Quality child care bill lives; lawmakers override legi-communications veto
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Mar 10, 2006 Posted by Bill Luckett
Well, THIS was a laid-back day, legislation-wise, though not entirely without drama. That's to be expected, as we're into the tail end of the session, but not yet at the tip of the tail. That is to say, the leadership finally decided they will meet again tomorrow (Saturday) for what I am confident will be the last day of the 2006 budget session (and, barring a special session between now and January, the last day of the 58th Wyoming Legislature). Lawmakers spent a lot of time taking breaks today, some of which were filled with entertainment. In between, they carried on with the signing of enrolled acts (bills that passed both chambers), votes on conference committee reports (compromise versions of bills), and one veto override.
The main thing I was waiting for today didn't happen - not completely. The compromise version of House Bill 92, the quality child care bill, came up for a vote in the House (it passed), but not in the Senate. I spent the day on the Senate side. It appears to me that Sens. Kathryn Sessions, D-Cheyenne, and Kit Jennings, R-Casper, were the primary architects of important parts of the compromise version of the bill, so I want to hear their explanations of it to better understand where the bill now stands. The Senate reconvenes at 9 a.m. tomorrow for, among other things, a vote on House Bill 92. Stay tuned.
One of the big stories of the day was the Legislature's votes to override Gov. Freudenthal's veto of Senate File 5, a bill to specify that legislators' communications with their staff, constituents and consultants don't have to be disclosed. Before the governor vetoed it, the Senate passed it unanimously, so perhaps it was no surprise that the Senate voted 29-1 to override his veto (with Sen. Bill Vasey, D-Rawlins, casting the sole dissenting vote).
It was another story in the House. The original third-reading vote on the bill was 36-22 in favor of the bill, but today's veto override vote was 43-14 (with three people excused). In the House, most (but not all) Democrats voted to sustain the veto, while most (but not all) Republicans voted to override it. The Legislature needs a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers to override a governor's veto, so Senate File 5 will become law despite the veto.
We're now into county convention season, and many county Democratic Party conventions take place tomorrow, including the one here in Laramie County, so I will spend much of the day at the Hitching Post Inn for that. I'll let you know tomorrow how it went. Also, legislators from both parties are holding their session-ending press conferences tomorrow afternoon at the Capitol Building, so that's something else to look forward to.