CHEYENNE - Usually in the weeks following a primary election, a sort of ennui sets in among the Legislature’s interim committees.
With some members either not running for re-election, or having lost in the primary, the impetus to attend meetings dims.
In fact, the entire purpose of interim work seems irrelevant.
Lawmakers know that a new year brings a new Legislature and new committee members will be voting on their product of interim study. Their work is likely to be deeply changed or tossed out altogether.
All that work for nothing.
In other words, their efforts are a waste of time. This year they are particularly hopeless because of the major turnover in the House of Representatives.
Especially for those interim committees dominated by Freedom Caucus lawmakers, a group that took a major hit in the election.
Some say it was a “massacre.”
It has had that effect. Normally, the House turnover is 20 percent every two years — 12, 13 seats.
As a result of the 2026 GOP primary, 29 of the 62 members of the House will be new - almost half the chamber. Only ten will be Caucus members, down from 26. Five committee chairmen were toppled in the election.
The number could be altered further in the general election.
A record bunch of freshmen lawmakers will need to be educated, or at least helped to find the bathroom.
Amid this rocket change to the Legislature, it was surprising to see how many legislators are attending the interim committee sessions, including Freedom Caucus members.
For example last Thursday, the Labor, Health and Social Services Committee met at Riverton’s Central Wyoming College for two days of hearings. All the seats were filled except one, according to the Zoom image.
And that one missing lawmaker may have been attending online or excused.
So all of those members who are not coming back are to be commended for fulfilling their obligation to fill out their elected terms.
Meanwhile, the Legislature is running out of veterans.
One member who attended the committee meeting in person, but is not a Freedom Caucus member, is Sen. Charles Scott.
Scott, 81, is a Republican cattle rancher from Natrona County and a Harvard graduate.
Scott is the longest-serving legislator, having put in 47 years in the House and Senate after entering the House in 1979 at 34 years of age.
He was one freshman you could not ignore. At well over six feet tall, he had red hair with an amazingly stubborn cowlick that stood straight up.
At one time he was a chosen Senate vice president, but was never elected to the presidency, he said, because “they wouldn’t let me,” meaning he did not have the votes of support.
A Luddite, he never had a computer at his desk. He always maintained, instead, the unwieldy old loose leaf binders that held the bills that had been introduced.
At times when taking the floor he could be loquacious, until prodded by the chair to quit talking.
Yet, he became the guy to ask if you had a question about process and bill history, a fount of knowledge.
Scott was re-elected two years ago, so he still will be around to answer questions.
And I am sure there will be plenty. He could be a treasure.
We will need more Charlie Scotts next year.
The longest serving member of the House is Steve Harshman, Republican, coach and teacher from Casper, who served 23 years, including two terms as House speaker.
Harshman won’t be there, though. He is running for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
When he was there, however, he was the “go to” guy, a good teacher when a member had a question, particularly about the budget.
Rep. Bob Nicholas, a Cheyenne attorney and state budget guru, having served 15 years, should be around to help.
Behind him is Rep. Lloyd Larsen of Fremont County, who served 13 years.
From there on, the length of experience drops off.
Contact Joan Barron at 307-632-2534 or jmbarron@bresnan.net
