The 2020 Budget Session of the Wyoming Legislature wrapped up March 12 after 24 working days. Our new economic reality hit home during the last week of the session, with oil prices dropping along with the stock market. 

These had been two of the most promising sources of revenue generation for the state but also represented a significant amount of risk. Thankfully, the Wyoming Legislature continues to manage that risk by reducing spending in most areas.

The budget for the 2021-22 biennium includes a $277 million reduction in general fund spending for most of our state agencies, coupled with a $116 million increase in K-12 education. For the first time in recent memory, we are going to spend more on K-12 operations than in general funds to support all our state agencies combined. 

I continue to be happy to vote for these increases if the funds make it into the classroom. However, I am increasingly concerned about the wastefulness of our top-heavy, bureaucratic statewide education system. The good news is that even the most modest reforms would help significantly. These may include modernizing the basket of goods the state requires our school districts to provide to students or reincorporating local decision making and revenue sources into the system. 

The Senate Agriculture Committee made significant progress on our priorities. We began the hard work of redirecting the University of Wyoming to focus on its mission as a land grand institution. To that end, the budget included $4 million earmarked for academic programs in the College of Agriculture. The committee also passed a bill which creates a dedicated funding source for statewide weed and pest grants, increasing the budget of that program by a factor of four. 

One of my personal bills was also signed into law which allows for lower severance taxes for our uranium industry. This industry has been hit hard by unfair competition from state owned companies in foreign countries like Kazakhstan and China. Help is on the way as the federal government realizes the need for a domestic uranium production capacity for national security. While the industry will still pay sales and property taxes, this relief will help producers hold on until federal assistance arrives.

I will continue working to support Wyoming’s core industries and promote a fiscally conservative approach to government. As always, feel free to contact me with questions. My email is brian.boner@wyoleg.gov and my cell phone is (307) 359-0707.