CHEYENNE—Gov. Mark Gordon and two past Joint Appropriations Committees failed to follow a state law governing spending, Rep. John Bear alleged Monday in a statement sent to several news outlets.
The governor, meanwhile, is standing by the budget recommendations Bear called into question, and told WyoFile they are both constitutional and in alignment with the law.
Bear, R-Gillette, said he discovered Gordon’s alleged transgression after taking over as chairman of the Legislature’s House Appropriations Committee, which is now mostly made up of Wyoming Freedom Caucus members. Bear, the former chairman of the group of hard-line Republicans, is now the bloc’s chairman emeritus.
“After being sworn in to the 68th Legislature, I and my colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee got right to work investigating Wyoming’s budgetary obligations, restrictions, reserves, and more,” Bear wrote in a statement titled “There’s a new sheriff in town.”
“We have learned a lot,” he wrote. “We have also uncovered inconsistencies between state spending law and practice by the governor and former legislative appropriators.”
Bear pointed to a piece of 2016 legislation that changed the state’s spending policy. More specifically, Bear said the law prohibits the governor from recommending an appropriation of the state’s rainy day fund, known as the Legislative Stabilization Reserve Account, that exceeds 5% of the balance of that account as of the first of the fiscal year in which the recommendation is made.
“This law is about living within our means — something our governor has touted with each budget provided to the Legislature during his tenure,” Bear wrote. “Unfortunately, the governor has on more than one occasion recommended appropriations from the rainy-day fund well in excess of the 5% limit laid out in statute.”
His statement did not specify how the money was used.
In his State of the State this year, Gordon described a devastating wildfire season and its fiscal effects on the state’s coffers.
“The direct firefighting cost exceeded $55 million. This fully depleted the funds you appropriated to firefighting, my contingency account, Homeland Security’s contingency funds, and virtually all of the governor’s authority to borrow from the Legislative Stabilization Reserve Account — the LSRA,” Gordon said.
“My Chief of Staff responded to the Representative’s concern on Friday and offered to work with the Appropriations committee on this matter,” Gordon wrote WyoFile in a statement Monday.
“That offer still stands. We submitted a balanced budget with substantial savings and we have cooperated with the Joint Appropriations Committee as they have worked the budget since November. Perhaps Representative Bear should be more interested in helping the people of Wyoming recover from devastating wildfires than running his next campaign.”
In his letter, Gordon’s Chief of Staff Drew Perkins told Bear the governor’s budget recommendations were “within the requirements of the Constitution and applicable statutes.”
Perkins previously served as a lawmaker and chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Without naming names, Bear also accused former Appropriations Committee members, including “sitting lawmakers,” of not making the “deviation” known during the 2019 and 2024 legislative sessions.
Rep. Lloyd Larsen, R-Lander, who was an appropriations member in both 2019 and 2024, had words for the “new sheriff” à la “The Andy Griffith Show.”
“Just because Andy went to Mt. Pilot for the day and left Barney in charge, doesn’t necessarily mean that all his observations are accurate,” Larsen told WyoFile. “And he needs to be careful about the one bullet he is carrying in his pocket.”
Larsen said Bear’s accusations call into question “the honor” of past appropriations members, who always had frank conversations with the executive branch.
“Never was the governor trying to pull the wool over our eyes,” Larsen said.
It appears that Rep. Bare is admitting that he and the less freedom caucus weren’t doing their job as legislators in the past. The Governor’s Budget is sent to all legislators prior to the JAC beginning work on their budget bill. If the Governor violated state law and they didn’t not bring the issue up at that time, are they not quality of failing to meet their fiduciary responsibility to the citizens of Wyoming. Are they, at a minimum complicit in the violation of that law, or does their inaction rise to the level of malfeasance? Perhaps the Attorney General needs to investigate these legislators? A wise old man once told me that when you point your finger at someone else, you are pointing three more back at yourself.
Well, did the Appropriations Committee and Governor fail to follow the law or not? How about some facts rather than opinions and political posturing. That is what I expect from wyofile.
Mr Massman, as noted in the article; This law is about living within our means — something our governor has touted with each budget provided to the Legislature during his tenure,” Bear wrote. “Unfortunately, the governor has on more than one occasion recommended appropriations from the rainy-day fund well in excess of the 5% limit laid out in statute.”
His statement did not specify how the money was used………
It’s pretty hard to refute or confirm allegations when no specific details are supplied by the alleging party…….if you want details, ask Rep Bear. He’s the one who supposedly has all the information.
Bear is the new Sheriff in town? I think he meant “there’s a new Fuhrer in town”
Oh the UnFreedom Caucus, what force of nature brought these degenerates into being?
another showboatin” grandstandin’ display of idiocy from one of the NonFreedom Caucus clowns
As Appropriations chair when the bill was passed we would have gone to the governor to discuss it privately rather than issue a press release about first. That seems to be the new normal in Cheyenne, highlight your differences first before negotiating. Squander any good will or working relationship to get your name in the paper.
There is no such thing as “good will” with the freedumb caucus. It’s all performance politics
You go Rep Larsen, I absolutely luv’d the reference to Andy, Barney and Mayberry. I’d say that pretty much sums up my feelings about Rep Bear. However, it was kind of a disservice to the Andy Griffith show, which is good, clean, wholesome entertainment, as opposed to the theatrics that is typical of Rep Bear.
What’s wrong Bear? Are you mad that you don’t get more PPP loans, like others in your band of unfreedom caucus members.