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HB 90: STATE SALES TAX - 1998 Budget/Special Session
Sponsor: Select Committee on School Finance
During the 1997 special session, the Legislature extended the fourth cent of statewide sales tax until 2002 (HB 1002, described above). HB 90 was the 1998 version of the 1997 special session bill to raise the sales tax by a half-cent (HB 1003, described above).
On the issue of the half-cent sales tax increase, arguments for and against were much the same as on the previous proposals for sales tax increases. But because a majority of the House Revenue Committee had voted to kill all other revenue options, there was considerable pressure to increase sales tax as the only revenue source left.
The House adopted an amendment to HB 90 to impose a 15% sales tax on cigarettes and a 10% sales tax on other tobacco products. This came about because the House Revenue Committee killed a separate bill to increase tobacco taxes.
Proponents of the tobacco tax amendment argued that Wyoming has one of the lowest tobacco taxes in the nation, and that studies have shown higher taxes discourage younger smokers from starting the habit.
Opponents countered that a tobacco tax increase would hurt Wyoming businesses which sell tobacco products. They also said that two sales tax rates -- one for cigarettes and one for other products -- would create confusion among both retailers and consumers.
HB 90 initially failed third reading (final passage) in the House, 30-29 (1 excused). The House then voted to reconsider its vote and passed HB 90, 33-27.
Representatives changing their votes from no to yes were: Bruce Hinchey (R-H36, Casper), Tony Ross (R-H7, Cheyenne) and Marlene Simons (R-H1, Beulah). Rep. Louie Tomassi (R-H20, Big Piney) was excused for the first vote and voted no on the second vote.
On voice votes, the Senate defeated an effort to delete the House amendment adding the sales tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products, but approved an amendment lowering the 15% sales tax on cigarettes to 4%, thereby making the sales tax on cigarettes the same as on all other items subject to sales tax. (Although there is currently an excise tax on cigarettes, they are exempt from sales tax.)
The Senate's 15% to 4% amendment also deleted the 10% sales tax on all tobacco products other than cigarettes. (Sales of other tobacco products are currently subject to sales tax, but no other tax.)
An effort to restore the House amendment failed, 14-16. The Senate then killed the bill altogether, 15-15, on second reading, and refused to reconsider, 13-17.
There are two sets of votes listed below. The first set includes the House third reading (final passage) vote and the Senate second reading vote on HB 90.
The second set is the Senate vote to restore the House amendment imposing a 15% sales tax on cigarettes and a 10% sales tax on other tobacco products.
SALES TAX
A YES vote means the legislator supported adding a half-cent to the existing statewide sales tax, earmarked for education, and/or new sales taxes on tobacco.
A NO vote means the legislator opposed adding a half-cent to the existing statewide sales tax, earmarked for education, and/or opposed new sales taxes on tobacco.
(Note: Because these two issues were mixed in the same bill, a legislator may have supported one tax and not the other, but had to choose, e.g., opposed sales tax and supported tobacco tax, but voted no.)
|
BIG HORN BASIN LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S18 |
Sen. Hank Coe (R) |
Yes |
|
H24 |
Rep. Peg Shreve (R) |
Yes |
|
H50 |
Rep. Pat Childers (R) |
Yes |
|
S19 |
Sen. Carroll Miller (R) |
Yes |
|
H25 |
Rep. Denny Smith (R) |
No |
|
H26 |
Rep. Chas. Hessenthaler (R) |
No |
|
S20 |
Sen. Gerald Geis (R) |
Yes |
|
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) |
Yes |
|
S28 |
Sen. Keith Goodenough (D) |
No |
|
H56 |
Rep. Pat Nagel (R) |
Yes |
|
H57 |
Rep. Bob Tanner (R) |
No |
|
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) |
No |
|
H58 |
Rep. Ann Robinson (D) |
No |
|
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) |
No |
|
H9 |
Rep. Wayne Johnson (R) |
Yes |
|
H10 |
Rep. Pete Anderson (R) |
Yes |
|
S7 |
Sen. Guy Cameron (D) |
No |
|
H11 |
Rep. Wayne Reese (D) |
No |
|
H43 |
Rep. Kathryn Sessions (D) |
No |
|
S8 |
Sen. Jayne Mockler (D) |
No |
|
H12 |
Rep. Leo Garcia (D) |
No |
|
H44 |
Rep. Floyd Esquibel (D) |
No |
|
GILLETTE-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S23 |
Sen. Larry Gilbertz (R) |
No |
|
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) |
No |
|
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) |
Yes |
|
NORTHEAST/EAST CENTRAL WYOMING LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S1 |
Sen. Bill Barton (R) |
No |
|
H1 |
Rep. Marlene Simons (R) |
Yes |
|
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) |
Yes |
|
H3 |
Rep. Bill Stafford (R) |
Yes |
|
H4 |
Rep. Roger Huckfeldt (R) |
Yes |
|
SHERIDAN-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S21 |
Sen. Tom Kinnison (R) |
No |
|
H29 |
Rep. Rick Badgett (R) |
No |
|
H51 |
Rep. Bruce Burns (R) |
No |
|
S22 |
Sen. John Schiffer (R) |
No |
|
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) |
No |
|
H45 |
Rep. Wende Barker (D) |
No |
|
S10 |
Sen. Irene Devin (R) |
Yes |
|
H14 |
Rep. Phil Nicholas (R) |
Yes |
|
H46 |
Rep. Tom Rardin (R) |
Yes |
|
S11 |
Sen. Bob Grieve (R) |
Yes |
|
H15 |
Rep. Tony Rose (R) |
No |
|
H47 |
Rep. Teense Willford (R) |
Yes |
|
SOUTHWEST WYOMING LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S12 |
Sen. Rae Lynn Job (D) |
No |
|
H16 |
Rep. Kenilynn Zanetti (D) |
No |
|
H48 |
Rep. Jack Steinbrech (R) |
Yes |
|
S13 |
Sen. Ray Sarcletti (D) |
No |
|
H17 |
Rep. Fred Parady (R) |
Yes |
|
H60 |
Rep. Louise Ryckman (D) |
No |
|
S14 |
Sen. Mark Harris (D) |
No |
|
H18 |
Rep. John Eyre (R) |
Yes |
|
H39 |
Rep. Chris Boswell (D) |
No |
|
S15 |
Sen. Greg Phillips (D) |
No |
|
H19 |
Rep. Peggy Rounds (D) |
No |
|
H49 |
Rep. Ken Decaria (D) |
No |
|
WEST CENTRAL WYOMING LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S16 |
Sen. Delaine Roberts (R) |
Yes |
|
H20 |
Rep. Louie Tomassi (R) |
No |
|
H21 |
Rep. Randall Luthi (R) |
Yes |
|
S17 |
Sen. Grant Larson (R) |
Yes |
|
H22 |
Rep. Budd Betts (R) |
Yes |
|
H23 |
Rep. Clarene Law (R) |
Yes |
TOBACCO TAX
A YES vote means the senator favored restoring the House amendment imposing a 15% sales tax on cigarettes and a 10% sales tax on other tobacco products.
A NO vote means the senator opposed restoring the House amendment.
|
BIG HORN BASIN LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S18 |
Sen. Hank Coe (R) |
No |
|
S19 |
Sen. Carroll Miller (R) |
Yes |
|
S20 |
Sen. Gerald Geis (R) |
Yes |
|
CASPER-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S27 |
Sen. Gail Zimmerman (R) |
Yes |
|
S28 |
Sen. Keith Goodenough (D) |
Yes |
|
S29 |
Sen. Bill Hawks (R) |
No |
|
S30 |
Sen. Charles Scott (R) |
Yes |
|
CHEYENNE-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S4 |
Sen. April Brimmer Kunz (R) |
No |
|
S5 |
Sen. Donald Lawler (R) |
Yes |
|
S6 |
Sen. Rich Cathcart (D) |
No |
|
S7 |
Sen. Guy Cameron (D) |
No |
|
S8 |
Sen. Jayne Mockler (D) |
No |
|
GILLETTE-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S23 |
Sen. Larry Gilbertz (R) |
No |
|
S24 |
Sen. Dick Erb (R) |
No |
|
LANDER/RIVERTON-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S25 |
Sen. John Vinich (D) |
No |
|
S26 |
Sen. Bob Peck (R) |
No |
|
NORTHEAST/EAST CENTRAL WYOMING LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S1 |
Sen. Bill Barton (R) |
No |
|
S2 |
Sen. Jim Twiford (R) |
Yes |
|
S3 |
Sen. Curt Meier (R) |
No |
|
SHERIDAN-AREA LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S21 |
Sen. Tom Kinnison (R) |
Yes |
|
S22 |
Sen. John Schiffer (R) |
Yes |
|
SOUTH CENTRAL WYOMING LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S9 |
Sen. Vince Picard (R) |
No |
|
S10 |
Sen. Irene Devin (R) |
Yes |
|
S11 |
Sen. Bob Grieve (R) |
No |
|
SOUTHWEST WYOMING LEGISLATORS |
|||
|
S12 |
Sen. Rae Lynn Job (D) |
Yes |
|
|
S13 |
Sen. Ray Sarcletti (D) |
Yes |
|
|
S14 |
Sen. Mark Harris (D) |
No |
|
|
S15 |
Sen. Greg Phillips (D) |
Yes |
|
|
WEST CENTRAL WYOMING LEGISLATORS |
Vote |
|
|
S16 |
Sen. Delaine Roberts (R) |
Yes |
|
S17 |
Sen. Grant Larson (R) |
No |
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