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2003 General Session
HB 37 proposed a statewide mill levy (property tax) of two mills to finance school capital construction.
Until a Wyoming Supreme Court decision invalidated the state's former school finance system, school districts had the option (with voter approval) to levy up to six additional property tax mills to fund education.
This option was utilized by nearly all school districts to some degree; only 11 districts levied less than two mills in 1996, and only three districts levied less than two mills in 1997 (the last year local optional mills were allowed).
At the time the local optional mills ended, the statewide average optional mill levy was 4.2 mills, which raised $32 million for schools in 1997.
It would have been logical for the 1998 Legislature to enact a statewide mill levy to replace the optional mills. However, this did not happen, and thus the revenues from the optional mills disappeared from the school finance system and were not replaced.
Several attempts to enact a statewide mill levy since that time have failed, including HB 146 in 2002 (failed introduction in the 2002 budget session), and HB 85 in 2001, which was killed in the House Revenue Committee.
Proponents of a statewide mill levy argued that the income from the former optional mill levies should be recovered, and that a small increase in Wyoming's relatively low property taxes is a fair way to raise revenues needed for schools.
Opponents, particularly the state's mineral industries (which pay property taxes on mineral production in addition to severance taxes), argued that a sales or income tax would be a better way to raise needed revenues.
HB 37 failed in the House Revenue Committee on a 2-7 vote.
The vote listed below is the House Revenue Committee vote. Due to an odd legislative rule that requires the recording only of committee votes that pass bills but not those that defeat bills, the vote was not officially recorded. However, observers at the committee hearing at the time of the vote did record it.
A YES vote means the representative supported a statewide mill levy of two mills to fund school capital construction.
A NO vote means the representative did not support a statewide mill levy of two mills.
| House Revenue Committee |
1/29/03 | |
| H 35 | Roy Cohee (R) | No |
| H 10 | Rodney 'Pete' Anderson (R) | No |
| H 47 | Kurk Bucholz (R) | No |
| H 50 | Pat Childers (R) | No |
| H 45 | Lorna Johnson (D) | Yes |
| H 57 | Tom Lockhart (R) | No |
| H 49 | Saundra Meyer (D) | No |
| H 60 | Bill Thompson (D) | Yes |
| H 27 | Jane Wostenberg (R) | No |