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2005 General Session
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HB 94 created a study of overlapping and conflicting jurisdictions between state agencies that deal with different aspects of environmental health issues. The purpose of the study is to allow the state to better address emerging health issues in Wyoming.
The bill directed the Wyoming Department of Health to determine which state or federal agencies are responsible for addressing environmental health issues, to flag any identified threats that are not currently assigned to any particular agency, and to identify overlapping jurisdictions. The Department will develop a comprehensive plan to coordinate and clarify agency responsibility for environmental health issues.
In the process of studying the issues and developing the plan, the Department will actively seek the participation of private groups and organizations as well as consulting with other state agencies as appropriate. A draft plan will be released for public comment before the plan is finalized and submitted to the Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Interim Committee in October 2005.
HB 94 included an appropriation of $50,000 to pay for the project.
Supporters of HB 94 pointed to the spreading West Nile virus as a good example of the need for this work. At the same time that state health and agriculture agencies have been working to reduce standing water conditions that breed virus-carrying mosquitoes, other state agencies such as the Department of Environmental Quality and the Oil and Gas Commission have been permitting construction of new industrial water ponds that become new mosquito breeding sites. Supporters argued that the study authorized in HB 94 would lead to a more efficient, effective approach to these types of problems.
Opponents worried that the bill was too broad and that the study might venture into investigation of all sorts of large environmental issues such as refinery pollution or electromagnetic affects of power lines. During House debate, the scope of the bill was narrowed considerably. As introduced, the study would have looked at natural and man-made environmental threats to public health, and would have included emerging or future public health threats, but those references were amended out of the bill.
HB 94 passed the House Labor, Health and Human Services Committee unanimously, but then went on to fail the House third reading (final passage) vote, 29-28 (3 excused). To pass, a bill must receive at least 31 votes in the House, a majority of the total membership. The House then voted to reconsider its third reading vote, and on the second try, passed HB 94, 32-27 (1 excused).
In the Senate, HB 94 passed the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services Committee unanimously, and passed the Senate Appropriations Committee 3-1 (1 excused). Senator John Hines (R-S23, Gillette) voted against the bill in committee, while Senator Phil Nicholas (R-S10, Laramie) was excused. The Senate then passed HB 94 unanimously on third reading.
The votes listed below are the House and Senate third reading votes. A YES vote means the legislator wanted to authorize a study of environmental health issues and who has jurisdiction over them. A NO vote means the legislator did not want to authorize such a study.
| Bighorn Basin Legislators | House 3rd 1/21/05 | Senate 3rd 2/23/05 |
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| S 18 | Hank Coe (R) | Yes | |
| H 24 | Colin Simpson (R) | Yes | |
| H 50 | Pat Childers (R) | No | |
| 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 | Debbie Hammons (D) | Yes | |
| H 28 | Lorraine Quarberg (R) | Yes | |
| Casper-Area Legislators | House 3rd 1/21/05 | Senate 3rd 2/23/05 |
|
| S 27 | John Barrasso (R) | Yes | |
| H 35 | Roy Cohee (R) | No | |
| H 36 | Gerald Gay (R) | No | |
| S 28 | Kit Jennings (R) | Yes | |
| H 56 | Tom Walsh (R) | No | |
| H 57 | Thomas A. Lockhart (R) | No | |
| S 29 | Bill Hawks (R) | Yes | |
| H 37 | Steve Harshman (R) | No | |
| 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 1/21/05 | Senate 3rd 2/23/05 |
|
| S 4 | Tony Ross (R) | Yes | |
| H 7 | Doug Samuelson (R) | No | |
| H 41 | Becket Hinckley (R) | Yes | |
| S 5 | John Hanes (R) | Yes | |
| H 8 | Larry Meuli (R) | No | |
| H 42 | Pete Illoway (R) | No | |
| S 6 | Wayne H. Johnson (R) | Yes | |
| H 9 | Bryan Pedersen (R) | Yes | |
| H 10 | Rodney "Pete" Anderson (R) | No | |
| S 7 | Kathryn Sessions (D) | Yes | |
| H 11 | Wayne Reese (D) | Yes | |
| H 43 | Dan Zwonitzer (R) | No | |
| S 8 | E. Jayne Mockler (D) | Yes | |
| H 12 | Layton Morgan (D) | Yes | |
| H 44 | Floyd Esquibel (D) | Yes | |
| Gillette-Area Legislators | House 3rd 1/21/05 | Senate 3rd 2/23/05 |
|
| S 23 | John Hines (R) | Yes | |
| H 31 | Thomas E. Lubnau II (R) | No | |
| H 52 | Burke Jackson (R) | Excused | |
| S 24 | Michael Von Flatern (R) | Yes | |
| H 32 | Jeff Wasserburger (R) | No | |
| H 53 | Frank Latta (R) | No | |
| Lander/Riverton-Area Legislators | House 3rd 1/21/05 | Senate 3rd 2/23/05 |
|
| S 25 | Cale Case (R) | Yes | |
| H 33 | W. Patrick Goggles (D) | Yes | |
| H 54 | Del McOmie (R) | Yes | |
| S 26 | Robert A. Peck (R) | Yes | |
| H 34 | Frank Philp (R) | Excused | |
| H 55 | David Miller (R) | No | |
| Northeast/East Central WY Legislators | House 3rd 1/21/05 | Senate 3rd 2/23/05 |
|
| 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) | No | |
| H 6 | Dave Edwards (R) | Yes | |
| S 3 | Curt Meier (R) | Yes | |
| H 3 | Deborah Alden (R) | No | |
| H 4 | Edward A. Buchanan (R) | Yes | |
| Sheridan-Area Legislators | House 3rd 1/21/05 | Senate 3rd 2/23/05 |
|
| S 21 | Bruce Burns (R) | Yes | |
| H 29 | Jerry Iekel (R) | Yes | |
| H 51 | Rosie Berger (R) | Yes | |
| S 22 | John Schiffer (R) | Yes | |
| H 30 | Jack Landon (R) | Yes | |
| H 40 | Doug Osborn (R) | Yes | |
| South Central WY Legislators | House 3rd 1/21/05 | Senate 3rd 2/23/05 |
|
| S 9 | Mike Massie (D) | Yes | |
| H 13 | Jane Warren (D) | Yes | |
| H 45 | Kevin A. White (R) | No | |
| S 10 | Phil Nicholas (R) | Yes | |
| H 14 | Kermit C. Brown (R) | Excused | |
| H 46 | James Slater (R) | No | |
| S 11 | Bill Vasey (D) | Yes | |
| H 15 | George Bagby (D) | Yes | |
| H 47 | Kurt Bucholz (R) | No | |
| Southwest WY Legislators | House 3rd 1/21/05 | Senate 3rd 2/23/05 |
|
| 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 | Stephen Watt (R) | No | |
| H 60 | Bill Thompson (D) | Yes | |
| S 14 | Stan Cooper (R) | Yes | |
| H 18 | Mick Powers (R) | No | |
| H 39 | John Hastert (D) | Yes | |
| S 15 | Ken Decaria (D) | Yes | |
| H 19 | Owen Petersen (R) | No | |
| H 49 | Bruce Barnard (R) | Yes | |
| West Central WY Legislators | House 3rd 1/21/05 | Senate 3rd 2/23/05 |
|
| S 16 | Pat Aullman (R) | Yes | |
| H 20 | Kathy Davison (R) | No | |
| H 21 | Randall Luthi (R) | No | |
| S 17 | Grant Larson (R) | Yes | |
| H 22 | Monte Olsen (R) | No | |
| H 23 | Keith Gingery (R) | Yes | |
See Southwest Region for H 16 and S 12 | |||