Senate Rules Committee hearing a bill that would reduce Democrats' influence on Management Council, which sets rules for the Legislature.
Rep. Dan Laursen has sponsored this bill now four times in four years but has never gotten it out of the House. wyoleg.gov/Legislation/20…
Rep. Dan Laursen has sponsored this bill now four times in four years but has never gotten it out of the House. wyoleg.gov/Legislation/20…
Laursen told me before this meeting that Rep. Stan Blake was his main obstacle to passage in the past. But he's gone now.
Rep. Mike Yin has taken a historic angle to it -- noting the intent of Management Council was never partisan -- but that went nowhere. Passed 51-9.
Rep. Mike Yin has taken a historic angle to it -- noting the intent of Management Council was never partisan -- but that went nowhere. Passed 51-9.
Sen. Chris Rothfuss -- a Democrat -- questioning Laursen on what he hopes to accomplish with this bill.
"I don't know how to answer that," Laursen said.
"I don't know how to answer that," Laursen said.
"I just kind of wonder if those that are involved in the leadership might have a different opinion from what the members they're currently supposed to manage," he added.
Hicks suggests an amendment to make this retroactively effective to January '21, rather than January '23.
(They use the calendar year throughout the bill, so to make it effective immediately, they would need to implement it in January, rather than in July as-is custom.)
(They use the calendar year throughout the bill, so to make it effective immediately, they would need to implement it in January, rather than in July as-is custom.)
"The amendment is trying to axe three members before the end of this legislature, is that correct?" Rothfuss asks.
Hicks said it would be "presumptuous" that it would reduce minority influence on management council. They would still have to appoint members.
Hicks said it would be "presumptuous" that it would reduce minority influence on management council. They would still have to appoint members.
[But yeah, the subtext of what this hopes to accomplish still exists -- we have very few Democrats in the Legislature, and those Democrats have a disproportionate influence on the purportedly non-partisan Management Council.]
Hicks amendment passes 3-2.
Rothfuss now raising concerns about what happens should the GOP ever become the Legislature's minority party, and whether these rules should be designed for parity.
"This doesn't provide that," he said.
"This doesn't provide that," he said.
Notes that we already have a disproportionate representation in the state.
Democrats represent 25% of the vote but only 10% of all legislative seats, and that he'd seen no rush by the Legislature to address that problem.
Don't get rid of us "because we're pesky," he said.
Democrats represent 25% of the vote but only 10% of all legislative seats, and that he'd seen no rush by the Legislature to address that problem.
Don't get rid of us "because we're pesky," he said.
Rothfuss now bringing amendments to bring a conceptual reapportionment to the bill. That failed.
The bill failed at first, 3-2, because Driskill voted to swap votes with Rothfuss but that didn't happen. So they did a revote. Passes 3-2. Only Democrats voted against it.
The bill failed at first, 3-2, because Driskill voted to swap votes with Rothfuss but that didn't happen. So they did a revote. Passes 3-2. Only Democrats voted against it.
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