ESPC Home | 2004 LAP* Book | Background | Legislator Profiles | Key Votes | LAP* Book Home
Numeric List Budget Accountability Health & Human Services Justice System Education State Employees Taxation & Revenue Wildlife & Environment Worker & Public Safety Tribal Affairs Senior Citizens	HB 55: Preference Points for Hunting Licenses 2004 Budget Session Sponsor: : Joint interim Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee Legislator votes by regions Big Horn Basin Casper-Area Cheyenne-Area Gillette-Area Lander/Riverton-Area Northeast/East Central Sheridan-Area South Central Southwest West Central          HB 55 is the second attempt in two years to create a preference point program for non-resident antelope, deer and elk licenses.          Wyoming already has a preference point program for moose and bighorn sheep, for both resident and non-resident hunters alike. Under this program, 75% of the licenses for each species are reserved for the preference point drawing, and the remaining 25% are used for a random drawing of all unsuccessful applicants, including those who were unsuccessful in the preference point drawing.          An applicant gets one point for each consecutive year he or she applies for a license but doesn't draw one. Any year an applicant doesn't want to apply for a license, they can pay $7 and receive a point. If an applicant doesn't apply and doesn't buy a point in any given year, they lose all points accumulated for previous years.          When the preference point drawing is held for 75% of the licenses, the applicants who have accumulated the most points are the first draws.          HB 55 would authorize the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission to develop a preference point program for non-resident antelope, deer and elk licenses. The program could be applied to all or only selected hunt areas, and could apply to all or only a certain percentage of licenses for each species.          HB 55 also would permit non-resident license applicants to pay a fee instead of applying for a license each year, to gain a preference point and avoid losing all points accumulated up to that point. The fee could be no more than $50 for elk, deer or antelope licenses.          HB 55 would maintain the $7 fee for resident hunters to buy a preference point in lieu of applying for a license for moose and bighorn sheep, but would allow the Commission to charge non-resident applicants up to $100 for the same privilege. For non-resident youth licenses, the Commission could establish lower fees.          HB 55 would not establish any preference point programs for resident hunters for elk, deer or antelope licenses.          Supporters of HB 55 looked on the measure as a way for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to generate much-needed revenue (an estimated $1.6 million annually). They believed that non-resident hunters are satisfied with the preference point system for moose and bighorn sheep licensing and would be willing to use a similar system for antelope, deer and elk.          Supporters believed out-of-state hunters would prefer to have the option to purchase a preference point instead of having to apply for a license in years when they know they will not be able to come to Wyoming to hunt, simply to maintain their points and standing in future years' drawings.          Opponents were concerned that the fees of $50 to $100 for preference points were too expensive, and would price some hunters out of the market.          The House passed HB 55, 54-2 (4 excused), and the Senate passed HB 55, 25-5.          The votes listed below are the third reading votes in the House and Senate.          A YES vote means the legislator wanted to extend the preference point program to non-resident antelope, deer and elk licenses, and to permit non-resident license applicants to gain a preference point by paying a fee instead of applying for a license.          A NO vote means the legislator did not favor extending the preference point program. Bighorn Basin Legislators House 3rd 2/19/04 Senate 3rd 2/27 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) Yes H 26 Elaine Harvey (R) Yes S 20 Gerald E. Geis (R) Yes H 27 Jane Wostenberg (R) Yes H 28 Micheal Baker (R) Yes Casper-Area Legislators House 3rd 2/19/04 Senate 3rd 2/27 S 27 John Barrasso (R) Yes H 35 Roy Cohee (R) Yes H 36 Liz Gentile (D) Yes S 28 Keith Goodenough (D) Yes H 56 Tom Walsh (R) Yes H 57 Thomas A. Lockhart (R) Excused S 29 Bill Hawks (R) Yes H 37 Steve Harshman (R) Yes H 59 Mary Gilmore (D) Yes S 30 Charles K. Scott (R) Yes H 38 Bob Brechtel (R) Yes H 58 Ann Robinson (D) Yes Cheyenne-Area Legislators House 3rd 2/19/04 Senate 3rd 2/27 S 4 April Brimmer Kunz (R) Yes 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) No H 43 Ed Prosser (R) Yes S 8 E. Jayne Mockler (D) No H 12 Layton Morgan (D) Yes H 44 Floyd Esquibel (D) Yes Gillette-Area Legislators House 3rd 2/19/04 Senate 3rd 2/27 S 23 John Hines (R) Yes H 31 Jene Jansen (R) Yes H 52 George McMurtrey (R) Excused S 24 Richard A. Erb (R) Yes H 32 Jeff Wasserburger (R) Yes H 53 Frank Latta (R) Yes Lander/Riverton-Area Legislators House 3rd 2/19/04 Senate 3rd 2/27 S 25 Cale Case (R) No H 33 Harry Tipton (R) Excused 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 House 3rd 2/19/04 Senate 3rd 2/27 S 1 C.L. Townsend (R) Yes H 1 Mark Semlek (R) No 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) Yes Sheridan-Area Legislators House 3rd 2/19/04 Senate 3rd 2/27 S 21 Bruce Burns (R) Yes H 29 Jerry Iekel (R) Yes H 51 Rosie Berger (R) Yes S 22 John Schiffer (R) No H 30 Jack Landon (R) Yes H 40 Doug Osborn (R) Yes South Central WY Legislators House 3rd 2/19/04 Senate 3rd 2/27 S 9 Mike Massie (D) Yes H 13 Jane Warren (D) Yes H 45 Lorna Johnson (D) Yes S 10 Irene Devin (R) Yes H 14 Phil Nicholas (R) Yes H 46 James Slater (R) Yes S 11 Bill Vasey (D) Yes H 15 George Bagby (D) Excused H 47 Kurt Bucholz (R) Yes Southwest WY Legislators House 3rd 2/19/04 Senate 3rd 2/27 S 12 Rae Lynn Job (D) No 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 John Hastert (D) Yes S 15 Ken Decaria (D) No H 19 Owen Petersen (R) Yes H 49 Saundra Meyer (D) Yes West Central WY Legislators House 3rd 2/19/04 Senate 3rd 2/27 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