Legislative Session Begins Today

Staff     2-8, 2016

The four week legislative session begins today in Cheyenne with a joint session of both houses for Governor Matt Mead’s State of the State Address at 10 a.m. The legislature is facing the tough task of coming up with the next two years’ budget in the face of declining revenues while coal and energy production continues to fall in the state. One of the big issues is if the State should borrow from savings, or the rainy day fund, to fill in funding gaps. The rainy day fund sits at $1.8 billion. Governor Mead says the State needs to develop a set of rules for when it is okay to dip into these savings.

Mead says he feels the legislature will develop a framework for using rainy day funds in down times.

Medicaid expansion will be a topic even though the Joint Appropriations Committee opposed funding it. The budget session will be held at the Jonah Business Center for the next three sessions while the Capitol undergoes renovation. Live audio streams of the legislature can be heard at legisweb.state.wy.us.