FEATURED

SESSION RECAP: A school “voucher” program is unconstitutional in Wyoming. The Legislature created one anyway.

The Wyoming Constitution is stricter than other states’ when it comes to education funding and prohibits giving public funds to private or religious schools or individuals. The Legislature ignored these provisions in creating the new program, while Gov. Gordon slightly reined it in with a line-item veto.

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Session recap: Harrison Ford and other needy Wyoming seniors receive property tax relief

Wyoming legislators wanted to give property tax relief to seniors on fixed incomes, but gray-haired lawmakers couldn’t help giving a bit of relief to themselves—despite the Baby Boomer generation being the richest in history.
Fortunately, other successful property tax proposals this session were more thought-out.

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SESSION RECAP: Vetoed abortion bill provides a preview for fights to come

With multiple bans already in place but tied up in the courts, the Wyoming Legislature’s attempt to criminalize abortion this year was at once an attempt at a back up plan in the likely event that the state Supreme Court rules in favor of abortion access, and at the same time and admission that the procedure is, in fact, healthcare.

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Session preview: Wyo. lawmakers want to send taxpayer money to schools with no accountability

Public schools are overseen by boards elected by their communities. But more and more Wyoming legislators want to divert public education funding to “education savings accounts” that fund private, religious, and home school operations with no oversight or accountability—a model that has failed in other Western states.

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Session preview: Facing a lawsuit, Wyo. legislators look to increase teacher pay

Lawmakers are looking to reverse years of K-12 budget cuts in hopes of convincing the Wyoming Supreme Court to look kindly upon them in June, when the court will hear arguments in a lawsuit brought by the state teachers union and several school districts. A committee has proposed a $68 million funding increase aimed at providing teachers raises in hopes that the court will rule that they have met their constitutional obligation to properly fund schools.

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Session preview: Somehow, some way, Wyo. property tax relief is coming

Although Wyoming has among the nation’s lowest property tax rates, sharp increases in home values have driven up tax bills to the point where relief has become politically unavoidable. Will the Legislature manage to enact it without gutting funding for public services or giving the state’s ultra-wealthy residents an undue handout?

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