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Senior Citizens

HB 183: Senior Citizens' Trust Fund
2005 General Session
Sponsor: Rep. Jack Landon (R-H30, Sheridan); co-sponsors Reps. Bob Brechtel (R-H38, Casper), Douglas Osborn (R-H40, Buffalo), Mick Powers (R-H18, Lyman), Tom Walsh (R-H56, Casper) and Sens. Stan Cooper (R-S14, Kemmerer), Gerald Geis (R-S20, Worland)

         In 2003, the Legislature established the Wyoming Senior Services Board to oversee and distribute a grant program for senior centers around Wyoming. Funds are distributed for innovative programs designed to benefit senior citizens across Wyoming. The Senior Services Board and grant program were funded with $1,750,000 from the general fund.
         HB 183 represented the third attempt since then to establish a permanent trust fund to support grants to senior centers in Wyoming.
         HB 183 proposed that the first five percent of investment interest earned on the Wyoming Senior Services Trust fund go to the Wyoming Senior Services Board for the grant program, and any investment income above fire percent be directed back into the trust fund.
         HB 183 would have appropriated $30 million from the budget reserve account to deposit into the Wyoming Senior Services Trust Fund.
         The House Appropriations Committee unanimously defeated HB 183 during the third week of the 2005 General Session. At that point, it was obvious that even with Wyoming's generous budget surplus, there were far more spending proposals before legislators than could possibly be funded, and the Appropriations Committee began to turn down proposals in earnest, especially proposals for new programs with large appropriations.
         The vote listed below is the House Appropriations Committee vote. The representatives on the committee unanimously opposed setting up a $30 million trust fund to provide grants to senior centers in Wyoming.


House Appropriations Committee HB 183
H 34 Frank Philp (R - Shoshoni - chairman) No
H 51 Rosie Berger (R - Big Horn) No
H 25 Alan Jones (R - Powell) No
H 16 Pete Jorgensen (D - Jackson) No
H 8 Larry Meuli (R - Cheyenne) No
H 19 Owen Petersen (R - Mountain View) No
H 24 Colin Simpson (R - Cody) No
H 13 Jane Warren (D - Laramie) No