Not only has U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyoming, served in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, she also was elected to both chambers of the Wyoming Legislature.
In a Monday speech to the state Senate at the Capitol in Cheyenne, Lummis told lawmakers that the Wyoming Legislature produces better legislation than any other state and other nations.
“This is a superior legislative body,” she said, sparking short applause. “You have real debates where you persuade each other, listen to each other, where you amend legislation to make it better. That doesn’t happen in the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate.”
She referenced the Legislature’s work on developing Wyoming as a leader in digital assets, an industry Lummis has shown great interest in.
Lummis said the rise and collapse of cryptocurrency hedge fund FTX would never have been possible under Wyoming state law.
“Your thoughtful deliberation about issues like that allows me as your member of the U.S. Senate to take your legislation (and) use it as a national model,” she said.
Lummis said the Wyoming approach to crypto has also served as a foundation for legislation she’s crafted to create a complete regulatory framework for digital assets.
‘They Paved The Way’
Lummis reflected on how a few legislators she served in the Legislature have died, like longtime Cody lawmaker Hank Coe.
“They paved the way for you to continue to protect the individual freedoms of people in the state, to serve as an example to people all over this country about how to legislate, including serving as an example to the United States House and Senate,” she said.
Lummis kept her speech short and sweet, not wanting to take any way any time from the legislative work at hand. She also spoke to the Wyoming House on Monday.
“When I was on my last day of committee as a whole and I was in this body, I didn’t want anything to interfere with our progress to get as much good legislation through as possible,” she said. “I’m proud of your service in this body and superior way in which you conduct yourselves and I’m proud of the Wyoming Legislature and our great state of Wyoming.”
