Wyoming special session a no go

Posted by Bobbie Frank on April 2, 2024

Headlines across the state have announced there will be no special session convened to attempt to override the Governor’s vetoes. The Senate voted in favor of a special session and the House voted against calling a special session. The constitution requires a majority of both houses to vote for a special session to convene. The special session poll results can be found here.

Those opposing the session feel the cost of a special session, including Speaker of the House Albert Sommers and President of the Senate Ogden Driskill, felt the cost was just to high at $35,000 a day to justify coming back to Cheyenne, despite their extreme disappointment in the Governor’s veto of SF 54 the property tax relief bill. Due to the timing of a special session which wouldn’t have occurred immediately, even if they convened did override the veto, it would not be in time for the property tax relief bill to be implemented.

Several also expressed concern that a special session would not be limited to just veto overrides and could result in numerous additional pieces of legislation being considered. They also felt like members of the legislature could have gotten their work done in time to allow for veto overrides in the 20-day session and expressed concern that calling special sessions and not using their time effectively, moves the state away from a citizen’s legislature.

The Freedom Caucus immediately issued press statements blasting those who voted against a special session and claimed that a gentlemen’s agreement would have limited consideration to six veto over rides on the property tax bill, gun-free zones, the abortion regulations bill, the Wyoming PRIME act (deregulation of homemade meat products) and a federal land use bill.

Little faith existed in reaching such an agreement when it came down to voting on the rules of the special session once it would convene.

Posted in Advocacy on the Move, Wyoming Advocacy.