CHEYENNE — Governor Mark Gordon recapped the 2023 Wyoming Legislative session, what legislation he felt was important, and where the state is headed during a press conference this morning in Cheyenne.
Gordon spoke highly of the $1.3 billion the Legislature was able to move into savings saying it will helps prepare Wyoming for the future as the federal funding phases out.
“We’re also in the process of reconfiguring a little bit how we are going to run those funds,” Gordon said. “All of this strikes a more simple way of budgeting and also prepares us for the future.”
“It’s really important we have those savings set aside because as Wyoming knows, we have boom-and-bust cycles and certainly the federal funding will start to run out. So we need to be prepared for when those harder times come,” Gordon said.
Gordon was also pleased that the Legislature fully funded K-12 education. There was some discussion on whether that could be done this year.
However, that does not take anything away from the Reimagining and Innovating the Delivery of Education (RIDE) initiative which will continue to find ways to provide education in a more efficient and cost-effective way.
Not only did the state keep working toward growing its energy sector and continue with carbon capture and nuclear power, it will continue to diversify the economy.
The Wyoming Business Council was fully funded which helps Wyoming move forward with diversification opportunities. Gordon also spoke about the importance of tourism revenue on the state’s economy.
Some of the bills Governor Gordon briefly spoke favorably about included: House Bill 99 – Property Tax Refund Program, which provides tax relief to those who need it the most; House Bill 65, which establishes a 988 system for suicide prevention and mental health crises; House Bill 4, which temporarily extends Medicaid medical assistance to qualifying pregnant women for 12 months postpartum care; and House Bill 18, which expands the missing person alert system.
Click here to review those bills in more detail.
“Overall, I think it was a very good session. I was very happy to work with colleagues. There was some give and go as there always is and that’s appropriate for a state that actually respects the three branches of government as we do, ” Gordon said.
While Governor Gordon was pleased with how this Legislative session went, he still wanted to reiterate the importance of putting Wyoming’s needs first. He said it’s okay to look at what other states are doing and what legislation they are passing, but Wyoming can’t just take something out of Washington D.C. and use it as it’s own.
“Wyoming is unique and Wyoming will find our way,” he said.
As for the future, Governor Gordon would like to keep moving Wyoming forward and growing, while keeping taxes as low as it can.
