Legislature makes progress for Wyoming

By: 
Sen. Brian Boner

   The Wyoming Legislature has wrapped up our work for the 2023 General Session. For the first time in years the state has a significant budget surplus. My goal going into the session was to save as much as possible. Every dollar we save generates sustainable revenue into the future and every dollar of increased ongoing spending increases a future deficit. 

 

We were able to save a historic amount at $1.4 billion. While we increased spending more than I wanted to, much of it was one time funding. The legislature also delivered on tax relief in two important ways. First, we expanded eligibility for an existing program that offers refunds to citizens negatively affected by increased property taxes. Second, we approved a constitutional amendment that would create a new class of property tax for residential property. This would allow for more significant and uniform relief in a few years if the voters approve the amendment.

 

I am glad to report that five out of six of my personal bills passed into law. The most significant was a bill that deals with election security. Our Wyoming elections are secure and accurate and this law ensures that will continue to be the case. Many of the provisions of the legislation were simply codifying our county clerks’ existing practices. One significant change is shortening the early voting period from 45 to 28 days for most voters.

 

I look forward to doing more work over the interim, especially on the Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs committee. We will be working hard to re-establish the Wyoming Cowboy Challenge Academy and improve support for our veterans. We will also assess the Wyoming Department of Transportation’s policies and procedures to ensure they are actively seeking out and implementing best practices.

 

I am also excited to continue working on the Select Federal Natural Resource Management Committee. It is abundantly clear the Biden administration is openly hostile to our energy and agriculture driven economy. The State of Wyoming must take action to protect our interests from these poor decisions.

 

The committee will continue fighting hard to make adjustments to our tax structure to account for changes at the federal level and to push back against federal policies which weaken our state and nation.

 

As always, I look forward to your input. Feel free to reach out to me at (307) 359-0707 or brian.boner@wyoleg.gov

Category:

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