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October 10, 2003
Clarion Inn
Gillette, Wyoming
Representative Fred Parady, Chairman
Representative Randall Luthi, Secretary
Senator Irene Devin
Senator Keith Goodenough
Senator Rae Lynn Job
Senator Grant Larson
Senator Jayne Mockler
Senator John Schiffer
Representative Pete Anderson
Representative Tom Lockhart
Representative Wayne Reese
Representative Ann Robinson
Dan J. Pauli, Director; Mark Quiner, Assistant Director.
Others
See Attachment 2
Senator April Brimmer Kunz, Vice Chairman
All meeting materials and handouts provided to the Committee by the Legislative Service Office (LSO), public officials, lobbyists, and the public are referenced in the Meeting Materials Index, attached to the minutes. These materials are on file at the LSO and are part of the official record of the meeting.
Speaker Parady called the meeting to order at 10:20 a.m. The following sections summarize the Council proceedings by topic. Please refer to Attachment 1 to review the Council meeting agenda and meeting materials.
Minutes of the August 18 and 19, 2003, Management Council meeting were approved with a typographical correction to page 8 of the minutes (change "mast" to "last").
Mr. Pauli explained the Policies Handbook. He noted these were policies adopted by the Management Council during the past years but that each new Council had the opportunity to review and amend the policies as they deemed appropriate. The policies are mainly administrative in nature. The policies will be placed on the Legislative website and the handbook will be sent to all Council members.
Chairman Parady thanked Mr. Pauli for his work on the handbook. Representative Lockhart moved that the Council adopt the policies handbook. The motion passed.
Chairman Parady and Mr. Pauli explained the proposed policy governing the purchase of stationary and business cards for legislators. Under the proposed policy, each legislator would be provided with a complimentary set of personalized stationary and business cards during the General Session. Each legislator would then be provided an opportunity to order three additional complimentary sets of stationary and business cards during the biennium. Due to additional responsibilities, members of leadership would be authorized to order unlimited complimentary sets of stationary and business cards during the biennium. Legislators would also be provided an unlimited supply of postcards.
Chairman Parady related the cost of adopting the policy would increase the overall stationary cost from $13,500 to $22,500 per biennium. He indicated he supported the policy since it is important for legislators to stay in contact with their constituents.
Mr. Pauli distributed a sample of an optional note card that could be ordered for legislators with a personalized envelope. He indicated this would increase the stationary budget by approximately $500 per biennium.
Following discussion, Senator Larson moved the Council adopt the draft policy on stationary with the addition that each legislator would be provided one complimentary set of the new note cards. The motion passed.
Senator Mockler suggested LSO should provide legislators the option of foregoing some the standard information currently included on their stationary since some of the information (like committee assignments) becomes dated and makes the stationary obsolete when the information changes. Chairman Parady agreed and requested LSO to do this.
Mr. Quiner explained that the three previous topics assigned for research by LSO were completed and had been previously mailed to Council. The topics included University of Wyoming block grant, No Child Left Behind and Wyoming State Prison populations. Mr. Quiner also handed out a sampling of research products that will be available from LSO including an issue brief, research memo, a quick reference memo and tables and graphs.
As for the report on prison populations, Senator Schiffer related the law was changed regarding the eligible time period for transferring an inmate to an adult community corrections facility. As a result of 2003 legislation, an inmate may be transferred to an adult community corrections facility within 24 months of his parole eligibility (previously the time period was 9 months). The report will be corrected to reflect this change.
Following discussion, Representative Lockhart moved the 3 reports be accepted by the Council and made available to the other legislators and the five state elected officials. The reports should be initially mailed as hard copies with a memo explaining that future research reports, when released by the requestor, will be placed on the Intranet or otherwise made available. The motion passed.
Mr. Quiner also explained several proposed future research topics that have been requested by a number of legislators, including: an informational booklet explaining in general terms the MAP model; a flow chart of state revenue streams and sources of major state funds; and a quick reference guide explaining how to read the LSO goldenrod reports.
Following discussion, Senator Mockler moved the Council ask for research on the 3 suggested topics from LSO. The motion passed.
The Council then discussed other potential research topics.
Representative Luthi moved that further analysis be done on the fiscal consequences of the veto of 2003 House Bill 87 entitled "Natural gas valuation". The bill was sponsored by the Joint Revenue Interim Committee, passed both houses of the legislature, and then was vetoed by the Governor. The motion passed.
At the suggestion of Senator Goodenough and following Council discussion, Senator Larson moved that research be done on how tort reform has affected medical malpractice insurance rates in other states. The motion passed. Staff was directed to proceed with this research only if the Joint Judiciary Interim Committee is not already studying this topic. Senator Devin would also like the study to include background information on the constitutional provisions that relate to this topic.
Representative Luthi then suggested that staff contact the chairmen of the Revenue and Judiciary committees to let them know of the assignment of these research requests.
Chairman Parady reviewed additional budget requests from the following Committees: Education ($15,000); Revenue ($3,000); and Select Tribal Relations ($1,500). Mr. Pauli related that Management Council would also need an additional $15,000.
Following discussion, Senator Larson moved the Council approve all four budget requests. The motion passed.
Chairman Parady explained two proposed schedules for the upcoming 2004 legislative budget session: a 20 day schedule and a 22 day schedule.
Following discussion, Senator Larson moved the Council adopt the 22 day schedule, but noted that leadership would review the schedule early on during the session to determine if the workload would permit changing to a 20 day schedule. The motion passed.
Chairman Parady related that the Council has discussed the need for more office space for legislative staff in the Capitol building in the past, including appropriating money to begin relocating the Attorney General's Office to an alternative location.
Senator Schiffer stated that the Capitol Building Commission is attempting to have all state building issues coordinated through them. He will bring the matter up during the budget hearings conducted by the Joint Appropriations Interim Committee prior to the session.
Senator Devin expressed concern over procedural errors committed by agencies in the adoption of administrative rules as noted in two recent rule review reports. Mr. Pauli indicated the deficiencies were pointed out in the administrative rule reviews completed by LSO and will be related to the Governor for his action.
Rules approved by postcard ballot: Attachment 3 lists the Council's action on rules taken by mail ballot since the last meeting at which rules were considered.
Chairman Parady stated the next meeting of the Council will be in Rock Springs on December 15, 2003.
Adjournment:
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 12:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Representative Randall Luthi
Secretary