Wyoming Legislature

Committee Meeting Summary of Proceedings

Management Council

 

Council Meeting Information

November 19, 2004

UW Outreach Center, Room 150

Casper, Wyoming

 

Council Members Present

Representative Fred Parady, Chairman

Senator April Brimmer Kunz, Vice Chairman

Senator Irene Devin

Senator Keith Goodenough

Senator Rae Lynn Job

Senator Grant Larson

Senator John Schiffer

Representative Rodney “Pete” Anderson

Representative Tom Lockhart

Representative Randall Luthi

Representative Wayne Reese

Representative Ann Robinson

 

Council Members Absent

Senator Jayne Mockler

 

Legislative Service Office Staff

Dan J. Pauli, Director

Mark Quiner, Assistant Director

Wendy K. Madsen, Legislative Information Officer

 

Others Present at Meeting

Please refer to Appendix 1 to review the Council Sign-in Sheet
for a list of other individuals who attended the meeting.

Call To Order

Chairman Parady called the meeting to order at 3:10pm.  The following sections summarize the Council proceedings by topic.  Please refer to Appendix 2 to review the Council Meeting Agenda.

 

Approval of Minutes

Minutes from the September 7, 2004 Council meeting were approved without any changes. 

 

Recommendations of the Select Committee on Elected Officials’ Administrative Issues

Chairman Parady requested that consideration of this issue be deferred to the next Council meeting, tentatively scheduled for the week of December 6, 2004.

 

Session Schedule

The Council discussed a tentative schedule for the 2005 General Session.  Mr. Pauli presented the Council with a draft schedule for the Council’s review.  Representative Luthi moved to adopt a 37-day schedule, reserving three extra days for the 2006 Budget Session.  Under this schedule, the session is tentatively slated to adjourn on Thursday, March 3, 2005.  The motion passed unanimously. 

 

New Legislator School Agenda

Ms. Madsen updated Council members on the status of planning for New Legislator Orientation for newly elected members of the Legislature.  She reported that Senator Larson, Senator Schiffer, Senator Mockler, Senator Job, Representative Parady, Representative Luthi, and Representative Reese will serve as legislative faculty for the training sessions.  She noted that the faculty approved the agenda for the sessions, which will be held on December 9th through the 11th and January 7th and 8th.  The Council reviewed the orientation agenda and took no further action. 

 

Legislative Space in the Capitol

Mr. Pauli provided the Council with an update on the meeting of the Joint Legislative-Executive Task Force on Capitol Facilities meeting held on October 27, 2004.  He explained the plan the Task Force members agreed to for division of the basement space in the Capitol, once vacated by the Attorney General’s Office.  He explained that the Secretary of State’s Office and the Auditor’s Office will move into the West end of the basement, while LSO and the Treasurer’s Office will occupy the East end of the basement.  He provided a proposed occupancy plan for LSO staff, noting that the Program Evaluation Section, Research staff, and Information Technology Section will all move to the basement.  He noted that the Attorney General’s Office anticipates vacating this space no later than the end of December. 

 

Now that the basement space has been divided, Mr. Pauli also explained that the Task Force will begin to address longer-term solutions to space problems identified in the Capitol, including the potential for removing existing committee room walls to create more suitably sized committee rooms.  He also noted that the Task Force discussed the possibility of a new executive office building, which would allow the legislative branch to occupy additional portions of the Capitol.  Mr. Pauli requested authorization to use flex authority to fund the move to the basement, which will include moving computer equipment and purchasing furniture.  Senator Larson moved to authorize the LSO to begin moving into the basement as soon as the authorized space is vacated and to spend up to $15,000 of the legislative appropriation to fund expenditures associated with the move.  The motion passed unanimously. 

 

Senator Larson notified the Council that the Task Force will plan a brief meeting on December 8, 2004 to begin to discuss longer term facility goals and use of committee rooms for the upcoming session. 

Appreciating Democracy Pilot Project

Ms. Madsen explained to the Council that Wyoming has been invited to participate in a new Alliance for Representative Democracy pilot project titled “Appreciating Legislatures” to distribute lesson plans to civic educators in Wyoming.  Senator Job moved to participate in the pilot project.  The motion carried unanimously.

 

Other Business

 

Select Water Committee Budget Request

The Council considered a request from the Select Water Committee to complete its interim studies.  Representative Anderson noted that the Committee will meet to consider proposed legislation for water funding on December 16th and 17th.  Senator Schiffer moved to authorize an additional $5,500 to the Water Committee to complete its interim work.  The motion carried unanimously. 

 

Judiciary Committee Budget Request

The Joint Judiciary Committee requested an additional $3,000 to complete its interim work, due to the volume of work assigned to the Committee.  Senator Schiffer moved to authorize an additional $3,000 to the Joint Judiciary Committee to complete its interim work.  The motion carried unanimously. 

 

Recommendation from the Joint Revenue Interim Committee

Mr. Pauli advised the Council that the Joint Revenue Committee went over its budget by $2,500 and would like authorization for this amount from the Council.  Representative Anderson noted that the issue of intangible property was a difficult topic and required more time of the Committee.  Representative Lockhart moved to authorize the increase.  The motion passed unanimously. 

 

Select Committee on Technology

Mr. Pauli explained a change in the current laptop computer policy recommended by the Select Committee on Technology.  The current policy states that only laptop computers that are being turned over under the existing policy can be purchased by legislators.  A number of legislators who are not returning to the body would like permission to purchase their machines.  He explained that the Technology Committee recommends allowing non-returning legislators to purchase their computers, regardless of age and to sell these computers to the legislators at their fair market value.  He noted that the change in policy does not affect the costs to purchase additional machines, but it does change the schedule of replacing one-third of all laptop computers each year.  He also noted that the Committee recommended that legislators be charged a prorated portion of the Microsoft Office software loaded on the machine.  Representative Luthi moved to adopt the Select Committee on Technology’s proposal to allow non-returning legislators to purchase their laptops at fair market value.  The motion carried unanimously. 

 

Revenue Committee Recommendation Econometric Model

Mr. Quiner explained that the Joint Revenue Committee met to review the mineral tax incentive econometric model.  At its November 4, 2004 meeting, the Committee voted to recommend that no further funding be devoted to updating the model, since it is currently not being used.  The Council members discussed whether or not to continue funding the model and its advantages and disadvantages.  Chairman Parady recommended that the Council finalize their thoughts on this issue at the next meeting. 

 

Legislative Business Cards

Mr. Pauli explained that a request was made by a member to increase the number of business cards provided to legislators under the existing stationery policy from 250 cards to 500.  He noted that doubling the number of cards only increases the cost by approximately $3 per order.  Representative Luthi moved to allow individual legislators the discretion to order 250 or 500 cards, depending on how many they use.  The motion carried.

 

New Members and Interim Committee Meetings

Representative Luthi noted that the committee assignments will be made for new members and that several interim committee meetings will be held in December.  He requested that Mr. Pauli clarify whether new members could attend those meetings as observers and whether compensation would be available if new members attended.  Mr. Pauli explained new members cannot be compensated for attending committee meetings until they are sworn in as members of the Legislature.  New members are allowed to attend meetings of the committee to which they will be assigned between now and January, but they will not be reimbursed for their attendance.  He clarified that new chairmen are allowed to attend upcoming interim committee meetings of which they will chair in the future and will be reimbursed. 

 

Meeting Adjournment

Chairman Parady stated that the next meeting will be held the week of December 6th in Cheyenne.  There being no further business, Chairman Parady adjourned the meeting at 3:40.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

Representative Randall Luthi, Secretary

 

 

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