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HB 14: FUEL TAXES INCREASE - 1998 Budget/Special Session
Sponsor: Joint Transportation & Highways Interim Committee
HB 14 began as it did in 1997, as a proposed nickel increase (eight to 13 cents) in the state tax on gasoline and special fuels. However, because of action (and inaction) on other tax proposals, the fuel tax ultimately became the vehicle to provide more funding for education.
HB 14 passed the House, 37-22 (1 excused) without any changes. But a Senate amendment added another two cents for education to the proposed increase in gas and diesel taxes, thereby making the increase seven cents per gallon instead of five.
The Senate amendment also repealed the existing exemptions on the extra two cents, meaning that railroads, mineral extraction operations, and agriculture would have to pay the tax on fuel purchased for off-road use.
Finally, because the Wyoming Constitution requires that fuel taxes be dedicated to roads, the amendment set up a complicated trade-off where other sources of funding for the Wyoming Department of Transportation were diverted to the School Foundation Program, with the loss compensated by increased revenues from the higher fuel tax.
After defeating an amendment to delete the additional two cents on a 14-16 vote, the Senate then approved HB 14, 21-9.
The House overwhelmingly refused to concur, 11-49, sending HB 14 to conference committee. The first Joint Conference Committee (JCC) on HB 14 stripped most of the Senate amendments, essentially returning HB 14 to its original version. The JCC #1 report was adopted by the House, 36-24, but rejected by the Senate, 14-16.
The second JCC tried a different approach: it retained the Senate amendments but added language repealing the extra two cents effective July 1, 2001. The House rejected this idea, 20-39.
A third JCC, with extensive rewriting of the bill, found the solution that finally worked. JCC #3 reduced the proposed gas tax increase to only three cents.
It then proposed an additional two-cent increase without exemptions for off-road use to be in effect from July 1, 1998, through June 30, 2000. The additional revenue (up to $20 million) is then funneled through other funding offsets to the School Foundation Program.
After June 30, 2000, when the two cents without exemptions expires, the gas tax (with exemptions) will go from 11 to 13 cents per gallon. The House accepted this idea, 37-22 (1 excused), as did the Senate, 20-9 (1 excused).
The votes listed below are the third reading (final passage) votes in the House and Senate, before the conference committee version of the bill.
A YES vote means: (1) a representative supported a five-cent gas tax increase; (2) a senator supported a seven-cent gas tax increase, with two cents for education.
A NO vote means: (1) a representative opposed a five-cent gas tax increase; (2) a senator opposed a seven-cent gas tax increase, with two cents for education.
|
BIG HORN BASIN LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S18 |
Sen. Hank Coe (R) |
No |
|
H24 |
Rep. Peg Shreve (R) |
Yes |
|
H50 |
Rep. Pat Childers (R) |
Yes |
|
S19 |
Sen. Carroll Miller (R) |
No |
|
H25 |
Rep. Denny Smith (R) |
Yes |
|
H26 |
Rep. Chas. Hessenthaler (R) |
No |
|
S20 |
Sen. Gerald Geis (R) |
No |
|
H27 |
Rep. Ray Harrison (R) |
Yes |
|
H28 |
Rep. Mike Baker (R) |
No |
|
CASPER-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S27 |
Sen. Gail Zimmerman (R) |
Yes |
|
H35 |
Rep. Dorothy Perkins (R) |
Yes |
|
H36 |
Rep. Bruce Hinchey (R) |
No |
|
S28 |
Sen. Keith Goodenough (D) |
Yes |
|
H56 |
Rep. Pat Nagel (R) |
Yes |
|
H57 |
Rep. Bob Tanner (R) |
Yes |
|
S29 |
Sen. Bill Hawks (R) |
Yes |
|
H37 |
Rep. Rick Tempest (R) |
Yes |
|
H59 |
Rep. Nancy Berry (D) |
No |
|
S30 |
Sen. Charles Scott (R) |
Yes |
|
H38 |
Rep. Carolyn Paseneaux (R) |
Yes |
|
H58 |
Rep. Ann Robinson (D) |
Yes |
|
CHEYENNE-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S4 |
Sen. April Brimmer Kunz (R) |
No |
|
H7 |
Rep. Tony Ross (R) |
Yes |
|
H41 |
Rep. Mac McGraw (D) |
No |
|
S5 |
Sen. Donald Lawler (R) |
Yes |
|
H8 |
Rep. Larry Meuli (R) |
Yes |
|
H42 |
Rep. John Hanes (R) |
Yes |
|
S6 |
Sen. Rich Cathcart (D) |
Yes |
|
H9 |
Rep. Wayne Johnson (R) |
Yes |
|
H10 |
Rep. Pete Anderson (R) |
Yes |
|
S7 |
Sen. Guy Cameron (D) |
Yes |
|
H11 |
Rep. Wayne Reese (D) |
Yes |
|
H43 |
Rep. Kathryn Sessions (D) |
No |
|
S8 |
Sen. Jayne Mockler (D) |
Yes |
|
H12 |
Rep. Leo Garcia (D) |
Yes |
|
H44 |
Rep. Floyd Esquibel (D) |
Yes |
|
GILLETTE-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S23 |
Sen. Larry Gilbertz (R) |
Yes |
|
H31 |
Rep. John Hines (R) |
Yes |
|
H52 |
Rep. George McMurtrey (R) |
Yes |
|
S24 |
Sen. Dick Erb (R) |
No |
|
H32 |
Rep. Jeff Wasserburger (R) |
Yes |
|
H53 |
Rep. Nick Deegan (D) |
Yes |
|
LANDER/RIVERTON-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S25 |
Sen. John Vinich (D) |
Yes |
|
H33 |
Rep. Harry Tipton (R) |
Yes |
|
H54 |
Rep. Cale Case (R) |
No |
|
S26 |
Sen. Bob Peck (R) |
Yes |
|
H34 |
Rep. Frank Philp (R) |
No |
|
H55 |
Rep. Eli Bebout (R) |
No |
|
NORTHEAST/EAST CENTRAL WYOMING LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S1 |
Sen. Bill Barton (R) |
Yes |
|
H1 |
Rep. Marlene Simons (R) |
No |
|
H2 |
Rep. Ross Diercks (D) |
No |
|
S2 |
Sen. Jim Twiford (R) |
Yes |
|
H5 |
Rep. Jim Hageman (R) |
Yes |
|
H6 |
Rep. Jim Anderson (R) |
Yes |
|
S3 |
Sen. Curt Meier (R) |
No |
|
H3 |
Rep. Bill Stafford (R) |
No |
|
H4 |
Rep. Roger Huckfeldt (R) |
No |
|
SHERIDAN-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S21 |
Sen. Tom Kinnison (R) |
Yes |
|
H29 |
Rep. Rick Badgett (R) |
Yes |
|
H51 |
Rep. Bruce Burns (R) |
Yes |
|
S22 |
Sen. John Schiffer (R) |
Yes |
|
H30 |
Rep. Bill Bensel (D) |
No |
|
H40 |
Rep. Douglas Osborn (R) |
Yes |
|
SOUTH CENTRAL WYOMING LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S9 |
Sen. Vince Picard (R) |
Yes |
|
H13 |
Rep. Mike Massie (D) |
Yes |
|
H45 |
Rep. Wende Barker (D) |
Yes |
|
S10 |
Sen. Irene Devin (R) |
Yes |
|
H14 |
Rep. Phil Nicholas (R) |
Yes |
|
H46 |
Rep. Tom Rardin (R) |
Yes |
|
S11 |
Sen. Bob Grieve (R) |
No |
|
H15 |
Rep. Tony Rose (R) |
Yes |
|
H47 |
Rep. Teense Willford (R) |
Yes |
|
SOUTHWEST WYOMING LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S12 |
Sen. Rae Lynn Job (D) |
Yes |
|
H16 |
Rep. Kenilynn Zanetti (D) |
No |
|
H48 |
Rep. Jack Steinbrech (R) |
Yes |
|
S13 |
Sen. Ray Sarcletti (D) |
No |
|
H17 |
Rep. Fred Parady (R) |
No |
|
H60 |
Rep. Louise Ryckman (D) |
No |
|
S14 |
Sen. Mark Harris (D) |
Yes |
|
H18 |
Rep. John Eyre (R) |
No |
|
H39 |
Rep. Chris Boswell (D) |
No |
|
S15 |
Sen. Greg Phillips (D) |
Yes |
|
H19 |
Rep. Peggy Rounds (D) |
Yes |
|
H49 |
Rep. Ken Decaria (D) |
No |
|
WEST CENTRAL WYOMING LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S16 |
Sen. Delaine Roberts (R) |
No |
|
H20 |
Rep. Louie Tomassi (R) |
Excused |
|
H21 |
Rep. Randall Luthi (R) |
No |
|
S17 |
Sen. Grant Larson (R) |
Yes |
|
H22 |
Rep. Budd Betts (R) |
No |
|
H23 |
Rep. Clarene Law (R) |
Yes |
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