Is it possible that certain legislators are abusing the political process for their own personal political gain, wasting legislative time in the process?
The column is purely my opinion and speculation. But sometimes, I try to make sense out of things that do not make sense. Allow me to share my questions.
Why did Sen. Larry Hicks, R-Baggs, try to remove Sen. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, as chair of the Senate Labor, Health and Social Services committee? He made his motion to much fanfare and news coverage, only to be spanked in a 28-3 vote. Why would he do such a thing? The writing had to be on the wall.
Then, two days later, Senator Hicks made a public apology.
Despite the contention in this incident, Senator Barlow has always been pro-life. His voting record on that issue is clear.
So why would Senator Hicks make a big deal about Barlow’s record on abortion? Why would Honor Wyoming spend advertising dollars on an immediate social media campaign saying, “First. Do no harm. E-mail Senator Barlow and let him know in Wyoming, life matters.”
Why would somebody go so far to perpetuate a false narrative?
Could it be they heard the most closely unguarded secret in Wyoming, that Senator Barlow is considering a gubernatorial campaign, and other Republicans want to weaken his candidacy to drive him out of the race with falsehoods? Is this posturing a good use of legislative time?
This event gives us much to ponder.
Another question. Why would the Appropriations Committee make a big spectacle about making motions to override Gov. Mark Gordon’s vetoes from last session in a committee meeting? The last session is history. Inserting language into the budget bill which overrides last session’s vetoes is an exercise in futility. Especially, when one understands the budget bill has to go back across Gordon’s desk, where he can veto it again.
Is the appropriations committee trying to create campaign issues for the 2026 election by daring the governor to line-item veto the language again? Then, are they trying to force a vote on overturning the vetoes of the governor so they can campaign against the legislators who do not walk in lockstep with the Freedom Caucus?
Again, the motivation is puzzling at best. At worst, it is a waste of precious legislative time.
Another issue the Appropriations Committee fielded is curious.
Campbell County High School’s campus is a mess. Sewage oozes up through the floor from rotted pipes. Students have to walk through human sewage to class. To fix the sewage problem, the building would need to be gutted. Studies say it will cost more to fix the crap hole than to build a new one.
The mechanical plant is past its useful life and parts are difficult to find so heat in the winter is an issue.
Faced with that reality, the Appropriations Committee hand-picked by the Freedom Caucus voted to strip the new high school building out of the proposed budget, despite multiple studies showing the building needs to be replaced. The only votes in favor of keeping the new building in the budget on Rep. John Bear’s committee were John Bear, Abby Angelos (both Gillette lawmakers) and the one democrat, Trey Sherwood.
Is it possible the Appropriations Committee stripped the high school out of the budget because they like kids walking through sewage? Or it is possible that the high school was stripped out of the budget so that Reps. Bear and Angelos could sponsor a budget amendment to get the high school put back into the budget, so they could look like heroes at the next election? Only time will tell.
Earlier, I wrote a column detailing the financial folly of the ESG bill. Over the weekend, Rep. Christopher Knapp, R-Gillette, rewrote the bill with a five-page amendment which was not published for the public and was not made available to the members of the committee in advance. Then, the Chairman ruled that no additional public comment was allowed on this major rewrite of the bill.
Treasurer Curt Meier later said the bill simply intends to codify the rules that are in place for our fiduciaries and codify the investment policy statement that was done back in 2020, and which the state is living by today.
Transparency issues aside, if the state has already been doing everything the bill requires for five years, why have the bill? What is the problem the legislature is trying to solve?
Is the real issue the legislature needs a virtue signaling bill so they can campaign in couple years about how tough they are on ESG when, actually, they have accomplished nothing at all?
To this author, it seems like the legislature is scrambling to create campaign issues on hot-button topics rather than solving problems for run of the mill folks. Instead of trying to rack up notches on a coupstick, perhaps the legislature should focus on the people of Wyoming. Anyway, that’s what I think.
Tom Lubnau served in the Wyoming Legislature from 2004 - 2015 and is a former Speaker of the House. He can be reached at: YourInputAppreciated@gmail.com
