The Wyoming Legislature is scheduled to meet soon; let’s examine a few bills due for consideration as of January 5th, 2021.
HB 2 School buildings and facilities study: This bill is a $6 million colossal waste of money. Most if not all of the information could be obtained simply by asking the superintendents of each school district. This mode of government is a relic of the $9 natural gas and $150 oil days; it is why we need new leadership.
HB-7, Air ambulance membership organizations-regulation: This is fixing the problem created by the legislature as led by Speaker Barlow in 2019. In 2019, Speaker Eric Barlow introduced legislation to make air ambulance membership groups a type of insurance. It’s great to see the legislature fixing Mr. Barlow’s tragic error of 2019, but it is worrisome the bill is so long and keeps in place governmental regulation. As presented in HB-7, a regulatory scheme may be needed if there were widespread fraud and abuse in the air-ambulance programs. I asked Mr. Barlow in 2020 if such fraud and abuse were evident when his bill curtailing the ait-ambulance industry was passed. He never supplied any information detailing any fraud or abuse.
HB-12 Bond elections – An outstanding bill from Rep. Styvar requiring bond elections to occur during general elections. It would be better if all ballot initiatives, bond-elections, tax referendums, and all other ballot questions were held only during general elections to ensure the voting public’s largest possible segment got to vote on these critical issues.
HB-26 Fuel tax: The legislature wants it to cost more to get to work and transport your kids around the state. A bump of $0.09 from $0.24 to $0.33 in the per-gallon fuel tax is again in the mix this session.
HB-37 Road usage charge: Another novel tax idea, this one will track you where you go and when you go. This kind of tax is appalling as it requires a way to detect which roads are used in order to charge the appropriate per mileage usage tax. Big government would love to have the data of where and when you were, but it’s none of their damn business.
SF-34 Born alive infant-means of care: an outstanding pro-life bill from Sen. Steinmetz. This is as true-red Republican as it gets.
Did I miss a bill you find important? Let me know so can include it next go round in a few days.
