Budget clears both chambers
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Mar 3, 2006 Posted by Bill Luckett
The budget bill cleared both chambers of the Legislature today on third reading, setting the stage for the next step in the process: the budget joint conference committee. More on the conference committee in a moment.
One of the biggest stories of the budget's final reading in the House and Senate was what DIDN'T happen. Neither chamber amended the language that takes the sales tax off groceries for two years. So the conference committee will quite likely approve that language in its compromise version of the budget that the committee will create next week.
As was the case Thursday, there were gobs of proposed budget amendments in both chambers today, and both chambers worked past 5 p.m. to get through the budget and some of the other work they had before them. I couldn't tell you - there are probably not 10 people on earth who could - where each chamber's version of the budget stands right now on every issue (although this information can be gleaned from the Legislature's Web site under the digest for House Bill 1 and Senate File 1 ... it's just hard to put together without hard copies of the 99-page budget bill, every amendment, and several hours of study). The Legislative Service Office will prepare a "cheat sheet" detailing every amendment that passed in each chamber, and the conference committee will pretty much work from that document next week.
I do know, however, that the money each chamber restored to the Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Fund remains intact, so that means the conference committee will probably vote to put something from $20 million to $30 million into the trust fund.
About the joint conference committee: The Senate president and House speaker will appoint five members each of the 10-member committee. Many, but not all, of these people are usually members of the Joint Appropriations Committee. Traditionally, both parties are represented, and also traditionally, at least one member of the committee from each chamber is someone who voted "no" on third-reading passage of the budget. The budget passed 46-12 in the House and 27-3 in the Senate. The only Democrats to vote no were Rep. Pete Jorgensen of Jackson and Sen. Jayne Mockler of Cheyenne. Sen. Mockler said it is possible that all five senators on the conference committee will be people who voted "yes" on third reading of the budget. Rep. Jorgensen is a member of the Joint Appropriations Committee, so there's a decent chance he might be on the conference committee.
The usual procedure is this: The joint conference committee will be limited to working within the amendments that passed either the House or Senate. That committee crafts the budget compromise, and then it goes back to both chambers for a vote. If both chambers approve the compromise, it heads to Gov. Freudenthal's desk. But if either chamber rejects the compromise, then the Senate president and House speaker appoint a second joint conference committee, called a "free committee," so named because its members will be able to change any part of the budget they wish to come up with a compromise version, not just the parts that were amended by either chamber last week. I believe it's possible for the leadership to declare that the first joint conference committee to be a "free committee," which sometimes helps move things along a little faster, but it's also much more unpredictable how a free committee will act. We'll see how it goes Monday.
After the longest week of the budget session, Laramie County Democratic Party Chairman John Millin and his wife Lori hosted a reception for legislators and other county party activists. Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Dale Groutage and U.S. House candidate Gary Trauner both spoke briefly, and Gov. Dave and first lady Nancy Freudenthal also spoke to those in attendance.
Gov. Freudenthal's remarks were particularly inspiring. Among his comments were that the people of Wyoming, Democrats and Republicans alike, want leaders who represent the mainstream of Wyoming, rejecting the extremes on either side of the political spectrum. The people want leaders who will work together and build a consensus on the best way to move our state forward. As much as some Republicans try to take things too far to the right, Democrats also need to be wary of moving too far to the left, when what the vast majority of people want lies somewhere in the middle.
I'm probably not doing his words justice, so I'll just wrap this up by saying I'm glad it's Friday, I'm glad the session is nearing its end, and I'm looking forward to watching the joint conference committee craft the budget compromise next week. Meanwhile, we've got the Wyoming Democratic Party Central Committee meeting and Nellie Tayloe Ross Banquet to look forward to tomorrow, and all these county conventions taking place over the next several weeks. Have a good weekend!