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2005 General Session
After many years of discussions and failed attempts, SF 41 finally established a permanent trust account to preserve wildlife and wildlife habitat in Wyoming. As finally passed, the bill appropriated $15 million for the trust account, plus $300,000 in start up funding for the first year.
The interest generated by the trust fund will be used to fund projects carried out by government and nonprofit agencies to improve and maintain fish and wildlife habitat and to mitigate the impacts of residential, mineral and industrial development across the state.
A statewide board will administer the grant program for the wildlife and habitat improvement projects. The board will consist of nine members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate. Projects that cost more than $200,000 will require legislative approval.
As introduced, SF 41 would have appropriated $75 million to the trust account. During the rather tortured journey of this bill through the legislative process, it was amended so many times that two substitute bills had to be written to incorporate all the changes. The bill’s appropriation varied at different points during its legislative journey from the original $75 million all the way down to zero, and at one point the bill contained an annual limit of $200,000 that could be spent on projects. Eventually and during the very last moments of the 2005 Legislature, a conference committee bill was accepted by both the House and Senate that placed the initial deposit into the trust fund at $15 million, that required legislative approval for projects costing more than $200,000, and that capped the total amount that could be spent on small projects (those under $200,000) in any given year at $200,000.
Before signing the bill into law, Governor Freudenthal used the line item veto to strike the annual $200,000 cap on small projects.
Supporters believed that habitat preservation now would help preserve Wyoming’s unique wildlife heritage, by forestalling the loss of hunting, wildlife viewing and other recreational opportunities. They noted the benefit to Wyoming citizens and industries of minimizing future listing of species as threatened or endangered by the federal government.
Opponents of SF 41 disliked the bill for a variety of reasons, ranging from a belief that we have enough wildlife and wildlife habitat to objections about the cost and general opposition to the concept of trust funds in general.
The House passed SF 41 44-14 (2 excused), and after initially rejecting it, the Senate ultimately accepted the House version of the bill from the conference committee on a vote of 24-6. Many Senators voted for the House version of the bill reluctantly but with the belief that it was better than no bill at all and that it could be improved during future legislative sessions. As noted above, the governor struck the annual $200,000 cap on small projects before signing the bill into law.
The votes listed below are the House third reading vote and the Senate vote to concur with the conference committee bill, which was identical to the House version. A YES vote means the legislator wanted to establish the wildlife trust fund with an initial appropriation of $15 million. A NO vote means the legislator did not want to establish the wildlife trust fund.