Rules governing the legislature’s “budget session” and lawmakers wary of right-wing primaries helped thwart efforts to pass Medicaid expansion this year. Meanwhile, grassroots advocates vow to mobilize around the 2022 elections.
Procedural hurdles and political calculations help trip up Wyoming Medicaid expansion Read More »
Wyoming Senate leaders pressured members to re-assign a bill that would restrict voting in primary elections to a more favorable committee. After clearing the Agriculture Committee with a 5 – 0 vote, Senators debated the bill late Wednesday night after almost everyone had left the Capitol.
These tactics resemble past years’ efforts to ram through unpopular legislation backed by influential politicians.
A bill that would require Wyoming voters to register with a political party months in advance of a primary election passed an introduction vote in the Senate last week. Currently, thousands of Wyoming voters register on the same day or shortly in advance of elections. The new law would bar voters from participating in the 2022 primary unless they register before May 12.
Bill advances to limit voting in Wyoming primary elections Read More »
Sure, teachers and principals impact your kids’ education. But so do state legislators and the laws they pass. The Wyoming Education Association’s new scorecard grades state lawmakers according to their votes and informs the public about which bills shape K-12 education in the state.
Pass or Fail: Wyoming teachers union launches legislative scorecard Read More »
An amendment to the “redistricting” bill in the Wyoming House on Wednesday would have been a major setback for voting rights advocates for Southside Cheyenne. But Laramie County lawmakers responding to their constituents vowed to bring a fix on Thursday.
In a guest editorial, Wyoming’s premiere legislators lay out their rationale behind Senate File 50, which would create a new branch of government to help inform on people accused of waste, fraud, and abuse.
Sitting legislators often fight to ensure “redistricting” does not pit them against their colleagues in upcoming elections. But the current election district map that looks headed for the 2022 session will force 16 lawmakers to run against each other if they want to stay in the Legislature. We’ll see who comes forth to ask for squiggly lines to be drawn around their homes to protect their seats.
Proposed election map would force 16 Wyo. legislators into runoffs Read More »
Advocates for healthcare access have built a grassroots movement to convince lawmakers to finally expand the state’s program. But procedural hurdles during the “budget session” remain.
Medicaid expansion has momentum as the Wyo Legislature’s 2022 session approaches Read More »
As “redistricting” proceeds, Wyoming lawmakers have adopted a new draft map that gives outsized influence to rural lawmakers, decreases the number of viable Democratic seats in Albany County, and zig-zags around the homes of some Laramie County legislators in an embarrassing display of gerrymandering.
New proposed Wyoming voting map gerrymanders Albany and Laramie Counties Read More »
State tax revenue has recovered from last year’s bust, and Wyoming is receiving substantial federal pandemic funds. But instead of investing in education, infrastructure, and healthcare—things Wyoming residents need right now and that could help develop our economy in the long term—Gov. Gordon wants to pad the state’s savings account and prop up coal.
Gordon’s proposed budget will keep Wyoming shackled to the fossil fuel industries Read More »
