After a week of late nights, early mornings, and marathon debates on how Wyoming should spend money for the next two years, two state representatives had medical events on the House of Representatives floor.
Rep. Dalton Banks, R-Cowley, stood Saturday morning to ask his colleagues to approve a $1.2 million provision, to build the Cottonwood Canyon bike trail system on U.S. Bureau of Land Management parcels near Lovell.
Many representatives spoke in favor of the expenditure. Others lodged questions about outside funding sources and approval.
“Yes, our federal partner whose land this is going to be on is involved in the process,” said Banks. “There’s a grant in the works for that.”
Here, Banks trailed off. He shook his head and braced both hands against the podium.
“Oh, sorry here,” said Banks.
He collapsed to the floor. Numerous representatives rushed to help him. Others stood and craned their necks in apparent concern.
House Speaker Pro Tempore Jeremy Haroldson, R-Wheatland, who’d been moderating the debate, called the House at ease.
About six minutes passed.
Reconvening the floor session, Haroldson announced that Banks was receiving care and “is OK.”
“We’re waiting for more information from our own EMT staff,” said Haroldson, adding that Banks “Was able to leave under his own power – under his own strength,” and people were making sure he was being re-hydrated.
House Speaker Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, said emergency medical personnel in the chamber believe Banks was dehydrated.
“A major, critical part of being able to stand this kind of strain, of being up late and getting up early, and all that’s going on,” said Neiman, “I would encourage all of you to make sure you’re taking care of yourself.”
As of Saturday at 1:51 p.m., Banks remained in Neiman’s office, while Rep. Darin McCann, R-Rock Springs – who works as a physician assistant – monitored him.
McCann was returning to the floor in time for each vote, Neiman told Cowboy State Daily in a text message.
“They (House members) are taking care of each other and it is a blessing to watch,” he added.
At 2:47 p.m. Saturday, Banks told Cowboy State Daily in a text message that his is “doing OK.”
“EMTs checked me out and gave me fluids and I am feeling good,” Banks wrote. “I guess I forgot to eat my Wheaties!”
While he was off the floor, Banks' budget amendment failed 27-33.
And Thursday-Friday
Rep. Christopher Knapp, R-Gillette, had a medical event Thursday and Friday, he confirmed via text message to Cowboy State Daily.
He attributed it to his diabetes, and acknowledged that the session’s long hours and early mornings bring “challenges.”
“I now know there is a medical room in the Capitol!” said Knapp, adding that the Capitol medical personnel “are very attentive.”
Knapp said he’s glad Banks is OK, and he’s praying for his quick recovery.
Rep. Paul Hoeft, R-Powell, offered a prayer Saturday on the floor after Banks’ collapse, asking for God’s “healing touch.”
The House’s Iliad
The House and Senate undertook vastly different schedules this week during debates on tweaks to the state’s two-year budget – with the Senate finalizing its budget draft Friday, and the House spending a rare Saturday in session to finalize its own draft.
The Senate on Tuesday leapt about 80 amendments ahead by adopting one first, mass amendment reverting its draft of the budget back to Gov. Mark Gordon’s November recommendation, rather than debating each Gordon-backed provision one-by-one as the House chose to do.
Also, House members brought more amendments altogether – 120 on the bill’s second reading and 122 on the bill’s third reading. Though dozens of those were withdrawn, the House’s amendment debate marathons have unfurled a showdown between voter blocs on whether to fund public media, whether to cut $40 million from the University of Wyoming, how to fund Wyoming’s highway construction – and other clashes.
The Senate brought fewer proposals to debate: 19 amendments on the bill’s second reading and 53 on its third.
House members were in session Tuesday night until about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Three House committees held public meetings about six hours later.
“I can tell you guys are tired because you remind me of my first-period class,” said Cheyenne public-school teacher Dylan Ford, with a chuckle, during a House Education meeting at midday Wednesday.
The body was up again past midnight Wednesday-Thursday after contemplating rules changes tied to a recent check-passing controversy.
A lengthy, cathartic episode between members unfolded at that time, while Neiman disclosed his involvement in the controversy and disappointment in how it happened.
Next week, the two chambers will start negotiating over the budget.
As of Friday, the House’s budget draft bore a bottom line of about $370 million less than the Senate’s – but not all that difference consists of cost savings to the state. Some of that amount includes spending authorization to state agencies for federal or other funds.
The House reconvened for debate at 8 a.m. Saturday and as of 2:43, was still jousting over the budget.
Misunderstandings, misperceptions of the votes and miscommunications happened occasionally, as when some representatives said they were voting in favor of an amendment Rep. Ann Lucas, R-Cheyenne, brought to pull funding from Wyoming Public Television, but then they argued against the spirit of Lucas’ amendment.
Lucas’ amendment failed 14-46.
In general, Wyoming Freedom Caucus-aligned delegates have been trying to hold the cuts and denials the Joint Appropriations Committee put in the draft budget in January.
‘At War’
Some House members have been commenting on the saga via social media.
“I am not a combat vet and now understand the difficulties and involvement of being at War,” wrote Rep. Steve Johnson, R-Cheyenne, in a Saturday Facebook post.
Rep. Elissa Campbell, R-Casper, published a disapproving post on House budget third-reading amendment no. 120, which offers a conditional compromise on the House majority’s previously-unyielding proposal to cut $40 million from the University of Wyoming.
“Our message to UW today,” begins Campbell’s post, “we’ll put $20M… back in your block grant if you meet this list of demands by December 1. If you comply, we still might pull that $20M back, because we can.”
Amendment no. 120 says UW can have half of the cut amount back in its state block grant, if it finds and secures $5 million in savings or re-investments within its own structures by Dec. 1.
Campbell had argued in favor of restoring the $40 million to the university.
Rep. Lee Filer, R-Cheyenne, authored a lengthy post Friday, saying, “fiscal conservatism is not synonymous with indiscriminate cutting.”
He wrote that the slimmer budget the Joint Appropriations Committee sent to the House “does not strengthen Wyoming’s independence. It weakens it. By slowing growth, constricting higher education, and straining local governments, it makes the state less competitive and less resilient.”
On Jake’s Show
House Appropriations Chair John Bear, R-Gillette, who has stood to defend many of his committee’s cuts and denials this week, told Cowboy State Daily’s Jake Nichols this week that people are wrongly characterizing those cutbacks as “an axe and a hatchet” approach.
He pointed to the difference between the roughly $10 billion budget Gordon proposed in 2023 and the $11 billion budget he brought in November 2025.
“Because really, it’s only in Washington DC and Democrat math that leads to saying that you’re taking an axe and hatched and chainsaw to the budget when you reduce a 12% increase by 3%,” said Bear.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
