Senator Laura Pearson (R-Kemmerer) from Senate District 14 called into the Weekday Wake-Up on Wednesday March 4 from Cheyenne to provide a legislative report. Sen. Pearson discussed the budget that has been sent to the Governor, an update on the current status on school recalibration, details on HB0120 that would impact natural gas production in Opal and additional bills still being discussed.

(0:00) It’s Duke, Dallin, Dan, and the weekday wake-up. (0:04) 7.43 is our time this morning on SVI Radio, Swift 98, and The Spur. (0:08) Another legislative report, this time from Senator Laura Pearson of Kemmer, joining us (0:13) live over the phone from Cheyenne.

(0:14) Senator Pearson, good morning. (0:15) How’s Cheyenne today? (0:18) Good morning, Duke. (0:19) It’s just fine.

(0:20) We got quite a lot of rain yesterday, so that was good. (0:23) Alright. (0:24) Yeah.

(0:25) Excellent. (0:26) Well, appreciate your time, as always. (0:27) I know you have committee meetings and everything coming up here in just a few moments, so we’ll (0:31) jump right in here and start with the budget.

(0:34) Boy, I tell you, a week ago, you know, through the session, it seemed like there was just (0:39) such a big gap between the two chambers on the budget and where things were heading and (0:43) where things wanted to go, but boy, the committee did a great job, and bada bing, bada boom, (0:50) it’s all done just like that. (0:52) Yeah. (0:53) Yeah.

(0:53) I was happy to see that we got through it. (0:57) That’s all we need is to have another special session, you know, and costing the taxpayers (1:03) money to come back, so I’m happy that that is done, so. (1:09) Yeah, not just done, but it seems like it’s a budget that most everybody seems to be happy (1:13) with.

(1:14) Were there a couple highlights? (1:15) Of course, a lot of people talked about the university funding, the business council funding, (1:20) and things like that. (1:22) But anything in the budget that stuck out to you that you’d like to bring up? (1:26) Well, yeah, so in the budget, I think it ended up about, I’m hearing between $54 and $138 (1:34) million lower than the governor’s recommendation, what they decided on. (1:39) The Senate side is saying $54 million, the House side is saying $138 million, but I think (1:47) some money got put back into the general fund is why there’s kind of that discrepancy.

(1:55) UW is funded, but they have to identify $5 million of cost savings. (2:04) So this would be like degree programs with only three to five students, things like that. (2:09) And so there’s kind of a provision in there on the UW funding.

(2:15) The state employees got raises, and so that was good. (2:24) Public media is funded as of now, and the Wyoming Business Council is funded for a year. (2:31) So I think that they ended up getting about $14 million to fund their staff.

(2:37) So there should be no Wyoming Business Council employees that are let go for this year while (2:42) we decide how to reorganize the Wyoming Business Council. (2:47) So that’s kind of the highlights of the budget, per se, or what I know. (2:54) Sure.

(2:55) That’s Senator Pierson this morning, joining us live from Cheyenne with a legislative report. (3:00) Well, Senator Pierson, let’s switch gears and talk recalibration amidst the budget. (3:04) Of course, you still have this recalibration bill, and I understand it did pass the Senate.

(3:11) Are you familiar with where it sits in the House right now, or have you kind of been (3:15) following where things are at with that? (3:19) Yeah. (3:20) So I got an update on recalibration last night, and I think they’re still meeting to hash (3:29) out a few details. (3:31) But as far as I know right now, kind of where it sits is a $75,000 average wage for teachers.

(3:40) The teachers are still siloed. (3:43) So being that we want that money for the teachers protected, then I think that there’s some (3:53) sort of a provision in there for Lincoln County number two for 7% raise in the first (4:02) year, a 10% raise in the second year, and a 10% raise in the third year. (4:08) Because there are a lot of those employees are already above that $75,000.

(4:17) Health insurance. (4:20) We took off the instance where all employees have to have their health insurance with the (4:31) state. (4:31) So basically, the school districts can choose their own health insurance.

(4:39) And the caveat in there is that the health insurance will be only for the employees that (4:45) are employed and using it. (4:48) So no ghost positions. (4:51) We’re not going to pay for employees that are insurance for employees that are possibly (4:57) using their spouses insurance, for instance, you know, so we’re kind of reining that in (5:04) a little bit.

(5:07) Let’s see, and that money can only go to medical insurance. (5:15) And then the money that we give to the school district needs to be equal to the state’s (5:23) insurance plan or, you know, I mean, the cost wise. (5:27) So and I and from what I’m understanding, the state’s insurance plan is pretty good.

(5:32) So then the salary cap for the superintendents is off for now. (5:41) The enrollment is still is they moved it from a one year to a two year rolling average. (5:48) And then the funding model will pay for 263 more teachers than the current model.

(5:56) So so that’s good when when they were worried that teachers would have to be fired or whatever. (6:04) It’s just not the case. (6:06) And then let’s see what else.

(6:11) So in this recalibration, currently there’s one hundred twenty five million dollars per (6:18) year more for education. (6:21) And then also they put in a ten million dollar per year for dual enrollment dual enrollment (6:29) grant for college courses. (6:31) And so that would be instances where high school students want to take college courses (6:37) and kind of start their degree in high school.

(6:41) So ten million dollars a year for that. (6:43) So that’s kind of where we are on recalibration right now. (6:47) It’s still going through the process between the House and the Senate.

(6:53) So but that’s the update that I have on that. (6:56) OK, excellent. (6:57) Senator Laura Pearson of Kemmerer this morning with an update live from Cheyenne.

(7:00) Senator, just here at the end, any other pieces of legislation that you’ve had your eye on (7:05) or would feel worth mentioning this morning while we have you? (7:08) Yeah. (7:09) So what I really want is for the people in Kemmerer and Opal to look at a bill called (7:19) the one twenty and what it’s called is energy product reclassification, reclassification (7:27) and Sovereignty Act. (7:28) Representative Campbell brought this bill.

(7:30) He’s been working on it for two years. (7:32) And basically what this bill is going to do is it’s the premise behind it is so that Wyoming (7:40) natural gas will have energy sovereignty and it’s creating a way to manage like a manufacturing (7:49) plant. (7:50) And right now they’re kind of looking at over by Opal and it’s the premise behind this bill (7:59) is to use the natural gas for creating products to export.

(8:08) So so basically Wyoming would be the actual manufacturing of these products. (8:14) And so I just want to give my constituents a heads up that this bill is going through (8:23) the process. (8:23) I don’t want any people to feel like they’re blindsided.

(8:30) I think that it’s a good bill. (8:32) I think it’s a good bill. (8:33) But I want my constituents to know that that we’re that they’re really thinking about doing (8:40) this and I think it would be great it would be great for Wyoming and we should be using (8:44) our natural gas and we should be creating some way to manufacture that natural gas into (8:52) products that can be exported.

(8:53) So I think it’s a great bill but I want the people to know that that’s out there. (9:01) Also my my shared parenting day is on third today. (9:05) So hopefully it’s going to be signed by the governor.

(9:09) The heartbeat bill HB 126 is on third reading today. (9:17) And Sherry Steinmetz was able to get an amendment on that bill that kind of brings back if if (9:26) any of these abortion bills get caught up in the course that it brings back some of (9:34) our old language protecting at least life of viability back to the 2022 rules because (9:43) all of that was lost in this last Supreme Court ruling. (9:49) So we basically have no nothing as far as abortion in our state right now.

(9:55) There could be abortions up to the day of birth. (9:59) So that brought back some of that. (10:02) The red flag bill HB 98 it just strengthens the red flag the red red flag laws.

(10:10) I think that one that one was introduced yesterday and so and then concealed carry for 18 year (10:19) olds HB 96 that one is introduced. (10:23) And so those are just some of the things there’s a lot of things that those are the things (10:28) that stand out to me right now. (10:32) But I really do want people to look at HB 120 because that is possibly going to affect (10:40) Ohio and Kemer area.

(10:41) So and I think it’s great. (10:43) Absolutely. (10:44) As you’re talking about I looked it up it just so our listeners know it looks like that’s (10:48) scheduled for a 10 a.m. today on the session floor on the Senate floor for second reading (10:52) so people can find that live broadcast of course on YouTube if they’d like to follow (10:56) that Senator Laura Pearson thank you so much for your time we really appreciate the update (11:00) today.

(11:01) OK. (11:02) Well thank you. (11:03) You betcha.

(11:03) That’s Senator Laura Pearson of Kemer this morning with the legislative report on the (11:07) SBI radio network.