the federal government over national forest management.
A NO vote means the legislator did not support the resolution.
| Bighorn Basin Legislators | Senate 3rd 1/29/03 | House 3rd 2/28/03 |
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| S 18 | Hank Coe (R) | Yes | |
| H 24 | Colin Simpson (R) | Yes | |
| H 50 | Pat Childers (R) | Yes | |
| S 19 | Laness D. Northrup (R) | Yes | |
| H 25 | Alan Jones (R) | No | |
| H 26 | Elaine Harvey (R) | Yes | |
| S 20 | Gerald E. Geis (R) | Yes | |
| H 27 | Jane Wostenberg (R) | Yes | |
| H 28 | Micheal Baker (R) | No | |
| Casper-Area Legislators | Senate 3rd 1/29/03 | House 3rd 2/28/03 |
|
| S 27 | John Barrasso (R) | Yes | |
| H 35 | Roy Cohee (R) | Yes | |
| H 36 | Liz Gentile (D) | No | |
| S 28 | Keith Goodenough (D) | No | |
| H 56 | Tom Walsh (R) | Yes | |
| H 57 | Thomas A. Lockhart (R) | Yes | |
| S 29 | Bill Hawks (R) | Yes | |
| H 37 | Steve Harshman (R) | Yes | |
| H 59 | Mary Gilmore (D) | Yes | |
| S 30 | Charles K. Scott (R) | No | |
| H 38 | Bob Brechtel (R) | Yes | |
| H 58 | Ann Robinson (D) | No | |
| Cheyenne-Area Legislators | Senate 3rd 1/29/03 | House 3rd 2/28/03 |
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| S 4 | April Brimmer Kunz (R) | Yes | |
| H 7 | Tony Ross (R) | Yes | |
| H 41 | Becket Hinckley (R) | Yes | |
| S 5 | John Hanes (R) | No | |
| H 8 | Larry Meuli (R) | Yes | |
| H 42 | Pete Illoway (R) | Yes | |
| S 6 | Rich Cathcart (D) | Yes | |
| H 9 | Wayne Johnson (R) | No | |
| H 10 | Rodney "Pete" Anderson (R) | Yes | |
| S 7 | Kathryn Sessions (D) | No | |
| H 11 | Wayne Reese (D) | No | |
| H 43 | Ed Prosser (R) | Yes | |
| S 8 | E. Jayne Mockler (D) | No | |
| H 12 | Layton Morgan (D) | No | |
| H 44 | Floyd Esquibel (D) | No | |
| Gillette-Area Legislators | Senate 3rd 1/29/03 | House 3rd 2/28/03 |
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| S 23 | John Hines (R) | Yes | |
| H 31 | Jene Jansen (R) | Yes | |
| H 52 | George McMurtrey (R) | Yes | |
| S 24 | Richard A. Erb (R) | Yes | |
| H 32 | Jeff Wasserburger (R) | Excused | |
| H 53 | Frank Latta (R) | Yes | |
| Lander/Riverton-Area Legislators | Senate 3rd 1/29/03 | House 3rd 2/28/03 |
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| S 25 | Cale Case (R) | No | |
| H 33 | Harry Tipton (R) | No | |
| H 54 | Del McOmie (R) | Yes | |
| S 26 | Robert A. Peck (R) | Yes | |
| H 34 | Frank Philp (R) | Yes | |
| H 55 | David Miller (R) | Yes | |
| Northeast/East Central WY Legislators | Senate 3rd 1/29/03 | House 3rd 2/28/03 |
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| 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) | Yes | |
| H 3 | Deborah Alden (R) | Yes | |
| H 4 | Edward A. Buchanan (R) | No | |
| Sheridan-Area Legislators | Senate 3rd 1/29/03 | House 3rd 2/28/03 |
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| S 21 | Bruce Burns (R) | No | |
| H 29 | Jerry Iekel (R) | Yes | |
| H 51 | Rosie Berger (R) | Yes | |
| S 22 | John Schiffer (R) | Yes | |
| H 30 | Jack Landon (R) | No | |
| H 40 | Doug Osborn (R) | Yes | |
| South Central WY Legislators | Senate 3rd 1/29/03 | House 3rd 2/28/03 |
|
| S 9 | Mike Massie (D) | No | |
| H 13 | Jane Warren (D) | No | |
| H 45 | Lorna Johnson (D) | No | |
| S 10 | Irene Devin (R) | Yes | |
| H 14 | Phil Nicholas (R) | No | |
| 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 | Senate 3rd 1/29/03 | House 3rd 2/28/03 |
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| S 12 | Rae Lynn Job (D) | No | |
| H 48 | Marty Martin (D) | No | |
| H 16 | Pete Jorgensen (D) | No | |
| S 13 | Tex Boggs (D) | No | |
| H 17 | Fred Parady (R) | Yes | |
| H 60 | Bill Thompson (D) | No | |
| S 14 | Larry Caller (D) | No | |
| H 18 | Mick Powers (R) | Yes | |
| H 39 | Chris Boswell (D) | No | |
| S 15 | Ken Decaria (D) | No | |
| H 19 | Owen Petersen (R) | Yes | |
| H 49 | Saundra Meyer (D) | No | |
| West Central WY Legislators | Senate 3rd 1/29/03 | House 3rd 2/28/03 |
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| S 16 | Delaine Roberts (R) | Yes | |
| H 20 | Stan Cooper (R) | Yes | |
| H 21 | Randall Luthi (R) | Yes | |
| S 17 | Grant Larson (R) | Yes | |
| H 22 | Monte Olsen (R) | Yes | |
| H 23 | Clarene Law (R) | Yes | |
See Southwest Region for H 16 and S 12 | |||