Interim Update

The Wyoming legislature's interim committee meetings have started.  Some of you readers know more about the committee process than I do as you have been involved much longer than myself, this update is for the rest of you.  The months between legislative sessions are labeled as the interim.  This is when legislative committees meet to work on complex policy issues that may require greater time or more research than is available during session.  The interim committee process includes input from state departments and agencies, from constituent groups, and from individuals.  During session, the House committee members meet separately from Senate committee members.  During the interim, meetings are usually “joint” committee meetings.  Joint meetings mean the Senators and the Representatives from a particular committee are all meeting together, which adds perspective to the policymaking process.  Predictably, this months long process results in better policy that historically passes through the legislature at a higher rate than personal bills.  Sometimes a personal bill that addresses a complex issue will fail during the legislative session because it needs more work.  When this issue is considered as an interim topic, it can receive the hours and expertise it deserves and a better “committee bill” can be crafted that is more likely to pass in following legislative sessions.  Of course, there is a substantial expense of taxpayer dollars associated with legislators and staff attending committee meetings all across the state.  For this reason, consideration of committee bills is often prioritized. 

Management Council meets near the beginning of the interim to meet with committee chairmen and prioritize interim topics.  Management Council is a 10 member committee composed of the 3 majority leadership positions from each chamber,  the minority floor leader from each chamber and an at-large member elected from each chamber.  They met on April 8 and some of the discussions illuminated the changing dynamic in the Wyoming Legislature.   This past session, less than 50% of committee bills passed into law.  Many of these bills died in committee or weren’t considered for introduction.   Historically, committee bills pass over 65% of the time.  Some of you have inquired if it is responsible to fund interim committee work if committee bills aren’t going to receive the priority they warrant.  This issue was addressed at the April 8 meeting and the interim committee meeting schedule was altered to drop the number of interim meeting days from 6 to 4.  This will save the state upwards of $100,000 and will save legislators days of their life that they will never get back (especially Senators who staff all of the committees with half as many members).  I am honored to represent you during the interim at committee meetings, but if that work isn’t going to be honored during legislative session my days might be better spent elsewhere.  I value committee work very much as it is where the public contributes to the policy making.  One of the disadvantages with cutting the number of interim meeting days is it decreases the opportunity for public comment.  Committee chairmen can request 2 days be added back to the interim meeting schedule which they probably will.