May 18, 2020 |
As the two day special session of the legislature came to a close Saturday night, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon thanked lawmakers for their work and struck a hopeful message for both the state and the nation.
A few minutes later, House Speaker Steve Harshman gaveled the session to a close.
The sometimes intense two-days of work produced three pieces of legislation for the governor to sign. The bills provide the framework and timeline for allocating the $1.25 billion in federal CARES Act money that the state received to help residents and business threatened financially by this year’s outbreak of coronavirus. The relief package includes $300 million in grant funding for Wyoming businesses.
The money is meant primarily for small, Main Street operations. During debate, Rep. Donald Burkhart of Rawlins said businesses that received Payroll Protection Program funding are not barred from a state grant when the money becomes available in June. Burkhart cautioned, however, that any PPP money received could be a factor in determining state grants.
Other elements in the legislation include:
- $175 million for assistance to local governments
- Eviction protection for renters
- Changes to the unemployment program including exempting charges to employers for COVID-19 related layoffs
- Millions of dollars for capital construction of rural hospitals and healthcare facilities
The governor can veto individual pieces or all of the legislation if he chooses. Although Gordon welcomed the assistance of lawmakers in deciding how the CARES Act funding is spent, the governor holds the ultimate authority on where the money goes.
A fourth bill under consideration was killed in the House Friday night. HB 1003 would have given the governor broad authority to move state appropriations, within and between agencies in response to COVID-driven shortfalls. It also would have allowed school districts to pad their reserves.
Only about one-third of the state lawmakers were in the senate and house chambers Friday and Saturday. The rest attended floor sessions and committee meetings on the Zoom meeting platform over the internet.
House District 47 Rep. Jerry Paxton of Encampment was in Cheyenne for both days. Paxton told Bigfoot 99 that the session went off smoothly despite the time crunch in the first ever session to use remote technology.
Many questions remain unanswered, including how Wyoming’s budget will fare if the national economy continues to slump. Lawmakers will likely meet again in special session at the end of June to take up those issues.
