Suicide is an epidemic in Wyoming that touches every person and community. In a state often described as “a small town with long streets,” this means we are very connected to each other and feel each other’s losses, particularly those from suicide.
After the Wyoming Freedom Caucus’s actions over the last 3 years of voting against nearly every effort to support mental health solutions, I was dumbfounded to read Cassie Craven’s April 6, 2025, Opinion Piece, “It's Time For Elementary School Counselors In Wyoming.”
Ms. Craven writes, “Now that we have some commonsense leadership in office, It’s time for Wyoming lawmakers to solve this problem.” But her “commonsense leadership” includes Speaker Neiman, Majority Floor Leader Heiner, Speaker ProTem Haroldson, and Majority Whip Andrew, all of whom voted against mental health support, including a K-12 mental health grant program designed to compensate for a lack of counselors in Wyoming schools.
Ms. Craven is well aware of the Freedom Caucus’s opposition to mental health legislation over the last three years.
In an introduction vote in the 2024 session, the Freedom Caucus killed HB0119 - School finance-mental health service grants, which was a program to provide mental health solutions in the K-12 schools, recognizing the current funding model wasn’t enough. Here are the Nay votes on HB0119, Nays: Representative(s) Allemand, Andrew, Bear, Haroldson, Heiner, Hornok, Jennings, Knapp, Locke, Neiman, Ottman, Pendergraft, Penn, Rodriguez-Williams, Singh, Slagle, Smith, Strock, Styvar, Tarver, Trujillo, Ward, Winter
Excused: Representative Angelos
Although the Freedom Caucus killed HB0119, the legislature was still able to put money in the budget towards a grant program to combat K-12 mental health challenges. This was accomplished without a single vote of support from the Wyoming Freedom Caucus.
In fact, most of the Freedom Caucus didn’t support long-term funding for the 988 suicide prevention hotline in 2024. Current “Commonsense" Speaker Neiman, then Majority Floor Leader, even blocked HB0186 from being brought to the floor, after passing committee unanimously.
In 2025, the Freedom Caucus killed HB0180 - K-12 mental health program-3 in committee. This bill, a product of the Mental Health Taskforce, and was designed to coordinate mental health services for K-12 students.
To address the mental health crisis, we need to continue to strengthen awareness and treatment in our communities. Our schools deal with children in crisis nearly every day. Solutions are not easy or cheap, but they are necessary.
Before 2025, the legislature had made strides against mental health and suicide challenges in Wyoming by redesigning the state’s mental health support system, by creating a K-12 Safe2Tell Wyoming program, by creating a broader 988 suicide hotline and a Mental Health Taskforce.
It is unfortunate that Ms. Craven is prone to revisionist history because the rest of her message on children’s mental health is spot on. I agree with Ms. Craven’s statement, “As a state, we must provide resources which are open-ended and address student needs. I’m not interested in playing the game of politics when it comes to protecting our kids.”
Freedom Caucus, the ball is in your court.
Respectfully
Albert Sommers, Pinedale
Sommers, a former Speaker of the House, represented House District 20 from 2013 - 2024.
