Latest news with #WyomingLegislature
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Some Wyoming residents voice support for voter registration changes
CHEYENNE — Beginning July 1, Wyoming voters will be required to provide proof of state residency and U.S. citizenship when registering to vote, something Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray has been advocating for years. The move comes after the Wyoming Legislature passed House Bill 156 in February, a piece of legislation Gov. Mark Gordon let go into law without his signature. The public comment period for rules related to the change began May 5 and lasts until June 20. Wednesday afternoon, Gray's office held an in-person and virtual meeting to allow people to voice their opinions about the proposed rules. All attendees who spoke during the meeting expressed support for the new law, and made some minor recommendations for the Secretary of State to consider before a final version of the law is published. Wyoming voters will be required to be a state resident for at least 30 days before casting their ballots, and must present proof of residency and citizenship when registering to vote. Last year, a similar piece of legislation was approved by the Wyoming Legislature, but vetoed by Gordon on the grounds that the regulations exceeded Gray's legal authority. The 2025 legislation grants the Secretary of State that authority. 'Providing proof of United States citizenship and proof of residency has been a key priority of our administration,' Gray said Wednesday, 'and this rulemaking marks over a year-and-a-half-long standoff with Gov. Mark Gordon and myself concerning the need for documentary proof of citizenship and residency to ensure a reasonable means to follow our constitutional obligations of ensuring only U.S. citizens and only Wyomingites are voting in Wyoming elections.' Gray said the veto last year was very troubling, and there were a lot of inaccurate statements made by the governor. 'We didn't give up. We went to the Legislature, and the people won, weighing the governor back down, and the bill became law without his signature,' he said. Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, and the former chairman of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, a hardline group of Republican lawmakers, was the primary sponsor of the bill. He spoke during Wednesday's public hearing, saying this bill will build confidence in Wyoming elections. 'Prior to introducing this bill, we conducted a poll of likely voters in the state of Wyoming. It was a very scientific poll, and this particular issue had over 74% support, and we saw that as we traveled the state,' he said. Voter Meeting From left, Elena Campbell speaks on Zoom, while C.J. Young, Election Division director; Jesse Naiman, deputy secretary of state; and Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray listen during a public comment meeting about voter identification rules in the Capitol Extension on Wednesday. Platte County Clerk Malcolm Ervin, who also serves as chairman of the Wyoming County Clerks Association, weighed in Wednesday, as well, with a few minor suggested changes. One recommendation concerned the use of Wyoming student identification cards as a document to prove residency for voter registration. He suggested the ID cards be required to display the voter's legal name, not a chosen name. He said most of his concerns regarding the 2025 legislation were quelled by the fact that there is a 'last-ditch' effort that allows people to show proof of residency or citizenship if they don't have the required documentation to vote outlined in the new law. If someone doesn't have valid identification forms or lacks a Wyoming driver's license and a Social Security number to prove residency, they can provide other documentation, such as a utility bill, bank statement or a pay stub under the proposed rules. To prove U.S. citizenship, one must produce a document already outlined in law, including a Wyoming driver's license, Wyoming ID card, a valid U.S. passport, a certificate of U.S. citizenship, a certificate of naturalization, a U.S. military draft record or a Selective Service registration acknowledgement card, a consular report of birth abroad issued by the U.S. Department of State, or an original or certified copy of a birth certificate in the U.S. bearing an official seal. 'I want to be clear that we see that adaptation as a last-ditch effort, if we've exhausted all other options. It's our last option on the table, specifically to ensure nobody is disenfranchised from voting,' Ervin said. The other concern he had that was addressed in the new legislation is that post office boxes in Wyoming will only count as proof of residency if the person lists their residential address on their voter registration application form. Another virtual attendee spoke in favor of the new law. Mark Koep, chairman of the Crook County Republican Party, echoed Rep. Bear's statements of statewide support. 'Overwhelmingly, the voters of Wyoming — and I talk to a lot of people — support these rules that you have in place,' he said. 'And so, I just want to make that heard on this chat to the media in the room: the people of Wyoming want these rules.' Since 2000, there have been four convictions of voter fraud in Wyoming, according to The Heritage Foundation, all involving U.S. citizens. When the public comment period closes on June 20, it will once again be up to Gordon to accept or reject the proposed rules. Under Gray's proposed rules, a valid Wyoming driver's license will be adequate proof of identity, residency and U.S. citizenship, so long as it lists a Wyoming address. Tribal identification cards issued by either the Eastern Shoshone or Northern Arapaho tribes, or other federally recognized tribes, will also count as proof of residency if a Wyoming address is listed. If the applicant doesn't have the forms of identification present at the time of registration, they must provide on the voter registration application form their Wyoming driver's license number and one of any of the following documents: U.S. passport; a driver's license or ID card issued by the federal government, any state or outlying possession of the United States; a photo ID card issued by the University of Wyoming, a Wyoming community college, or a Wyoming public school; an ID card issued to a dependent of a member of the United States Armed Forces; or a tribal identification card issued by the governing body of the Eastern Shoshone tribe of Wyoming, the Northern Arapaho tribe of Wyoming or other federally recognized Indian tribe. These documents would also need to list a Wyoming address to prove state residency. If a person seeking to register to vote doesn't have a valid driver's license, they must provide the last four digits of their Social Security number, along with one of the previously mentioned documents in the proposed rules. None of the documents will suffice if the applicant is not a U.S. citizen. Online comments on the proposed rules can continue to be submitted by email to the Secretary of State's chief policy officer and general counsel, Joe Rubino, at until June 20.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Democrats face uphill battle with perception, finances; maintain hope
CHEYENNE — Wyoming Democrats are preparing to focus more on working-class issues and demonstrating their capacity to serve in the community following party officer elections in Rock Springs on Sunday. Wyoming Democrats suffered major losses during the 2024 election cycle, mimicking a nationwide shift toward the Republican Party. Democrats only hold eight seats in the 93-member Wyoming Legislature. With hopes to regain their footing, newly elected party vice chair Lindsey Hanlon of Cheyenne says they intend to lead by example and show the party's ability to meet people where they are. 'We're focusing a lot on being able to just help people,' Hanlon said. 'There is a lot of suffering going on right now in Wyoming. There's a lot of issues that are facing people immediately, and those are the kinds of issues that we want to start helping with.' Whether it be access to food or housing, Hanlon says the party wants to be associated with actively helping in the community and showing care for the community. This message of showing up to help neighbors and leading by example was echoed by several state Democrats at Sunday's meeting. '(Republicans) are focusing a lot on national issues and not really on the issues that are facing Wyomingites,' Hanlon said. 'And so we want to make sure that we are providing that assistance to the people of the state.' In order to meet people where they're at and rebuild the state's Democratic Party, Hanlon said they have to combat the 'fear that the Freedom Caucus has engendered in people.' 'The Freedom Caucus has done a lot of work to make these races much more vitriolic, to make these races much more intense and personal,' Hanlon said. '... The Freedom Caucus has done a lot to try and instill an atmosphere of fear around people trying to oppose their positions.' For Hanlon and others in the party, combating this fear means ensuring there's support for potential candidates. 'There (needs to be) an infrastructure that the candidates can pull from in terms of campaign managers and people to walk and people to knock on doors and all of those things,' Laramie County Democratic Party Central Committee Chairman Matthew Snyder said. 'I think that's really the thing that has been missing from where we are.' While the party aims to have a candidate in every race, it's too soon for new leadership to say what that will actually look like. For now, the best they can do is ensure candidates feel supported. Battling perception Though Democrats intend to put in the work to support their communities, regardless of whether they hold seats in those districts, they're not unaware of their perception in the state. Snyder noted that sometimes Democrats prioritize intellectualizing politics over meeting people where they are. He said many Wyomingites may not realize that most Democrats are their neighbors, facing the same economic hardships as Republicans. 'We, as a party, like to — for lack of a better term — show how smart we are,' Snyder said. 'I think we need to stop doing that. I think, fundamentally, we need to meet people where they are, and I don't think we do a great job of that.' Snyder added that he hopes the party can focus on fundamental class concerns, rather than party affiliation or blue vs. white collar jobs. Nationally, the Democratic Party has been struggling, being perceived as the party of the elite, rather than the party of the working man. Snyder noted that if the party is going to succeed they have to be open to criticism. 'The only way that you get better is to really assess yourself, determine what things you need to fix and move from there,' Snyder said. 'That's something I really wish we would do, and I think we're trying to do here in Laramie County. Let's be really honest about what we are perceived as, because if you don't do that, then you're going to lose every time.' While the party is largely optimistic about recruiting Democratic candidates for local races, former Laramie County Democratic Party Central Committee Chairman Jordan Evans noted that perception will pose a major barrier when looking for new candidates. 'They are going to struggle to find people who want to identify (with a party), especially the Democratic Party, just because it is the minority party where we live,' Evans said. 'The brand right now is sort of not within the control of the party itself.' When Evans was campaigning for a seat in the Legislature last year, he thought that a party identity would be a useful tool to give people a general idea of his platform. He later found that campaigning with the party instead defined his entire political identity, Evans told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. 'Nontraditional media and the sort of polarized state of things defines the brand of the Democratic Party for most non-Democrats before you get a chance to define it for yourself,' Evans said. Evans left his leadership role in the party to better focus on his family, his personal life and serving the causes he values more effectively, he told the WTE. Since leaving the party, he has been focusing on supporting the community through local organizations. He has also started a Substack, a self-publishing platform, where he published an opinion piece titled 'Partisan Politician or 'How I Ruined My Life.'' In the opinion piece, Evans describes what led him to leave the party; in particular, he addresses a newfound belief that has helped him get past the idea that leaving politics at this turbulent time is 'selfish at best and negligent at worst.' 'Disengaging from politics is not only responsible, it may be the key to fixing the politics itself,' Evans wrote. 'I'm learning effective change cannot be steered toward an ideal from the top down. It has to be a wholistic community effort.' Though Evans does not want to discourage those interested in party politics from participating, he does want community members to know that party politics isn't the only way to effect change in their communities. Evans added that this exacerbates the barriers the party will face trying to recruit and even fundraise. 'They'll find people with a strong interest in wanting to make their community better,' Evans said. 'But they'll find it's hard to get those people to then want to associate that interest with the party itself.' Financial barriers The Democratic Party's struggles don't stop at perception; they're also facing an upward battle financially. On Sunday, Wyoming Democratic Party State Central Committee Treasurer Dudley Case informed party leaders that the party has been operating at a loss and needs to do some serious fundraising to recover. As of May 1, the party had $36,580.20 in its federal and non-federal accounts, according to Case. The party has been spending more than it has been raising each month, resulting in a $21,795.32 loss this year, roughly a $5,000 loss per month, in the first four months of the year, according to Case. 'I think that this budget thing is maybe a wake-up call that the party has not been receiving the support that it should,' Hanlon said. 'And I have faith that the people around me are going to step up and are going to give us that support. I think that Wyoming is full of some of the most generous people I've ever met. When you ask for help, you do receive it in this state.' Though Hanlon is confident that fundraising will turn the party's finances around, there's no guarantee they'll receive the support they need. Based on current finances, Case estimated that the party will sustain a $24,478 loss by the end of this calendar year. 'We're about to hit the ground running with fundraising,' Hanlon said. 'I think that it shows really kind of how scrappy and committed that we are. Yeah, we're running out of a bare-bones budget right now, but we're still out there in the community. We're still out there in elections, and I think that just walking the walk is going to have people coming back and coming back with more support.' If the party can't fundraise enough to maintain its current spending, some major cuts will have to be made, though Hanlon said they have yet to have those conversations, mainly because new leadership is only a few days into their terms. 'I don't think it's any secret that the Democratic Party in Wyoming struggles to fundraise or struggles to be organized,' Evans said. 'It's just the nature of where we're at.' Evans added that, due to party perception, it is likely that people will be hesitant to donate to Democrats, even if they agree with Democrats in principle. Particularly, Evans suspects the party will struggle to garner donations from individuals with limited expendable income who have to be very conscious of where they put their money right now. 'I think they think there's much better use of their money than party politics,' Evans said. 'They'd be giving the Habitat for Humanity, for instance, if they care about housing or they care about housing prices within our community. … I think people see other organizations doing work that is aligned with their values, and they feel that those organizations are going to be more effective.' Though Hanlon was willing to discuss the budget with the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, a report from Cowboy State Daily indicated that other party members were not comfortable with the press having access to the budget sheet. Cowboy State Daily was present at the Sunday meeting, which prompted the committee to pass a motion formally requesting the outlet not to air its budget publicly to protect political strategies and out of courtesy to employees, whose salaries are included in the budget. Still hopeful Though there are clear criticisms of the party and major barriers to regaining influence in the state, many Democrats have hope that with diligent work they can get there, including Hanlon and Snyder. Though he found minimal success in his attempts, and claims to be no expert in the path forward, Evans said there is a way to get back on the ballot in a legitimate way. 'I think the way is to just show up,' Evans said. 'Show up at the union halls, which (Snyder) is doing, show up at the town halls, which (Hanlon) is doing. Show up, be a volunteer, and don't just do it to be seen. Do it because you care. I think it's a long, slow process, but eventually, those things will bear fruit.'
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City of Cheyenne begins discussions of new $74.4M annual budget
CHEYENNE — Anticipated general fund revenues in the next city budget are up from the current fiscal year, but Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins said it's important to proceed with a fiscally conservative budget after the state Legislature passed more laws lowering property taxes for most Wyoming homeowners. The projected general fund revenues for fiscal year 2026, which begins July 1, 2025, are $74,417,876, up $2,770,229 from FY 2025, or 3.8%. 'Projecting revenues this year was difficult,' Collins told City Council members during a work session Friday. 'We took a very conservative approach in our projections due to the uncertainty stemming from federal tariffs, inflation and the looming recession.' City Treasurer Robin Lockman said Cheyenne's economy shows promising momentum, but it is important to remain cautious about the potential for an economic downturn. She said the bond market's 10-year yield curve, an historically accurate recession indicator, was inverted from July 2022 to September 2024, the longest period on record. She said a recession typically begins around six months after the yield curve returns to normal. According to Lockman, the unemployment rate in Laramie County has risen from 3.7% to 4.4% over the past year, adding that stagnating unemployment growth underscored the need for caution. In addition, the property tax reductions passed by the Wyoming Legislature, largely in Senate File 69, earlier this year reduced potential city revenues by an estimated $1,775,000, something Collins called an 'opportunity loss.' SF 69 imposed a blanket property tax cut to residential properties for the first $1 million of a home value. This legislation alone reduced projected revenues by $1.5 million. A separate long-term homeowner exemption will also decrease assessed valuation for property tax purposes by 50% for qualified individuals. The city projects this will result in an additional $275,000 loss in property tax revenues. Collins said he would have liked to see those funds go toward hiring more staff for the city's police and fire departments as the city continues to expand. In the past four years, Cheyenne's land area has grown by 4,637 acres, or 18.24%, in new business parks and neighborhoods, equivalent to 7.25-square-miles. 'Our plans to add more police and fire personnel to keep up with growth must now be postponed. We've made steady progress over the past four budget years in increasing our public safety efforts. And this pause will make our future efforts more difficult,' he said. However, despite the loss in potential property tax revenue, the projected amount for FY 26 is still slightly higher than FY 25 by $32,433. This is largely due to rising property values, with a projected 3% increase, and the city's annexation of North Range Business Park in December, which added approximately $1 million in new business property taxes, since SF 69 only applied to residential properties. Collins said further projected revenue growth is catalyzed by data center development, which is now the city's second-largest revenue source. According to the proposed budget, franchise fees on natural gas and electricity have grown by $2,652,000, or 48%, in the past year. 'Data centers use an enormous amount of electricity, and that use is reflected in the increases,' Collins said. 'And the great news is we have more campuses and data centers planned for the future.' Congruent to this is expected growth in revenue from building permits. City officials are projecting an increase of $710,000, or 31%, in building permit revenue in the next fiscal year. The mayor said this is driven by more data center construction and several multi-family housing projects planned. Lockman highlighted one additional revenue source, the city's investment income. She said the higher interest rates, paired with a strategic portfolio, have nearly quadrupled investment returns from $683,000 in FY 23 to a projected $2.2 million in the current fiscal year on general fund investments. She estimated it at $1,380,000 in the coming year, an increase of $530,841 over FY 25. However, some other revenue sources are weaker than the previous year. Collins said sales tax collections have been under pressure since January 2024, largely due to less oil and gas activity. The proposed budget suggests sales tax could by down by $904,800, or 3.65%, in the coming fiscal year. Another anticipated decrease is in lottery proceeds, which have decreased by $208,895 since 2023. It is projected to decrease $100,000 this year to $300,000, down from over $600,000 in 2023. The city's top three projected revenue sources for FY 26 are sales taxes at 34%, franchise fees at 11.8% and property taxes at 11.6%. The top 10 projected revenue sources are about 85.7% of the general fund budget, or $65.59 million, and the rest amounts to around $9.8 million. Employee wages and benefits are once again the city's top expense, at 71.8%, followed by capital projects at 3.7%, and fleet, fuel and labor at 3.4%. City staff have been working on assembling this proposed budget since December. In the coming weeks, members of the City Council will meet with department heads to hear the details of the requests in their budget proposals and ask any questions. On Friday, department heads from the mayor's office, Youth Alternatives and human resources presented their budgets. Council members also discussed miscellaneous budget items. The budget will come before the governing body for first reading on May 12 and will undergo workshopping over the next month to address any issues. It is scheduled to come before the council for third and final reading on June 10.
The Independent
13-04-2025
- Health
- The Independent
New laws complicate Wyoming's abortion situation as bans set to be argued in state Supreme Court
When a Wyoming woman phoned the state's only abortion clinic recently to make an appointment to end her pregnancy, she received news that complicated her life even more. Wellspring Health Access had stopped providing abortions that same day, responding to a slew of new requirements for the Casper clinic to become a licensed surgical center. 'It was kind of really bad timing on my part,' said the woman, who declined to be named because of abortion's stigma in her community. Though abortion remains legal in Wyoming, it has become increasingly difficult because of new requirements for abortion clinics and women seeking abortions. In this case, the woman had to go to Colorado, which partially borders southern Wyoming. On Wednesday, the Wyoming Supreme Court is set to hear arguments over state abortion bans that a lower court judge has suspended and struck down as unconstitutional. But even if the state high court agrees with those rulings, access to abortion in Wyoming stands to remain uncertain. New state laws make getting abortions much harder One new law targets Wellspring Health Access as Wyoming's only abortion clinic, requiring licensure as an outpatient surgical center at a cost of up to $500,000 in renovations, according to the clinic. The law also requires the clinic's physicians to get admitting privileges at a hospital within 10 miles (16 kilometers). A hospital three blocks from the clinic is under no obligation to admit its doctors, however. 'This is an abortion ban without banning abortion,' said Julie Burkhart, founder and president of Wellspring Health Access. A second new law requires women to get ultrasounds at least 48 hours before a medication abortion, costing them $250 or more plus gas money and travel time in a state where ultrasounds are unavailable in many rural areas. The Wyoming Legislature is well within its rights to regulate abortion to protect women from even the small chance of an abortion mishap, argued an attorney for the state, John Woykovsky, at a recent court hearing on the new laws. Unsettled abortion laws have far-reaching effects In most cases, a transvaginal ultrasound is required to obtain a fetal image in the earliest stages of pregnancy, when most abortions are done. That invasiveness, especially for victims of rape and abuse, caused Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, to veto the ultrasound bill a few days after he signed the surgical center requirement into law Feb. 27. The Republican-dominated Legislature overrode his veto, leading Wellspring Health Access, the Wyoming abortion access advocate Chelsea's Fund and others to sue over it and the licensing law. Meanwhile, the legal uncertainty caused Wellspring Health Access, which opened in 2023 after an arson attack delayed the original date by almost a year, to halt both medication and surgical abortions. Several dozen abortion opponents attended a Tuesday hearing in Casper on whether to suspend the laws while the lawsuit moves ahead. If that happens, clinic abortions will resume, to the dismay of opponents, said Ross Schriftman, president of the local Wyoming Right to Life chapter. 'No inspections, no confirmation of whether the people committing the abortions are licensed doctors for Wyoming and no continuity of care to the hospital,' Schriftman said by email. Abortion proponents claim support among Wyoming women A former Wyoming resident who, in 2017, got an abortion in neighboring Colorado, her closest option at the time, sympathized with rural Wyoming women seeking abortions now. ' God forbid it's the winter,' said Ciel Newman, who now lives in New Mexico. 'Wyoming's a huge, rural state without much interstate coverage.' The amount of business at Wellspring Health Access shows that the lawmakers who passed the abortion laws are out of step with their constituents, Burkhart said. 'We have had people coming in our doors each and every week that we've been open,' Burkhart said. "If people who come from Republican states, or more traditional-leaning states, didn't approve of abortion, we would go out of business because people just wouldn't show up.' Is abortion access a Wyoming health care right? In the case about to be argued before the state Supreme Court, the same groups and women are suing over laws banning abortion that Wyoming has passed since 2022. They include the first explicit ban on medication abortions in the U.S. In November, a judge in Jackson ruled the bans violated a 2012 constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right of competent adults to make their own health care decisions. Even if the justices agree, Wellspring Health Access stands to suffer. Before the new laws, the clinic saw as many as 22 patients a day, 70% of whom were there for abortions: half surgical, half by pills. Now, Wellspring Health Access doesn't offer abortions and sees about five patients a day, all of whom are transgender people receiving hormone replacement therapy, according to the clinic. Twenty-three other states, including 14 that have not totally banned abortion, have passed requirements similar to Wyoming's that opponents call 'targeted regulation of abortion providers,' or TRAP, laws. Surgical center licensing and hospital admitting privileges are typical requirements, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that advocates for abortion access. Few states have passed TRAP laws since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, but abortion remains an unsettled issue in several. A licensing law in Missouri stood to curtail abortions until it was blocked by a judge, pointed out Kimya Forouzan, state policy advisor for the Guttmacher Institute. 'They still have a major impact on the ability to provide care," Forouzan said in an email. An even longer drive to get an abortion The Wyoming woman recently seeking a surgical abortion at Wellspring Health Access had to drive more than twice as far from her hometown, more than four hours each way, to have the procedure at the Planned Parenthood in Fort Collins, Colorado. 'Even though I support abortion fully, it's not something that I thought I personally would ever do,' the woman said, adding that Wellspring Health Access helped cover her costs. 'It was a humbling experience,' she said. 'It just gave me a lot more compassion for people who have experienced abortions as well as people who aren't able to take that route.'
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gordon signs off on universal school vouchers, praising bill as 'remarkable' legislation
CHEYENNE — Gov. Mark Gordon signed a controversial universal school voucher bill Tuesday afternoon, praising it as 'a remarkable achievement for Wyoming' on the heels of a recent court decision that found Wyoming has unconstitutionally underfunded its public schools. Nearly a week before Gordon signed House Bill 199, 'Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Act,' U.S. District Judge Peter H. Froelicher released a 186-page decision, concluding Wyoming's funding model for the K-12 public school block grant is 'unconstitutional' and 'no longer cost-based.' Several lawmakers who voted against HB 199 argued it unconstitutionally uses state funds to send children to private schools. Sen. Wendy Schuler, R-Evanston, who voted against the bill, said she supports school choice, but only if it's within constitutional boundaries. Sen. Wendy Schuler, R-Evanston (2025) Sen. Wendy Schuler, R-Evanston 'Right now, (the Wyoming Constitution) says public money can't be used for private, religious education,' Schuler told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. 'I just think this bill could end up in the courts.' The Wyoming Legislature passed a bill last year to create an educational savings account (ESA) program, and Gordon limited ESA eligibility to families at or below 150% of the federal poverty level. He explained in his line-item veto letter these changes made the ESA program more constitutionally sound. HB 199 removes the ESA family income-based requirement for grades K-12 and increases the per child amount from $6,000 a year to $7,000. During negotiations, House representatives agreed to include pre-kindergarten eligibility in the ESA program for families at or below 250% of the federal poverty level. Gordon said during a news conference Tuesday morning that Wyoming is the first state in the nation to include preschools in its universal school voucher program. However, without a similar means test for ESA recipients in grades K-12, several lawmakers in both legislative chambers argued the bill directly violates the Wyoming Constitution. Rep. Landon Brown, R-Cheyenne, told the WTE he suspected the law will be immediately challenged in court. Rep. Landon Brown, R-Cheyenne (2025) Rep. Landon Brown, R-Cheyenne 'It's just going to tie up more resources and money,' Brown said. Monday night, Gordon vetoed a bill that lifted the cap on how many charter schools the Wyoming Charter School Authorizing Board can authorize. He referred to Froelicher's decision in his veto message, saying it 'highlights an urgent issue that must be addressed before we consider authorizing additional charter schools.' 'Without a sustainable, transparent plan to ensure adequate funding for public schools, education savings accounts, and charter schools alike, lifting the cap on charter school authorization is both premature and irresponsible,' Gordon wrote in his veto message. Gordon was asked during Tuesday's news conference why he felt vetoing the lift on the charter school cap was the right choice for public education, but not doing the same with the universal school voucher program. 'Look, I'm a conservative, fiscally and otherwise,' Gordon said. 'I want to make sure that we have a measured approach that doesn't end up with us having to fund a bunch of things that we can't afford, and (there are) a lot of pieces of charter legislation that need to be addressed before we just open doors.' Wyoming was put under the national spotlight two weeks ago when President Donald Trump pressured senators into passing HB 199. Trump urged every senator to vote in favor of the bill through a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, adding that 'I will be watching!' The bill appropriates $30 million from the general fund to the Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Program Account, and notes that the Legislature's intent is to include this money in the standard budget for the Wyoming Department of Education starting with the 2027-28 biennium. The Wyoming Education Association was the organization that brought the lawsuit against the state for underfunding its public schools, which Froelicher ruled on last week. In a prepared statement, the WEA found Gordon's support of HB 199 'disappointing.' 'The district court's ruling from only days ago confirmed that the state is not funding public education to the level as it is required,' the WEA stated. 'The choice to take taxpayer dollars to support a voucher program is a curiously poor decision.'
