From the desk of House Majority Floor Leader Chip Neiman

The Wyoming Legislature is heading into the fourth and final week of the Budget Session. The biggest lift is still ahead: reaching a budget agreement between the House and Senate.

After both chambers finalized our respective budgets at the end of week two, it became clear that there are big differences between the two bills – both in dollar value and priorities. The House and Senate bills are separated by about $1.1 billion, the largest divide that I have seen during my time in the Legislature.

That amount represents more than just dollars and cents; it is the difference between a tax-and-spend approach and a commitment to fiscal accountability.

In the House, I have fought hard to stop wasteful spending and limit government growth. With the support of likeminded, conservative legislators, we stopped numerous pieces of legislation that would have added more government bureaucracy, more taxes, fees and costs, and more federal intrusion on the backs of Wyoming residents – from financing “woke” DEI and gender-study programs at our state’s only university to more than a half-million dollars on a parade float to higher costs for fishing licenses.

The House budget still ended up adding more spending on top of the initial plan produced by the Joint Appropriations Committee. In fact, it adds nearly $350 million on top of the $10.8 billion in the initial budget blueprint. This kind of carefree spending bears reminding who the Legislature answers to: you, the taxpayer.

Fortunately, the Senate produced a much leaner budget. Its version cuts more than $800 million from the JAC proposal. That reflects a commitment to scrutinizing every dollar of state spending. It removes $450 of effective subsidies for so-called green energy initiatives, $200 million of school construction projects that would disproportionately benefits Wyoming’s richest counties and more than 40 vacant government positions that cost taxpayers over $3.5 million each year.

The Wyoming budget should reflect who we are as citizens. What my constituents have overwhelmingly told me is that they want their tax dollars to fund and support critical services, like law enforcement, individual liberties and traditional values.

They don’t care to see their hard-earned money used to push progressive ideology on our young people, advance the Biden Administration’s anti-oil and gas agenda or bankroll any number of other wasteful items that are still floating around the budget bills.

We need to take this opportunity to get our fiscal house in order. The bottom line is your money should be in your pocket and not the government’s coffers.

One area the Legislature seems to be in full agreement is the need to address out-of-control property taxes. At the current rate, Wyoming property taxes are on track to increase more than 80 percent by 2026 to over $700 million.

Real relief will require both an exemption and a cap on growth. House Bill 45 and Senate File 54 do just that. The first would cap annual property tax increases at three percent.

The second would increase the Wyoming homeowner’s exemption to $200,000, eliminating property taxes for nearly half of our residents and creating significant savings for the rest.

In fact, there are many areas where the House and Senate budgets are aligned, which makes me hopeful the Legislature will be successful in passing a balanced budget without a special session. For example, both chambers approved legislation to add more than $15 million for the Wyoming Military Department land exchange, $5 million to combat invasive grasses and $2 million to help strengthen our country’s borders. These are not insignificant wins, and this kind of common ground often begets more consensus around the bigger picture.

There are many more important policies I will continue to stand for. House Bill 148, which would require surgical abortion clinics and their physicians to be licensed. The House added an amendment that would necessitate that a pregnant woman seeking an abortion undergo an ultrasound at least 48 hours prior to the procedure.

Another is House Bill 166, which would create funding for educational saving accounts. These accounts would empower families with greater control and choice over their children’s education by offering annual stipends to use for tuition, software and other necessities at religious and other non-traditional schools.

The funding is tiered, ensuring that low-income students have the same opportunities as their peers and to prevent hand-outs.

As the Legislature heads into the home stretch of this budget session, there is a lot of work still to be done. I will continue to fight for the interests of the people of Wyoming, and I am confident that if legislators will have the political fortitude to stand up for conservative values, we will pass a responsible, sustainable budget.

It is my privilege to serve you as I continue to fight to ensure Wyoming remains the best place on earth. Please email me at [email protected] with your views, questions or concerns about bills being debated during this session.