January 9, 2024 |
Photo – District 47 Representative Bob Davis
Wyoming State House Representative Bob Davis of District 47 updated the Saratoga town council on what he has accomplished after one year in office.
In January of 2023, Bob Davis went to Cheyenne to represent District 47 in the Wyoming House of Representatives. District 47 covers the majority of Carbon County, except for Rawlins and Sinclair, which are in Wyoming House District 55.
Having served half of his two-year term, Representative Davis has begun meeting with his constituents. Speaking at the January 2nd Saratoga town council meeting, Representative Davis said throughout the summer, he served on the state’s ag committee. Davis said the Wyoming Department of Agriculture controls the town’s hot springs. The District 47 representative said this year, he will work to remove the state oversight.
Representative Davis said he is now part of the state’s sage grouse conservation committee. Formed in the year 2000, the Wyoming Sage-Grouse Working Group works to conserve the prairie bird’s habitats.
Representative Davis said he and the other Carbon County members are developing conservation plans to send to Governor Mark Gordon.
Representative Davis said he is also on the Regulatory Reduction Taskforce. The District 47 representative said he expects to remove certain regulations on Carbon County municipalities during this summer’s legislative sessions.
Representative Davis said he is on a committee investigating the Medicine Bow Resource Management Plan. Davis said he will work with local, state, and federal agencies to ensure the Bureau of Land Management doesn’t severely limit the public’s usage of the land. Representative Davis explained how BLM is proposing to keep the public off federal land in Sweetwater County and the surround areas with its latest Rock Springs Resource Management Plan.
Representative Davis said the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan will negatively impact jobs, recreation, tourism, and industry in Wyoming.
Mayor Chuck Davis asked Representative Davis if any federal legislators were helping fight against the Rock Springs RMP. Davis said Wyoming’s representatives in Washington DC are doing what they can from the capital. Davis said representatives from the federal government will be in Wyoming to see how their policies affect the state firsthand.
Representative Davis said he is looking into the Colorado River Working Group, a committee made up of water users on the Green and Little Snake Rivers. Davis said last winter’s heavier-than-average snowfall filled the reservoirs fed by the Colorado River. With little snow this season, Representative Davis said the area’s water troubles are likely to return.
Saratoga Mayor Davis asked if Governor Gordon would address the lack of affordable housing. Representative Davis said low-cost homes are part of the Regulatory Reduction Taskforce’s agenda. The District 47 representative said subsidized housing is a complex issue affecting certain parts of the state more than others.
Representative Davis said federal money exists to combat the lack of affordable housing, but Governor Gordon must decide if the federal government’s attached stipulations are good for the state.
Representative Davis said beginning next month, the Wyoming House of Representatives will focus on creating the state’s yearly budget. Afterwards, the District 47 representative said he’ll turn his attention to the issues he mentioned to the town council.
