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(OPINION) What a ‘nay’ vote on the special session means

Wyoming State Capitol (Lisa Hushbeck/Cap City News)

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Did you know that the Wyoming Legislature overwhelmingly passed a two-year 25% property tax cut to all Wyoming homeowners? 

The Legislature also passed a bill that would have eliminated dangerous gun free zones.

The body also forwarded a bill to regulate abortion mills in Wyoming, which currently operate with impunity. 

Legislators also approved a bill to push back against the Biden Administration’s 30×30 Plan, and another that would allow our Wyoming beef producers to sell directly to Wyoming consumers without big-state interference and intermeddling. 

Each of these measures was approved by the Wyoming Legislature with solid, veto-proof majorities. 

Gov. Mark Gordon, a self-proclaimed “Republican,” vetoed all of them. 

The Wyoming Legislature is constitutionally empowered with the ability to override vetoes — so why didn’t we? 

Legislative leaders adjourned early with three days left in the bank, allowing the governor to issue vetoes without the possibility for the Legislature to check and balance the flagrant swishes of his pen.  

The Wyoming Legislature is also constitutionally empowered with the ability to convene a targeted Special Legislative Session — so why didn’t we? 

Thirty-five members of the Wyoming House decided that it’s not worth it to reconvene — even virtually, for only four days — to complete the work of the people. 

These 35 representatives stood in the way of property tax relief — even though they supported it just one short month ago. 

They blocked your Second Amendment rights — even though they cast an “aye” vote to protect those rights on the House Floor. 

They gave a thumbs-up to the murder of innocent, preborn children — even though they proclaimed to stand for life in Cheyenne last month. 

They voted against convening a strategic, short, and targeted special session because they claimed it wasn’t urgent enough to deliver on the things they deemed worthy only when the governor’s veto pen waited at the other end of their feigned support. 

I urge the people of Wyoming to be discerning when election season kicks off. When your lawmaker knocks on your door and boasts of his vote to defend the Second Amendment, ask how he voted on the special session. 

When a slick flier lands in your mailbox proclaiming the pro-life bona fides of your rep, check to see what she did when presented with a real opportunity to stand strong for the preborn. 

A vote against the special session is a vote against property tax relief, against the Second Amendment, against protecting preborn babies, for Biden’s 30×30 land grab, and for an all-powerful governor who operates in the absence of checks and balances. 

The public Special Session vote tally may be found below. 

Representatives

  • Allemand: Aye
  • Allred: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Andrew: Aye
  • Angelos: Aye
  • Banks: Aye
  • Bear: Aye
  • Berger: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Brown: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Burkhart: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Byron: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Chadwick: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Chestek: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Clouston: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Conrad: Aye
  • Crago: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Davis: Aye
  • Eklund: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Haroldson: Aye
  • Harshman: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Heiner: Aye
  • Henderson: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Hornok: Aye
  • Jennings: Aye
  • Knapp: Aye
  • Larsen, Lloyd: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Larson, JT: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Lawley: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Locke: Aye
  • Neiman: Aye
  • Newsome: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Nicholas: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Niemiec: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Northrup: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Oakley: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Obermueller: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • O’Hearn: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Olsen: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Ottman: Aye
  • Pendergraft: Aye
  • Penn: Aye
  • Provenza: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Rodriguez-Williams: Aye
  • Sherwood: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Singh: Aye
  • Slagle: Aye
  • Smith: Aye
  • Sommers: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Stith: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Storer: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Strock: Aye
  • Styvar: Aye
  • Tarver: Aye
  • Truillo: Aye
  • Walters: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Ward; Aye
  • Washut: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Western: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Winter: Aye
  • Wylie: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Yin: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Zwonitzer, Dan: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Zwonitzer, Dave: Nay (or no ballot received) 

Senators

  • Anderson: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Baldwin: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Barlow: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Biteman: Aye
  • Boner: Aye
  • Bouchard: Aye
  • Brennan: Aye
  • Case: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Cooper: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Dockstader: Aye
  • Driskill: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Ellis: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • French: Aye
  • Furphy: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Gierau: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Hicks: Aye
  • Hutchings: Aye
  • Ide: Aye
  • Jones: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Kinskey: Aye
  • Kolb: Aye
  • Landen: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Laursen, Dan: Aye
  • McKeown: Aye
  • Nethercott: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Pappas: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Rothfuss: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Salazar: Aye
  • Schuler: Nay (or no ballot received) 
  • Scott: Aye
  • Steinmetz: Aye

Reps. Jeremy Haroldson (HD4), Chris Knapp (HD53), and Rachel Rodriguez-Williams (HD50)

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