Despite cuts in many sectors of government programs, the Wyoming state budget is currently in the red. Even with fierce compromising and shifting of funds away from social welfare programs, the chambers’ amendments could overstretch revenue projections for this year; a fact that has some legislators feeling uncomfortable with the current budget.
House and Senate final debates will progress into the rest of this week to finalize the differences in the budgets.
The House and Senate concluded what is to be the majority of debates on the 2015-2016 state budget yesterday afternoon. Aspects of Governor Mead’s recommendations for the budget were taken into account, while others were cut for fear of creating a large deficit.
The House passed 63 budget amendments, and the Senate a total of 59. Sen. Eli Bebout, R-Riverton stated in a Wyo File article by Gregory Nickerson that what was spent was more than he felt comfortable with.
Some sectors of government funded programs fared better than others. A total of $10 million was approved for both the University of Wyoming and community colleges throughout the state via a Senate amendment.
On the House end, Joint Appropriations Committee co-chair Rep. Steve Harshman, R-Casper, significantly cut funding to certain programs by use of a budget balancing amendment. This amendment included a $5 million reduction in funds to Water Development Account III, and another $5 million reduction to state facilities construction.
Harshman was quoted in Dickerson’s Wyo File article denying that the lower deficit in the house budget would be used for leverage in the debates later this week.
“On the House side, we’re not that wily; we don’t even think like that,” Harshman said.
Harshman’s assurances against any sort of House ulterior motive in the budget cuts are difficult to take at face value. Budget debates are one of the most highly politicized and important aspect of public administration. The flow of money into certain programs displays the strengths and weaknesses of particular party factions in state legislature.
The failure of Senator Chris Rothfuss’, D-Laramie, Medicaid expansion bill, coupled with the approval of Governor Matt Mead’s request for $12 million in funds for a carbon capture research facility, appear evident of an ideological divide in state government.
While there was significant investment in facets of higher education in the state, much of the money may not go to a large percent of students. What most money will go to, and what the governor has already stated his intentions are with the university per his State of the State, is improving hard science sectors and engineering schools to push UW into that of a Tier-1 school.
