Archive for January, 2011
-
Capitol Outlook Goes to a 30-minute Format
This week Capitol Outlook goes to a 30-minute format for the next four weeks of the legislature. We will continue some of the features our viewers like – the coffee shop conversations with Chris Turner, the commentary at the end of the show – but
more -
A Healthy Constitution?
For those who think of Constitutions as fairly sacrosanct documents, left for us by forefathers whose wisdom we respect a bit more than our own, there may be some big challenges ahead. The Wyoming legislature could be asking voters to rewrite some s
more -
The Most Private Thing You Can Imagine
Every year at the legislature, you’ll see a number of what we obliquely call “social issues” come up – issues that have to do with personal behavior, and the government’s role in restricting, shaping, outlawing or condoning it. Gay marriag
more -
Come to the party but don’t try to leave
Did Gov. Matt Mead get elected because registered Democrats switched parties for the primary and voted for him – and then switched back? Sen. Kit Jennings (R-Casper) isn’t saying so, but he proposes that no one be allowed to change parties at the
more -
Two Bills and the Wind
Ah, what a relief. After days of listening to heated rhetoric on all sides about gay marriage and gun rights and the beloved U.S. Constitution and the despised federal government (aren't those two somehow related?), this morning a small group of legi
more -
A Question Not Asked
On this week’s Capitol Outlook the legislative panel was there to talk primarily about education, one of the busiest sectors of lawmaking in this year’s session. We didn’t even have time to discuss gay marriage bills, despite the presence of Re
more -
Guns, Gays and the Public School System
They picked a big hearing room on the third floor of the Capitol for a show-and-tell explanation of recalibration – the formula by which we pay for our public schools. This is about spending over a billion dollars of taxpayer money, so you might
more -
To seat or not to seat, is that the question?
Perhaps it was a foregone conclusion that Rep. Matt Greene (R-Laramie) would be seated as a freshman in the 61st legislature, despite a challenge suggesting he did not meet residency requirements to run in Laramie District 45: he’s a Republican
more -
First Bill
The first bill up on the floor of the House of Representatives in Wyoming’s 61st legislature was also the first bill to go down. Seemingly innocuous, HB 58 would give county commissioners the power to control “animals running at large.” We'd
more -
A Contentious, Ambitious, and Likely Bumpy Ride
Welcome back to the Capitol Outlook blog – and the beginning of Wyoming’s 61st legislature, which promises to be, if the first day or two is any indication, a contentious, ambitious, and likely bumpy ride. We’ve noted here before that the
more