A push by Wyoming’s far right to convene a special legislative session to override gubernatorial vetoes officially failed Sunday evening after lawmakers voted against returning to Cheyenne.
A special session required a simple majority vote in both chambers, but support came up short in the House with only 27 “aye” votes. The Senate, meanwhile, voted 16-15 in favor of reconvening.
The vote concludes a weeklong dispute kicked off by the Wyoming Freedom Caucus following Gov. Mark Gordon’s vetoes of several bills and line items in the budget. The hard-line group of Republicans took issue with the governor’s rejections of new abortion restrictions, a repeal of most gun-free zones and a property tax relief bill.
While Speaker of the House Albert Sommers (R-Pinedale) and Senate President Ogden Driskill (R-Devils Tower) were also vexed by Gordon’s vetoes — particularly his rejection of the property tax measure — they ultimately opposed a special session after initially waffling.
Lawmakers had until 5 p.m. Sunday to decide after leadership called for a vote Wednesday. About an hour after the deadline, Sommers alongside Reps. Barry Crago (R-Buffalo) and Clark Stith (R-Rock Springs), broke the news in an op-ed that the House had rejected the proposal.
“Although we did not get everything across the finish line, the sky is not falling,” Sommers, Stith and Crago wrote. “There is more work to be done and the next Legislature will convene in about eight months to continue the work.”
The official results were released by the Legislative Service Office around 7 p.m.
With the matter put to rest, the Legislature’s Management Council will proceed as scheduled Monday morning to sift through and set topics for committees to address in the off-season known as the interim.
Back and forth
Ahead of Sunday’s deadline, members and allies of the Freedom Caucus offered what they called a “gentleman’s agreement.”
“Contrary to the claims of leadership, we seek to hold a special session of the Wyoming Legislature to serve the people, not to engage in grandstanding,” they wrote in a Friday press release.
Because the Legislature had adjourned the budget session “sine die,” lawmakers would have needed to work within the normal confines during a special session. Meaning, the session would have involved more than just returning to Cheyenne to address Gordon’s vetoes. Bills the Freedom Caucus wanted to bring back would have needed to start at square one. And at least theoretically, new bills could have been introduced.
Several lawmakers opposed to the special session expressed concern there was nothing in place to limit the number of bills considered.
A rules suspension, however, would have allowed lawmakers to narrow their focus. The “gentleman’s agreement” offered to do just that. More specifically, signers said they would agree to concentrate on five bills vetoed by Gordon as well as a new bill to reinstate vetoed language related to diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of Wyoming.
“We commit to suspending the rules to allow for the rapid reintroduction and passage of the aforementioned bills in their original form, as they were when they originally left the Legislature,” the agreement stated. “This shall include: introducing bills directly to committee of the whole, advancing to second and third reading on the same day, and running bills as mirrors in each chamber.”
A rules suspension would require two-thirds in both chambers. Fewer than a third of members in each chamber signed the gentleman’s agreement offer.
Sommers and Driskill responded to the offer over the weekend in a letter to membership.
“Enforcing voting obligations through signatures undermines the autonomy of elected representatives and raises constitutional concerns,” leadership wrote. “Each member is duly elected and has a right to vote according to their conscience. Signing a pledge is abrogating our duties as a legislator and is completely unenforceable.”
While a speedier process could be more efficient, leadership wrote it would result in no public participation since it would cut out the one opportunity — committee hearings — voters have to weigh in on bills.
Leadership also raised the issue of trust. Acrimony was on display throughout the recently completed budget session, which started with a leadership battle in the Senate and ended with a budget that barely received enough votes to pass.
“We do not have the trust built in these chambers to create any kind of ‘gentleman’s agreement,’” leadership wrote.
“Ultimately, we are legislators, and we are going to legislate in a special session,” they wrote. “Frankly, that is who we are, and to suggest differently is either naïve or disingenuous.”
Reactions and what’s next
While the special session is officially off the table, it’s likely to show up in campaign materials in the upcoming election.
“Just like Liz Cheney, these legislators have turned their backs on the people of Wyoming,” the Freedom Caucus wrote on its Facebook page after the results were announced.
“I am proud of the Wyoming Senate for voting in favor of a special session,” Sen. Cheri Steinmetz (R-Lingle), who had formally called for a special session, wrote on her Facebook. “It is unfortunate for the citizens of Wyoming that there will be no special session due to the House vote. From the beginning, the presiding officers have tried to sabotage this effort.”
Meanwhile, others like Rep. Mike Yin (D-Jackson) called the weeklong dispute a waste of time.
“The extremists in the Legislature should stop with the performative nonsense that just hurts the state of Wyoming and each of our communities,” Yin said in a statement.
The interim is officially underway and legislative committees will hold meetings across the state now until the start of the 2025 general session.
Thanks to Maggie Mullen for her legislative coverage this spring. I’ve finally found someone who does it right.
This doesn’t seem fair for the majority as these bills Gordon vetoed passed with overwhelmingly support but because he’s king today he decides what goes. Doesn’t seem fair that the minority win the day.
Maybe your buddies in the “freedom” caucus should spend more time studying the legislative process and less time on their culture war rants
Maybe you should spend more time trying to understand the frustrations voters are feeling right now just trying to get some sort of legislative representation that is a compromise.
glad some brains and reason stepped up in the face of these “know nothing” right wing nutjobs enough is enough
Once again, the Freedom Caucus throws out that (inaccurate) statement that the people of Wyoming have not been heard and their will not acknowledged. Which Wyoming people? What will? Bear and Steinmetz assume too much when they infer they know the will of the people. Most conservative Wyomingites are not extremists. They believe the FC made a mockery of the legislative process in the last session. It was a wise decision to not give them another opportunity to demonstrate their antics in a special session. The FC has amply demonstrated they can’t be trusted. “Gentleman’s Agreement” and the Freedom Caucus is an oxymoron.
Well said
I wonder how much quiet dark money is coming out of Teton County to finance the anti-tax Taliban around the state.
This is still the Cowboy State after all. The timing of all the decisions that are made by Wyoming’s citizen legislature always are and always will be governed by the the Bovine Gestational Cycle. It is calving season now and nothing more. BGC trumps ESG every time……the nonsense will resume…..sorry to spoil the delusion.
We can remove many of these out of state interference bills by not reelecting the caucus members. It is fine to be a conservative state but to be controlled by out of state groups who know nothing about our culture, our history, our values, and our independence is wrong. Vote for Wyoming not control.
Agree!
Well done House Members. Remember the days when the Senate was the more deliberative body and the voice of reason? Seems like the Beltway mentality has taken the Senate over. Sad days for Wyoming.
It is important for us all to understand that the Wyoming “Freedom Caucus” is neither local nor homegrown. It is imported from the State Freedom Caucus Network, whose website states its plan: “Building on the success of the House Freedom Caucus (HFC), the SFCN will help establish State Freedom Caucuses (SFC) and provide the high-level staff, strategy, and community conservatives need to take ground across the country.”
Former real estate agent and Trump Chief of Staff insurrection enabler Mark Meadows offers this quote on the website: “The reason I helped launch the House Freedom Caucus in the U.S. Congress is because I knew it would be a game-changer in advance of limited government and conservative values. And it was. Now it’s time to take it to the states and the State Freedom Caucus Network is going to help make it happen.”
The system works and will continue to work – special interests not withstanding! Wiser heads have prevailed – keep up the good work!
And with that, the 2024 Budget Session goes out with a whimper