Budget compromise begins, HB 92 survives
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Mar 6, 2006 Posted by Bill Luckett
Today, the budget conference committee began its work. Members got about halfway through the budget, and they continue tomorrow (Tuesday) at 8 a.m. Highlights from the first day included the Wildlife Trust Fund and the food tax exemption.
As for the food tax exemption, it went like all the other identical amendments that cleared both chambers. All of those were adopted, so that means the grocery tax exemption will be in the budget version that goes back to both chambers. So far, so good.
As for the Wildlife Trust Fund, the budget conference committee basically took a compromise position on that. The Senate had voted to put $36.5 million into the trust fund, $3 million on which was for a "challenge" account that would match donations from private donors. The House position was $23 million, with $3 million for the challenge account. The conference committee went with $28 million, $3 million of which would be for the challenge account. Gov. Freudenthal had requested $35 million for the trust fund, so it looks like we won't get all of that request, but if things stand as they are (a very big "if"), there will be a substantial amount placed in the Wildlife Trust Fund.
Among the big decisions the conference committee has not yet made is how much money to place into the Permanent Wyoming Minerals Trust Fund. Sen. Phil Nicholas, R-Laramie, tossed out the idea that the senators on the conference committee could go along with the House positions on funding law enforcement retirement and judicial retirement programs if the House would go along with waiting to put the extra $200 million into the PWMTF until the end of the biennium. Then he proposed a compromise position that the Legislature put $50 million into the permanent fund early and wait to deposit the other $150 million until the end of the biennium, and the House members said they want to revisit that issue. Anyway, it looks like the PWMTF deposit is going to become a late negotiating issue as the budget work progresses.
By the way, I was entirely off base in my projections about what Democrats might make it onto the budget conference committee. Sen. Jayne Mockler, D-Cheyenne, actually got appointed, instead of Senate Minority Floor Leader (and Joint Appropriations Committee member) Rae Lynn Job, D-Rock Springs. In the House, we have Rep. Marty Martin, D-Rock Springs, instead of Rep. Pete Jorgensen, D-Jackson. So I guess that shows what I know, and it also shows the unpredictability of the legislative process.
The budget conference committee returns to work at 8 a.m. tomorrow, as I said. In another interesting development, the Legislature may very well work until Saturday this week, although they were scheduled to finish up by Friday. But many legislators want the opportunity to get the budget to the governor's desk and leave themselves enough time to vote on any vetoes he may apply to the budget bill (not to mention any other bills they pass). The governor has three days to decide whether to sign the budget, veto the entire bill, or veto some specific line items in the bill, so if it takes the Legislature until Wednesday to get the bill to Gov. Freudenthal's desk, they will have to be here Saturday to vote on any possible veto overrides.
One last item of note is that House Bill 92, the quality child care bill, cleared first reading in the Senate today. I don't think I've ever seen a bill killed on second reading, which sets up Wednesday as the do-or-die vote on that bill. Discussion on the bill today lasted for nearly an hour. Many senators had questions about the bill, almost all of which were answered capably by Sen. Mike Massie, D-Laramie, but time will tell if that bill is going to make it through the Senate. And to be fair, Sen. Charlie Scott, R-Casper, also spoke strongly in defense of the bill. That may be one of the biggest stories of the final week of the Legislature's 2006 budget session, so please, stay tuned.