Thread by @IAmNickReynolds

Want something wonky? The council that oversees the rules of the legislature is considering a bill to modify its membership makeup.

This would minimize the influence of Democrats on the committee, who represent a minuscule share of the Legislature.

wyoleg.gov/Legislation/20…

Side note, there's another bill that would expand allocations for more lawmakers to get reimbursed for work trips.

Rep. Sommers just successfully an amendment to ban reimbursements for trips to partisan events, like CPAC.

One voted against, but not sure who. Voice vote.

The entire thing failed to advance despite impassioned advocacy from Rep. Zwonitzer, who said he wanted this for opportunities to attend conferences for LGBTQ lawmakers as a means to connect with legislators from other states he can relate better with.

Now onto the membership bill.

"The membership should reflect what the body is," Laursen said.

Basically the minority party's share of the Mgmt Council membership would drop by one member in the House until they achieve a threshold of 30%. Senate could follow.

This has been a recurring issue over the years... I remember covering a bill like this before my first session.

Now that we have a libertarian in the mix, Sommers asks how we'll handle those guys.

Laursen said they're so few in number, not a big worry right now.

Rep. Pat Sweeney testifying. Said he remembered a meeting where the Senate walked out and, if senators of the minority party didn't back the House side, they could have lost their position.

Said he feels like a minority party now (as a Republican) and they need those voices.

"I fear we may be headed down a pathway where... Sometimes, moderate voices should be heard and valued, even if I'm not seen that way by the conservative majority."

Yin said he looked at the original legislative intent of Mgmt Council from the 1971 session law, when the body was founded. (Alongside LSO)

Said if we make a supermajority possible, you make it that the majority party can urge LSO to withhold resources from the minority party.

Connolly said the council was not set up like a committee for a reason, and that this bill has repeatedly failed because there's a recognition there is a strong minority voice in that group.

"I urge you to reject this. It's working."

Zwonitzer rejects that notion. Said that history has seen a minority member push for a change in the numbers just because she wanted to be on it, and that when it was founded, the body was much more bipartisan than it once was.

Bill advances. 9-3.

Nos: Connolly, Yin, Barlow.