Some surprises in first two weeks of session

The first two weeks of the legislative session has produced a flurry of activity, from bills dealing with property tax and election reform to a range of school bills dealing with concealed weapons, teacher certification and gender rights.

And with the session schedule to last up to 37 days, into early March, lawmakers are just getting started.

“A lot of things are going through and they’re going through fast, which is either good or bad depending upon if you like what’s coming out,” said Rep. Dalton Banks, R-Cowley, who is in his second term representing District 26. “I’ll say this: Some good things are coming out that will be beneficial, but there are also some where I was thinking, ‘Woah, we should have spent more time on that.’”

The two pieces of legislation of which Banks is most proud are House Bill 80: Stop ESG-State funds fiduciary duty act, and HB 18: Career technical education funding. Both passed through House and have been received for introduction in the Senate.

HB 80 is defined as an act “specifying requirements for the hiring and retention of investment managers, trustees and fiduciaries who invest state funds as specified; specifying proxy voting requirements for investment managers, trustees and fiduciaries who invest state funds; providing definitions; making conforming amendments; specifying applicability; and providing for an effective date.”

Banks said, “At the beginning I got a lot of calls on this one because it was going to affect people’s retirement. This is one we slowed down and took our time on, and I think we did a good job fixing the things that needed to be fixed.  In the end, we got a bill that addresses those concerns. It’s no longer going to affect people’s retirement.  The state treasurer is happy with it because it allows him to continue to do his job.  So let’s just say, we appreciate the public input we got on that one.”

As for legislation in the “moving too fast” category, Banks said, “We have tons of election integrity bills, which from my perspective, especially in our counties up in the Big Horn Basin, I don’t really see as an issue.”

A keyword search of the Wyoming legislative website for bills with the word “election” in the title produced 11 pieces of legislation, 10 of which originated in the House.

“I think our county clerks do a fantastic job,” Banks said. “Some of it’s been good -- like making sure illegal aliens are not voting. That was a good measure we needed to take. But bills dealing with drop boxes, things like that, I didn’t think were necessary at this point.  They just went through too fast before we could really get a good grasp on them.”

School bills

Banks said the legislation that has generated the most feedback from his constituents are HB 100 and HB 200, both dealing with education.

HB 100 would allow school districts and charter schools to employ persons who do not hold a certificate or permit issued by the Wyoming professional teaching standards board.

The only requirements would be for the person to be 18 or older and willing to submit to a criminal history background check.

Banks said his constituents’ concerns are “valid,” calling it “an all-around bad bill” that he intends to vote against. “We need to keep our teachers well qualified and certified,” he said. “I won’t be supporting that one.”

HB 200 builds on the parental rights legislation that came out of the last session. It’s described as a bill “clarifying procedures and requirements for school districts to provide parents notice of information regarding students; requiring school districts to publish and make materials available to parents; prohibiting school districts from requiring school district personnel and students to use a student’s preferred pronoun if the pronoun does not align with the student’s biological sex; requiring parental or guardian permission before instruction relating to diversity, equity or inclusion; authorizing school district personnel to opt out of mandatory trainings as specified; specifying disciplinary measures; providing for a cause of action; providing for a civil penalty; providing definitions; requiring reporting; and providing for an effective date.”

Banks said after people reached out to him, he raised concerns with the chair of the education committee as well as the sponsor, noting, “They agree some changes need to be made.”

Given the current makeup of the legislature, Banks predicts that both bills will eventually pass. With respect to HB 200, Banks said, “I am just trying to get it fixed and address (those) concerns” before it does.

Other legislation

Banks offered updates on several other pieces of legislation during his Monday interview, including:

• House Bill 61, on which he’s listed as the primary sponsor, would “authorize a person who is not currently in violation of the terms of their state land lease to have a preferred right to renew their lease.” 

The bill passed out of the Ag Committee with a 9-0 vote and is up for its first reading in the House sometime this week.

•  House Bill 153, another bill that Banks is sponsoring, would give residents the option of purchasing permanent registration for vehicles that are 15 years or older.

Banks said he pushed for it in his first term, but didn’t get it through.

“I pay $260 a year for my 20-year-old pickup, and you’re thinking, ‘Man, it shouldn’t be that expensive for me to drive this old beater.’ But it’s also a bill that would help our elderly.”

If you own a vehicle that’s older than 15 years, you could pay three times the registration fee once. “That would be it — you wouldn’t have to register it again as long as you own it.”

The bill was received for introduction in the House and referred to the Agriculture committee.

• Another Banks bill, HB 118-Limitations on net land gains for the federal government, passed through the House and is now headed to the Senate.

• Banks said he’s pleased with the progress on the property tax relief front. SF 69, Homeowner property tax exemption, is the current session’s version of SF 54, which passed through houses last session but was vetoed by the governor.   

SF 60, Sales tax distribution rates, passed its first two readings in the Senate. “I’m watching that one closely,” Banks said. “It should be headed to the House shortly. ... I think it’ll be a good balance between giving people some relief but at the same time, not losing the services that are rendered through our property taxes.”

• Banks referenced a bill on the Senate side, SF 3, that would require separate mule deer and white-tailed deer seasons. “I’m always hearing from my hunting buddies about G&F legislation ... well, that’s one I agree with them on. I don’t think (the bill) is the best approach. We should allow the G&F to manage those two herds and not go down that road.”

• Banks said he expects the big push of the next week or so to be the supplemental budget.

Biggest surprise?

When asked if anything about the first two weeks has surprised him, Banks said “the biggest difference is being a freshman legislator compared to a second-term legislator.” In the first session, “it was read the bills and vote according to what you think is best for your constituents. Now I feel like I have so much more responsibility. I’m asked to manage multiple bills on the floor, and being vice-chairman on Ag, I need to make sure bills are where they’re supposed to be, that good testimony is being provided and that agencies are showing up.

“I jumped out from being a freshman legislator who was just kind of there to now having all these responsibilities. It’s a surprise, but I’m also glad to feel like I’m being relied on that way.”