Banks: Senate’s refusal to pass budget is a bid to ‘out-conservative’ the House

As final week of the legislative session began, the House of Representatives was dealing with the repercussions of the Senate’s refusal to pass a supplemental budget.

Rep. Dalton Banks, R-Cowley, called that surprising decision one of his greatest frustrations about the session.

“That was a responsibility we needed to do and didn’t accomplish,” he said in a Tuesday interview. “I just think in the back-and-forth infighting between the House and the Senate, there was some, quote unquote, trying to ‘out-conservative’ each other, and a lot of times, that got in the way of us just being able to pass good policy.”

A news release from the Senate dated February 26 read as follows: “The Senate has concluded that now is not the time to increase spending needlessly. The 2025-2026 biennium budget provides the necessary funding to run the state. With only eight months until budget discussions begin, now is not the time for this supplemental agreement.”

Generally agreed upon is that any supplemental budget allocations should be to “respond to emergency shortfalls in the biennium budget,” the release read.

Banks said lawmakers have been in full-blown scramble mode, trying to get funding that had been earmarked in the supplemental budget into other bills. Funding for fire mitigation, as one example, was attached to a forestry health bill.

Banks said the House was finishing the third reading of bills on Tuesday, which was the deadline to get bills through the process.

“We have a few on the list today we’re trying to get through,” he said. “Then we just have concurrences, so when we pass a bill that’s different than the one that came out of the Senate, and vice versa, we have to meet in joint conference committees to negotiate the differences between those.  That’s what we’ll spend the remainder of the days doing. And if the governor vetoes certain bills, we’ll be here to override those if we need to, as well.”

Key legislation

Property tax relief was one of the major priorities going into the session, and lawmakers delivered, to a degree. Senate File 69, “Homeowner property tax exemption,” includes a 25% property tax exemption starting in 2025 on residential structures and improved land up to $1 million of the fair market value.

Beginning in the second year, the exemption extends only to owner-occupied homes, with the consideration that it will also apply to deployed military members. The 25% cut would be ongoing, meaning the bill includes no sunset date.

“When the Senate sent us the bill, it was a 50% tax cut across the board with no backfill,” Banks said. “The House amended it, saying we’re going to do 50% but we’re going to put a backfill in (to make up the lost revenue). That was then negotiated and brought down to a 25% exemption, which is a little more doable.”

Big Horn County is expected to see a 1.7% reduction in revenues as a result of SF 69.

Banks said he and other lawmakers would be pushing for an amendment to provide some backfill that would keep special districts whole, noting, “I think it’s got support, but it’s hard to tell down here.”

Banks said he received a lot of feedback about the bill from constituents.

“When it was at 50% everyone was really concerned because our area really relies on property taxes for local governments and special districts,” he said. “Big Horn County, of course, has the most special districts in the whole state. It’s important we keep them whole, and 25% is a lot more manageable. In speaking with people, they felt strongly that it was a good number to get to.

“I feel like we reached a good compromise there and ended up in a good place.”

The passage of Senate File 62 and House Bill 72 also pleased Banks.

“We set out with a goal of protecting women by restricting men from using women’s bathrooms and private places and we did that,” he said. “I heard a lot, especially in our area. The Powell school district was really pushing for it.  Other schools around the state were, too.”

Another hot topic in Cheyenne was House Bill 172, “Repeal gun free zones and preemption amendments.” Gov. Mark Gordon allowed the bill to become law after vetoing a very similar bill a year ago.

“I was a proud co-sponsor of that one,” Banks said. “You see crime increasing all over, and I think it really was our responsibility to come down and say we have the right to protect ourselves and our families where we are.”

Banks said it only applies to people who hold a concealed carry permit, which requires training to obtain.

“We’ve given our citizens the ability to protect themselves and not continue to have those deadly, vulnerable gun-free zones around that I really believe are contrary to our constitutional rights.”

The legislation goes into effect July 1.

Banks was the lone sponsor of several bills but only one, House Bill 61 “State land lease preference amendments,” made it into law. The bill authorizes a person who is not presently in violation of the terms of their state land lease to have preferred right to renew their lease.

Another, House Bill 224, “Prohibiting foreign adversary property ownership,” did not make the deadline for consideration, Banks said. But House Bill 97, Property conveyances near critical infrastructure, was similar, and it passed.

Banks said House Bill 117, “Omnibus water bill-construction,” made it through the House and Senate.  The bill restored $50 million in funding for the Alkali dam project above Hyattville, along with South End Water User District and Sidon Irrigation District improvements.

Banks said lawmakers expected to discuss interim topics on Wednesday.

They already have their committee assignments, Bank said, noting, “I got Select Water, so I’m really looking forward to that. I’ve enjoyed the battles we’ve had on the floor when it comes to water, and obviously, the speaker must have seen that I’m pretty passionate about water so he put me on the committee.”