On Saturday evening a Wyoming Republican representative from Casper and a Democratic representative from Laramie found a way to get House approval for giving state employees raises.
Approved in a 31-29 vote, the move is not final: it will still have to clear next week’s negotiations between the state House of Representatives and the Senate.
But it may be poised well for that: though a severance tax gleaning in the House amendment is unique, the upper chamber had approved state employee raises in its own budget draft earlier this week.
Rep. Jayme Lien, R-Casper, brought her colleagues an idea during a Saturday budget-planning marathon in the state House of Representatives.
Rather than pull from Wyoming’s checking account, Lien sought to pull $10 million from the Wyoming cultural trust fund, to give retired state employees a “thirteenth check,” or extra monthly check this summer.
She also sought to feed an $111 million total payout as raises to state employees with severance tax money that would otherwise have gone into an investment account.
“On second reading I did vote down employee raises,” said Lien. But in the days since then she went to “work with our good legal staff, to tip some of our buckets to get a net-zero gain for our employees.”
Transferring $10 million out of the cultural trust fund to help retirees was a controversial move, she acknowledged.
“Maybe you’ve gotten hundreds of emails from the cultural arts people,” said Lien, adding with a chuckle. “That’s my fault.”
Though the people doing work with the gleaned money from that $28.5 million account perform projects around the state, said Lien, “Right now that cost of living adjustment is necessary. Because we have to take care of our obligations before we can spend any money on playtime.”
Lien later withdrew her amendment, after Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson, divided it into different portions so that the House could vote on each of its four main provisions separately.
Lien said that changed the intent.
Enter Rep. Sherwood
Rep. Trey Sherwood, D-Laramie, had what she called an “a-ha moment.”
“She and I were trying to do something similar – but her pathway is much better. Is much improved,” said Sherwood.
Sherwood presented an amendment to bring state workers to the 2024 “pay table” or market equivalent wages from 2024.
They’re in the 2022 bracket right now.
The figures in Sherwood’s amendment were slightly different: $111.8 million for the raises versus $111 million in Liens; and $8 million for retirement’s extra checks versus Lien’s $8.8 million.
Sherwood’s amendment did not seek to pull from the cultural trust fund, but it kept the severance tax tipover.
“All told, around 50,000 of our constituents are going to benefit,” said Sherwood.
Rep. Christopher Knapp, R-Gillette, had warned during debate on Lien’s amendment that the one-time check could create an expectation among retirees, that it would recur.
“I don’t think it’s fair to take one year randomly and give a (cost-of-living) adjustment,” said Knapp. “An old appropriator once told me – he said never mess with a retiree’s promise.”
Rep. Art Washut, R-Casper, noted that the retirement structure can be complicated.
He added: “In a year when we got record returns on our investments – if there was ever a time where we might say yes to a 13th check for our retirees, I think it would be this year.”
Just The One
Sherwood told Cowboy State Daily in a Saturday text message that this amendment cancels out the opportunity for some state employees who were already on track to receive targeted raises to double dip.
In other words, the snowplow drivers, state troopers, and mental health nurses for whom the Joint Appropriations Committee drafted raises last month will still receive raises, said Sherwood, but not in addition to this amendment.
Lien told Cowboy State Daily the amendment is a creative and collaborative solution, “for the good of the people of Wyoming.”
“I am grateful for Rep. Sherwood’s efforts to bring our ideas together,” she added.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
