(lively music) - [Staff] Legislature general session.

Please come to work.

- Welcome to a special edition of "Capital Outlook" here on Wyoming PBS.

I'm Steve Peck, the senior producer for public affairs.

We're here at the Wyoming Capital Building in Cheyenne, where Governor Mark Gordon is about to deliver his annual state of the state address.

This is a joint session of the Wyoming House and Wyoming Senate convening together.

It's unusual in that the House and Senate are convening at the same time in the same room with the same chair and operating under the same rules.

That rarely happens, and this is one of the only times it happens annually.

Usually, the only time because we're trying to get the lawmakers together so that the governor can deliver his State of the State Address to all of them simultaneously.

They'll be gathering in the Wyoming House chamber for a very simple and utilitarian reason.

It's the only room big enough to accommodate the crowd.

Wyoming has nearly 100 legislators now, 62 house members, 31 Senate members, and the House chamber is much larger than the Senate chamber, so it's crowded, but we can squeeze in the 31 Senators and the 92 or the 62 house members along with staff, interns, etc.

all in the same room.

On screen now to the left is Senator Bo Biteman.

He's the president of the Wyoming Senate and he's actually the presiding officer during this special session of the joint session of the legislature.

To the right is the new Wyoming Speaker of the House, Chip Neiman of Hulett.

Senator Biteman is from the small town of Rochester, so two small town legislators in the top leadership positions.

It would be Senator Biteman's honor to introduce Governor Gordon in a few minutes.

Prior to the speech itself, there'll be a procession of several dignitaries and other floor guests who will be introduced by the sergeant at arms.

We'll hear his voice as the remaining four statewide elected officials are introduced.

That's the secretary of state, the state treasurer, the state auditor, the state superintendent of public instruction.

And we'll also see a procession of the five members of the Wyoming Supreme Court be introduced as well by the sergeant of arms.

His name is Rick Kessler by the way, and he's in his eighth year now ninth year starting today doing his sergeant of arms duty.

The governor typically speaks for at least 30 minutes and sometimes as long as an hour it's his prerogative.

He'll be spending much of the speech, especially at the beginning, introducing some honored guests who are here at his invitation.

They tend to be seated in the upper galleries of the house chamber.

There is some spectator seating, in fact, from this shot.

You can see the door there in the lower center of the chamber.

These ante rooms permit some floor level spectator seating, particularly for guests who might be stepping out onto the floor.

Primarily, the spectator seating is at a mezzanine level above the floor whenever the House or Senate are in session, spectators can gather free of charge and watch from all four sides of the building.

Again, the spectator seating in the house chamber is considerably larger than it is in the Senate.

Both rooms are cramped these days.

There's been a redesign of the desks, so here's the- - The joint session will now come to order.

All rise.

- [Announcer] Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to announce the following guests.

Standing in for the Honorable Justice Robert Jarosh is the Honorable Steven Sharpe, judge of Wyoming District Court Judicial District Number One, escorted by Senator Olson and Representatives Geringer and Wasserburger.

(audience applauding) - [Steve] An interesting point here as a standing for Senator Justice Jarosh, Representative Geringer and Wasserburger, both fresh- - Honorable John G. Fenn, Justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court, escorted by Senator Crago and Representatives Pendergraft and Bratten.

- [Steve] One more note on Representative Geringer who's the son of former Governor Jim Geringer who was here yesterday.

John Fenn, one of the justices of the Supreme Court, accompanied by Senator Barry Crago of Buffalo.

- [Announcer] The Honorable Kari Jo Gray, justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court, escorted by Senator Boner and Representatives Strock and Scott Smith.

(audience applauding) - [Steve] Kari Jo Gray, one of majority free women on the Wyoming Supreme Court.

Senator Brian Boner of Douglas reps, Tomi Strock of Douglas and Scott Smith.

- [Announcer] Standing in for the Honorable Justice Lynne Boomgaarden is the Honorable Dawnessa Snyder, judge of the Wyoming District Court Judicial District Number Two, escorted by Senator Darin Smith and Representatives Nicholas and Johnson.

(audience applauding) - [Staff] Justice Boomgaarden was here yesterday for open ceremonies.

She has a stand-in today.

Senator Darin Smith is Cheyenne representatives, Bob Nicholas of Cheyenne- - [Announcer] The Honorable Megan Degenfelder, state superintendent of public instruction.

Escorted by Senator Schuler and Representatives Jarvis and Lien.

- [Steve] Superintendent Degenfelder in the middle of her first term, accompanied by Senator Wendy Schuler, Evanston, Reps Julie Jarvis and Jayme Lien, both of Casper.

- [Announcer] The Honorable Curt Meier, state treasurer, escorted by Senator Steinmetz and Representatives Williams and Jeremy Haroldson.

(audience applauding) - [Steve] Curt Meier in the midst of his second term of state treasurer, a former legislator himself.

J.D.

Williams of Lusk, Jeremy Haroldson of Wheatland and Cheri Steinmetz of- - [Announcer] The Honorable Kristi Racines, state auditor, escorted by Senator Case and Representatives Ottman and Guggenmos.

- [Steve] Kristi Racines in her second turn as auditor.

Fremont County delegation accompanying her, Cale Case of Lander, Pepper Ottman and Joel Guggenmos of Riverton.

Guggenmos is a freshman.

- [Announcer] The Honorable Chuck Gray, Secretary of State, escorted by Senator Crum and Representatives Locke and Riggins.

(audience applauding) - [Steve] Chuck Gray, secretary of state.

He performed some opening ceremonies yesterday as the House convened for the first time.

- [Announcer] The Honorable Kate M. Fox, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Wyoming, escorted by Senator Nethercott and Representatives Winter and Posey.

(audience applauding) - [Steve] Kate Fox.

She's continuing this year's chief justice.

She'll be given the State of the Judiciary Address immediately following the governor's address.

Senator Ivan Posey of Cheyenne, John Winter of Thermopolis.

and Ivan Posey of Fort- - [Announcer] the First Lady of Jen, excuse me, the First Lady of Wyoming, Jennie Gordon and his Excellency, the governor of the State of Wyoming, Mark Gordon, escorted by Senator Salazar and Representatives Heiner and Yin.

(audience cheering and applauding) - [Steve] Governor Mark Gordon.

First Lady Jennie Gordon entering together.

Sometimes, they enter separately.

This year, they enter together.

It's quite an honor to be chosen to escort them.

The governor will greets the lawmakers as he makes his way up the aisle.

Scott Heiner of Green River and Mike Yin, Democrat of Jackson accompanying him along with Senator Tim Salazar, Republican from Riverton.

He's the number three person in the Senate leadership this year.

(audience applauding) Mr.

Governor Gordon, he's in the third year of his second term.

Now 67 years old, he'll mark his 68th birthday in March the week after the session concludes.

We also serve as state treasurer of Wyoming for a full term after being appointed to fill a vacancy.

First elected governor.

- I would like to invite Pastor Matt Tremain from the Dayton Community Church to please give the invocation.

Please remain standing for the invocation.

- Father, we do rejoice this morning for this is the day that you have made and we will rejoice in it.

We rejoice this morning for your mercies are new every morning.

As the sun rises, we are reminded constantly of your mercy for your creation.

We see your mercy displayed and your son on the cross.

He laid his life down for those who would believe in him.

And so Lord, because of that great love that you have for us, guide us today that we would not walk in our own understanding, but we would walk by acknowledging who you are and the truth of your word.

So Lord, guide us, direct us with discernment and wisdom because of your son Jesus and it's in his name, we pray.

Amen.

- Members of the 68th legislature, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I present his Excellency, the governor of the great state of Wyoming, Mark Gordon.

(audience cheering and applauding) - Good morning.

Good to see you.

(audience applauding) What a day.

What a day.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, pastor, for that wonderful, wonderful opening prayer.

Mr. President, Speaker Neiman, members of the 68th legislature, congratulations on this opportunity to serve the people of this great state.

What an honor it is to take that oath.

This is a great day as we heard and we should rejoice in it.

I appreciated the seriousness and spirituality of yesterday's opening remarks from each of the chambers.

And the First Lady and I thank you for the invitation to join you here today.

You know, whenever I come into this chamber I'm drawn and I marvel at the murals we see on these walls.

They serve as reminders of the singular history forged by those who placed hope in Wyoming and trust in those who served in this building.

Nationally, Wyoming is recognized as a leader and a problem solver.

One recent story highlighted the amazing work, the Wyoming Hunger Initiative.

That's the effort of so many volunteers spearheaded my First Lady Gordon, First Lady Jennie Gordon.

(laughs) (audience cheering and applauding) You know the Hunger Initiative has catalyzed good folks across this state to grow a little more in their garden purchase and process 4H and FFA livestock at local fairs and rodeos, donate livestock.

And what impressed that particular reporter was that it provided an opportunity for hunters to donate a little bit of their harvest to help out a fellow man.

Our first lady is Wyoming through and through.

She's not only taking care of neighbors and kids, but she hunts ranches, runs a business and loves her family.

And I thank you, Jennie, for all you do for us here in Wyoming.

Thank you.

(audience applauding) Yet another national story noted the success of Wyoming's Freedom Caucus candidates, others pointed out our leadership and energy, natural resource management, finance and digital assets.

All of these stories highlighted Wyoming's pioneering, persevering and can-do spirit and there's good news in how we govern.

Wyoming has the third lowest tax burden in the country according to virtualcapitalist.com.

It's nice to know we're being recognized nationally for having the same spirit we see on these walls and in this room.

That spirit is fired by those that serve in public positions and those that step up in their jobs and as volunteers, some of them are here today.

Let me begin by acknowledging Secretary of State Gray, Auditor Racines, Treasurer Meier and Superintendent Degenfelder.

The commitment each of you has shown to our state and its people is truly extraordinary.

And together, at times with spirited conversation, we've worked to serve the people and we've done it well as the Constitution envisioned the executive branch would.

I'm sorry that Justice Boomgaarden is not here with us today, but Justice Gray, Justice Fenn and Justice Jarosh who's here for the first time for his opening of the legislature, I wanna thank you for your resolute service on behalf of the citizens of this state.

I do wanna take a moment to say what an honor it's been to serve with you, Chief Justice Kate Fox.

Clearly, Chief, you will leave a singular mark on the history of Wyoming when you retire this spring.

I thank you for your service.

(audience applauding) The Chief Justice and I often have a competition about who can be shortest and their remarks, she always wins.

I still owe you dinners.

That was not the only way to get that.

But I'm also privileged to recognize Chairman Wayland Large of the Eastern Shoshone tribe and Chairman Keenan Groesbeck.

Would you please rise?

There they are.

(audience cheering and applauding) These are friends, fellow citizens of this great state and leaders of their sovereign nations and together, the tribes in Wyoming have accomplished an enormous amount over the past few years through honest and open dialogue.

I thank you for your partnership and I look forward to continued good work as we continue to build this great state.

I'm also pleased to say that Wyoming has stepped up and played a role in helping to enforce our country's southern border.

Once again, this past year, Wyoming sent law enforcement personnel to Texas to help secure that border.

Trooper Logan Kelly and a contingent of our highway patrol traveled to Eagle Pass Texas to give overwork Texas Rangers a break and to learn a little bit more about what goes on there.

Texas returned the favor sending folks to Natrona County in June as part of a clinic that Sheriff Harlan organized to brief Wyoming law enforcement on what we need to do in our heartland.

Just last Thursday, Governor Abbott thanked me for the commitment of Wyoming people that they have shown in securing our borders and he wanted me to convey that thank you to you.

Please, members, let's let Trooper Kelly and all those who have stood watched to protect our borders know how much we appreciate them.

(audience applauding) You know, Wyoming people also thank those who step forward as the sword and the shield of this great state.

Members of our national guard are warriors and their guardians.

Today, more than 500 of our soldiers, airmen and women are deployed in the Middle East and South America protecting our freedoms.

Others will soon be traveling for the inauguration to help secure it in Washington D.C. And at this very moment, Wyoming Air Guard members are flying critical missions in California fighting the devastating wildfires there, just as firefighters from California have helped us in the past.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Southern California and I hope that you hold all of our guard troops and their families in your prayers and your thoughts.

They are truly exceptional and they are essential to our country's security and our safety.

We thank their families and hold them in their hearts.

And if you know a family of deployed member of the National Guard, be generous and appreciative.

It's not an easy time.

Remember, they're away from home for a long time.

Major General Porter is here today and I ask you to join me in letting him and the guard know how firmly Wyoming stands behind them.

Major General, would you please stand?

Thank you.

(audience cheering and applauding) Beyond those serving actively, Wyoming appreciates everyone who has served and we won't forget our missing in action or our prisoners of war.

We pray every day that they may come home.

Service is hard and it can leave scars.

Injury doesn't always come from an enemy combatant.

Wounds can include long lasting physical, emotional, or psychological impacts.

Far too many of our best struggle to the point of breaking.

Sadly, too many veterans and others in Wyoming are still grappling with suicidal thoughts.

I'm proud to say we continue to rise to the challenge.

All across Wyoming, we're incorporating a variety of approaches from assisting churches in their valuable work in community mental health centers to providing training and motivation to peers.

The Wyoming way is to offer help when we see a neighbor struggling.

Wyoming is a place and should be a place of hope, one where people come together to make a difference.

One veteran who is stepping forward to serve his fellow comrades in arms is George DeBono II.

He's one of the peer coaches for veterans talking to veterans, a support program, now in more than a dozen Wyoming communities.

George and his fellow coaches provide a trained and understanding year one that understands and shares the experience of combat and the military.

George's leadership and support of our local veterans is a reminder that together, if we care, we can make a positive difference in the life of another.

George, thank you and your peers who remain dedicated to selfless but important work in our veterans community.

Please rise so that we may recognize you.

(audience applauding) We owe you and so many more veterans more than a simple stand and be recognized.

President John F. Kennedy once said, "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not uttering words but living by them."

Today, I have the distinct honor and constitutional obligation to address the 68th legislature at the commencement of the general session.

And I'm proud to report that Wyoming remains strong and vibrant.

There are concerns to be sure, but our future is very bright.

Our fellow citizens made decisions last summer and fall nationally and here in Wyoming.

Many of you here today are new to this legislature, but all of you are passionate in your desire to serve.

All of us in this room stand on the shoulders of those who've served before us.

They built this great state.

And I congratulate you on your election and wish you godspeed.

We do have a lot to do and I have no doubt that the people in this room can get it done.

We are here to uphold the Wyoming constitution to protect our way of life and we have serious responsibilities that require us to work together to serve those who entrusted us with our positions and we are all part of something much bigger than ourselves.

From generation to generation, Wyoming has grown and continues to thrive because of our conservative values and common sense decision making.

We've always been able to adapt to breakthroughs, meet challenges, and build a future by assuring our government is accountable, efficient, and responsible.

We're accountable to the people, not just for what we authorize to be spent but for the decisions we make and how we make them.

Our constituents expect an efficient government that gets value for the dollar.

One that allows them to keep as much of their hard earned money as is reasonably possible.

They don't want cheap shortsighted budgets that look good on paper but may hurt them in their daily lives or cause their kids to have to leave.

Wyoming people want sensible government that chooses right over wrong, that the right thing over the easy thing.

In Wyoming, we've been doing all of that and we must continue to do so.

Our lean and effective government has smoothed the way through some incredibly tumultuous times.

Now, there was a lot of rhetoric during the election about how big and expensive our government has become.

Well, here's one fundamental fact.

Today there are 300 fewer Wyoming State employees than when I took office.

And this, despite a workload that was dumped on us by a Biden administration with its programs and inflationary policies.

My friends, you have a solid, balanced and well-constructed supplemental budget to consider.

It recommends only essential ongoing or unexpected expenses, mostly driven by inflation.

I'll agree that there are one-time expenses as well.

Remembering last summer, who doesn't want the capacity to fight fire in the coming year?

Or to provide the tools necessary to help restore burned lands?

You know the numbers are staggering.

More than 2,000 fires, over 850,000 acres of burned land.

Most of that private or state.

Wyoming remains strong and vibrant because of our core values.

We appreciate our neighbors and we know we can count on each other when we need to.

We understand that a divided government does not mean undivided people.

During our four years of aggressive efforts from the Biden administration to impede the progress of our core energy industries, Wyoming has held her own.

We fought overreaching policy, radical programs and wrongheaded initiatives.

Our coal, oil, gas, trona, bentonite and other mining industries have weathered the worst and we are now poised to rebound.

Wyoming produces 12 times more energy than we use and out-of-state consumers want more.

Our all of the above energy policy is essential to our economy and it is good for owners of private property.

Let's not screw up a good thing.

Last week in Florida, I visited with President-elect about getting our country back on track.

He supports what Wyoming is doing.

It will take time to unring the Biden Bell to be sure, but one thing is sure we're moving from an administration that demonized and obstructed fossil fuels to one that recognizes them as essential to our way of life, economy, and national defense.

The President told me, "Anything you need, Mark."

Now that's something we have not heard for four years.

And I told the president, "Mr. President, Wyoming stands ready to drill to mine, to shovel, and to get this country back on track."

(audience applauding) There's more to Wyoming than just energy.

We haven't slowed our pressing task of diversifying our economy.

It's our best way to address an endless cycle of boom and bust.

From advanced manufacturing to new industries like nuclear energy and financial technology, Wyoming is making impressive strides.

We do it as we have governed.

We're conservative.

We work to get out of the way of the private sector.

We respect and protect private property rights and we rely on common sense to meet the needs of the people of this state.

These may be your most important reasons to be here.

In the last four years, AG Hill and her office have challenged the Biden Administration's refusal to hold oil and gas lease sales.

The freezing of natural gas exports, the stalling of the Converse County oil and gas project, that absurd modus rule.

In addition, right now, all major EPA rules designed to shut down coal fired plants are being litigated.

Now is the time to finish those efforts and then stand ready to defend new Wyoming more friendly policies.

To do so, I've asked for your favorable consideration of the addition of two attorneys to her qualified staff and to extend and expand the coal litigation fund set up in a prior legislature, specifically making it a natural resources litigation fund and providing it with 3.5 million at its disposal.

Meanwhile, I'll continue.

There are concerted effort to identify appropriate federal lands and minerals for sale or exchange so that Wyoming may own them.

Last month, the office of State Lands completed a letter of intent with the Wyoming office of the Bureau of Land Management, formalizing a process for identification of potential federal lands and minerals to be acquired by Wyoming.

I wanna thank Superintendent Degenfelder, Auditor Racines, and Interim Director Jason Crowder for undertaking much of that initial work.

And on this note, I wanna remind every sportsman here that Auditor Racines, Superintendent Degenfelder, Treasurer Meier and I are all avid sportsman.

We all understand how precious access is to our public lands and rest assured, state lands can also provide access for hunting and outdoor opportunities.

(audience applauding) Wyoming is the last of the old west and people from all over the world come to Wyoming to see it.

They're delighted when they learn Yellowstone is mostly in Wyoming and they love being in the cowboy state.

Their dollars flow into our state making tourism our second most important revenue generating sector and our largest employer by far.

It's also an industry hoping to keep our young people here.

Tourism is on the rise in Wyoming and these dollars help defray the costs we might otherwise have to bear as Wyoming citizens.

The industry has been invaluable as an offset during lean times.

The Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic analysis found that outdoor recreation contributed 2.2 billion to Wyoming's economy in 2023, placing our state fifth nationally in this sector.

It's an invisible economy which provides jobs statewide and diversifies revenue streams.

The steps we take to keep Wyoming a destination state have and will continue to pay us back.

We can't afford to neglect or to vandalize this fundamental and historic leg of our economic security.

Our way of life, our economy and our safety depends on infrastructure.

Roads sometime fail unexpectedly and such was the case in the early hours of June 8th.

Wyoming Department of Transportation had been monitoring a crack on Highway 22 for a few days when it turned into a massive landslide on Teton Pass.

The cascading collapse left this vital roadway impassable cutting off Jackson's workforce from the community.

It was a national news story, prompt action to address this situation was essential.

And here in Wyoming, that's what happened.

As soon as I heard about it, I called Darin Westby, the director of WYDOT, to get his ideas for our options.

And he said, "You know, our guys are already on it and they're pretty sure we can get it fixed in a couple of weeks."

And they did.

Much to the astonishment and possibly disappointment of the national disaster press.

Wyoming gets things done.

(audience applauding) Bob Hammond and the folks at WYDOT joined contractors in our Idaho DOT neighbors to attack the damage section from the east and from the west.

Amazingly, they constructed the temporary detour in just a couple of days and it took maybe a few more to get a more lasting one done in a couple of weeks.

Darin and Bob are examples of the outstanding leaders we have in our state agencies.

And I asked WYDOT supervisor Bob Hammond to be here today.

He and his whole team showed America that Western ingenuity is the best when you want to get something accomplished and if everyone just gets out of our way.

Bob, could you stand?

(audience applauding) Oh, thank you.

(audience applauding) Infrastructure can serve our state for decades, even a century, but it doesn't last forever.

It's no surprise then that its planning, repair, and construction can take years.

Ignoring warning signs is costly and can be deadly as we've seen play out in other states and even here in Wyoming.

My first year in office was punctuated by the unexpected and catastrophic failure of aging irrigation infrastructure.

Tunnel number two of the Goshen Gering-Fort Laramie Canal collapsed cutting off much needed water to hundreds of thousands of acres of productive farmland and threatening the livelihoods of Wyoming families.

It's a lesson we need not repeat given the warning signs with lapel dam.

This 116-year-old structure is critical to the livelihoods of numerous families, just as the Goshen Canal was.

Inspection and analysis have shown that the dam is vulnerable to failure, particularly during spring runoff, an excessive one.

And potentially catastrophic to all those downstream.

We know the dam needs more than a temporary fix, but the cost and the potential interruption in doing so are massively consequential.

It needs to be replaced, but for how much and for how long?

These are burning questions.

I'm an irrigator myself and I have served on boards of two dam companies that have faced similar difficult decisions but none as significant as the one facing lapel irrigation district.

Wyoming understands it takes courage and decisiveness to lead.

That's why it's my distinct privilege to introduce Gary Shatto, president of the LaPrele Irrigation District.

Gary, would you please stand?

(audience applauding) You know, one of the delightful things about Wyoming and I remember Mike Enzi saying Wyoming is the only state in the country where you can dial a wrong number and know who you're talking to.

(audience laughing) And I will say going up to Converse County and seeing Gary, it's wonderful to have a fellow wrestling parent in great positions of leadership.

The role of president of the LaPrele Dam Company is not one guaranteed to make you friends, but it is one that requires action.

Under Gary's leadership, the board has worked hard to find a workable solution for all.

Those who rely on the dam need to know that Wyoming will be there for them and will stand behind them.

We don't let our neighbors down.

I call upon the legislature to send me a proposal not only to expedite the building of a new dam, but to also defend existing use and storage rights, protect the safety of those living below the dam, and provide appropriate assistance to those irrigators while the new dam is being built.

The stakes are high, so let me be blunt.

This is a time to be bold but not dangerous.

Traditionally, most infrastructure programs have been funded through appropriations to the state loan and investment board and they've come from mineral royalties.

The state loan and investment board has been careful, conservative, and worked with communities to apportion funds across the state to address significant infrastructure needs.

And also occasionally emergencies, in accordance with the law.

These past few years, Wyoming, like every other state, receives substantial and unprecedented federal funding for infrastructure.

Wyoming used these funds to our advantage.

The impacts can be seen in expanded broadband at the Memorial Hospital of Congress County, the Hub in Sheridan for senior services, an upgraded air handling system at the Powell Hospital, in Wheatland where failing municipal water system has been repaired, in Sublette County where a hospital is being constructed, and in Upton where infrastructure has been expanded for workforce housing among many other worthy projects.

Not surprisingly, these federal programs came with strings and time constraints.

We worked hard, my colleagues and I, and accomplished a lot to boost the cowboy economy by not nickel and dimming our way backwards.

In the end, some important projects though fully planned, could not be completed before the federal deadlines ran out.

We know all these projects can't be finished as economically tomorrow as they can today.

In fact, these plans and designs have a limited shelf life.

If we delay their implementation, they will go stale, a classic waste of money and opportunity.

We must also recognize that we're back to normal now with Wyoming counting on her accustomed revenues for infrastructure.

Only legislative appropriations can carry infrastructure investments going forward and with that in mind, I requested an additional 20 million to the Mineral Royalty Grant Program.

This is a critical resource that so many communities have counted on in times of need.

I suspect nearly every member of this chamber comes from a district which has benefited at some time from an MRG grant.

Our constituents appreciate it when their taxes don't need to be massively raised to repair a waterline break, well failure, sewer line collapse, or address a community asset.

Without that funding, towns and counties will have to rely on what their population can afford or what a legislature tempted by earmarking could provide.

In short, when it comes to infrastructure, we should never compromise on safety.

Kicking the can down the road will only hurt our kids and our neighbors.

And I wanna tell you about a particularly bright spot in our state and it's happening in education.

We're well ahead of the game.

We recognized the need to thoroughly examine our educational system from the ground up four years ago and set about to do it.

Our goal was to help our educational institutions be more responsive to emerging needs of our industries, communities and workforce and to increase parental participation.

That's why we fostered school choice.

That's why we supported new charters and we've done more.

By empowering all schools to innovate, compete and adapt and thrive in an increasingly competitive educational landscape.

The re-imagining and innovating the delivery of education initiative took its lead from parents, citizens, industries, educators, and others to redesign the way education is done here.

Ride dovetailed with the good work of the State Board of Education and the superintendent to streamline our academic standards by focusing on what students need to learn.

Not esoteric national whims or agendas.

We put regular Wyoming folks and parents on the Board of Education.

Ones motivated to simplify and focus on educating our kids consistent with Wyoming values and to equip them for the workplace and life.

A shining example of that effort is Wyoming Teacher of the Year, Morgan Hahn, a social studies teacher at Lander High School.

With a bachelor's degree from the University of Wyoming and a master's in American History and Government, this James Madison fellow specialize in teaching our constitution.

She empowers students to make meaningful contributions to their communities and her innovative approach provides every student with technological skills grounded in Wyoming's culture.

Thank you, Morgan.

Could you rise?

(audience applauding) Let me introduce you to another remarkable individual leading the way.

Elise Newton.

She's a senior at Cheyenne Central High School, a congressional award gold medalist and a STEM Star recipient.

She shared with me her perspective as a senior on her education to date.

She explained that she felt she had a well-rounded education in high school, but there was something she thought could be better.

She said, and I quote, "I think we should have a class that teaches you financial literacy, how to get a job, and how to get a loan and not get taken and to cook and so on.

You know, the stuff you need after high school."

What a concept, I gotta tell you.

It was music to my ears.

Elise took the initiative to develop a senior survival curriculum.

The curriculum incorporates critical knowledge and skills identified in the recent iteration of the state board's profile of a graduate.

Elise's syllabus is all about relevance, rigor, and community connection.

She took the bid in her teeth and developed a course to equip students with the tools they need for life after high school.

She won Wyoming's Deca State competition and placed ninth at the nationals for it.

That's what I call demonstrating the power of student-driven learning to create a meaningful change.

Elise, would you stand so that we can recognize you?

(audience cheering and applauding) Fact is, across Wyoming educators, parents and students are re-imagining what's possible.

Recently, in Green River I signed a proclamation honoring Nellie Tayloe Ross, the nation's first female governor.

I think it was Governor Ross who would be very proud of the proclamation, was written by Bridget Nielsen's high School government class as part of their study of Wyoming history.

Two days ago in Kemmerer where the district expanded from just 12 teachers engaged in RIDE to every teacher district-wide this year, to teach students, teachers, parents invigorated with the joy of learning from CTE, to coaching, to English was absolutely amazing.

And what's clearly cool about this initiative is it doesn't matter if you're a traditional school, charter school, or another school, RIDE is there for you.

And these successes highlight why Wyoming is the best place to raise your family.

With teachers like Morgan and students like Elise, we all recognize there's something special in our air, something special about this state, something special about our will to make things work.

Expanding school choice, fostering talent and building new opportunities require thoughtful resource management.

And this is why we must approach our education budget with care applying conservative values and common sense to maintain a balance between quality and sustainability.

The choice before us is clear.

We stand strong preserving and enhancing what we've built or we risk undermining the foundation of our future through ill considered cuts.

And I have faith that people in Wyoming will rise to these challenges wherever they may be with strength, innovation, and resolve.

But I'm also pleased to talk a little bit about the Wyoming Innovation Partnership.

Over the past three years, WIP has sought to better coordinate post-secondary education across the state from our community colleges to our university.

It's worked to identify the strengths of each institution and encourage them to meet industry needs through a motivated and prepared workforce.

WIP also established a framework to evaluate the state's return on investment for educational dollars.

We found that based on the first two years of investment, WP has an estimated value added ROI for a five-year horizon of 690%.

Moreover, WIP's contribution to Wyoming's gross state product over this period was more than seven times its budget.

Key to judging the success of any educational endeavor is the ability to understand what the return on educational dollar is.

Post-secondary education, I'm happy to tell you, is more coordinated today than it has ever been.

And as promised, my budget calls for the continued transition away from state funding to unsupported by the businesses that benefit from it, the communities and others.

Together, we can continue to build a world class education system that prepares our students for success and is the envy of other states.

The challenge is to keep our graduates here, something we'll all have to work on.

Building newer and better and more businesses.

Schools are just part of what's going right for families in Wyoming.

Parents have more clarity into what their kids are learning and students have are more engaged and anxious to talk about what's going on in school with their parents.

But there are a couple of issues that are still difficult for young parents.

And one of those is the loss of obstetrical services.

Specifically, mothers are finding fewer and fewer places that offer experienced OB care, forcing them to travel to neighboring states.

In November, I visited Evanston shortly after the hospital there announced they were ending OB care.

This has happened elsewhere in Wyoming too.

What mothers and others in Evanston told me was that the trip to receive those services in Utah was not only expensive.

So much so, some of them could not afford it or the stay for their family.

And then there are some birds that are complicated or come earlier than anyone can predict.

And that leaves the trip to the ER, an expensive and lengthy ambulance or air ambulance ride to who knows where?

Is there anyone here today who finds this situation acceptable?

Is there anyone here today who prefers Wyoming's mothers, mothers-to-be, not to have access to quality OB care?

I certainly hope not.

In Wyoming, moms should have access to the medical services they need and not be obliged to travel out of state.

(audience applauding) Accordingly, I recommend an increase in ongoing Medicaid funding to providers of OB services, behavioral health, and in-home health providers.

This will help to secure more favorable workplace, more competitive workplace for these caregivers here in our great state.

And I know we can get this done.

In November, I presented a truly supplemental budget, one that anticipated the end of sweeping federal programs and it recommends a few essential items like those mentioned above, which are intended to address emergencies and unanticipated needs.

It is easy to talk about across the board cuts.

Any stockman will let you know however, you can't cut a U by a third or expect bulls to perform on half the forage.

When the state's revenues dropped by a third back in 2020, we had to make very difficult choices.

We heard from conservatives and liberals alike about what they didn't like in our cuts.

We did what we did by eliminating programs, not just heaping more on for less.

Times change and our state is getting back on track.

I ask that as we work on this supplemental and then on the 27-28 budget, we bear in mind the consequences of our decisions.

Budgets always affect neighbors and communities.

We are by nature, a thrifty people, but we only need to look at the experiences of other states to see what impudent actions and unintended consequences have brought about.

Having said all of that, I applaud the legislature for being wise in using portions of the federal funds that came our way in the past few years to offset some ongoing expenditures such as those for corrections for example.

It is very good that we save them so that we have the ability to meet those expenses today.

Last year, we also provided significant property tax relief to our citizens in the form of four signed bills.

We limited assessments to a 4% increase year over year.

The veterans tax exemption doubled to $6,000 and property owner over 65 who lived in Wyoming for 25 years is entitled to a 50% reduction in property tax.

Importantly, we provided tax refunds for up to 140% of median gross income for a county.

These reductions were prompted by steep increases in real estate valuations brought about by people buying into Wyoming.

We all understand the mechanism and we understand that property tax is not collected by the state.

It's counties that depend on the revenue.

You'll remember that last year's budget made a promise to provide property tax refunds to any qualified applicant who met income criteria.

As it stands today, we are oversubscribed.

We don't have the funds to cover that promise.

In order to stay true to our word, I've asked for an additional 10.5 million to fund the property tax refund promise we made in the budget.

But I also wanna encourage you to make use of the new capacity to differentiate residential property tax from the other category in our constitution.

Voters approved it at the general election and I have no doubt people in this room can work wonders without authority.

Please remember though that what this buddy does with property tax will no doubt have implications for schools and local services far into the future beyond those fashioned at the end of the 67th legislature.

Local fire departments are one of the areas that depend on those local tax revenues.

As I mentioned earlier, this fire season brought devastation to parts of Wyoming.

Unlike most years in the past where fires have burned on forest and BLM lands, this year, about 70% of the damage occurred on private or state lands.

The direct firefighting cost exceeded $55 million.

This fully depleted the funds you appropriated to firefighting, my contingency account, Homeland Securities contingency funds, and virtually, all the governor's authority to borrow from the Legislation Stabilization Reserve Account, the LSRA.

If memory isn't fresh enough, just look to Los Angeles to see how rapidly fire expands in dry times and the catastrophe that insufficient infrastructure can lead to.

In the midst of last summer's overwhelming fire season, Kelly Norris rose to meet the challenge in her second year as state forester.

Recognize that Kelly does not have a specialized firefighting staff.

She and her staff have full-time jobs managing our state forest lands and protecting our forest industry.

In addition to her day job, Kelly coordinated local firefighters, supplied additional assets as available and kept track of funds.

That's a job that is not yet quite finished.

If Kelly hadn't made herself available 24/7 this past summer, we would've had a much worse summer.

As I mentioned, Wyoming relies on local and county firefighters and equipment.

We coordinate with teams of BLM and Forest Service personnel depending on fire and location.

Joining Kelly is Shad Cooper, Sublette County fire warden and president of the Wyoming Fire Advisory Board.

He helped direct and coordinate the efforts of our state and local firefighters as well as federal management teams.

The efforts of Kelly and Shad helped avoid more significant loss of property.

Most importantly of all, there was no loss of life.

Kelly and Shad, I'd like to ask you to stand so that we may recognize you for your her heroic efforts.

(audience applauding) Kelly and Shad are over there.

(audience cheering and applauding) In addition to the resources to fight future fires, we need resources to begin recovery.

Watersheds, landscapes, range and habitat were all lost last year, and will require our attention to return them to productivity.

As well as to make them more resistant to the fire hazard that attends invasives like cheatgrass.

Let me remind you that cheatgrass, when it's dry, is as flammable as gasoline.

I recommend these funds to assist our citizens in restoring fire ravaged lands as soon as possible.

And I have requested 130 million to provide a backstop if and only if the current federal, state, and insurance programs fail to address the needs of those working to restore their landscapes, facilities, and livelihoods.

Make no mistake, this will be hard work and it will take time.

I further recommend the program be administered through the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust office.

The board there and staff have years of experience in coordinating with state and federal agencies, landowners, and other interest groups to develop effective conservative land and water restoration projects.

And I look forward to working with you to establish the successful and efficient program.

Key to this process will be coordination with the University of Wyoming, particularly the College of Agriculture.

This will be an opportunity to put research into actual projects.

And representing the University of Wyoming in the College of Agriculture, please welcome new dean, Kelly Crane and President Ed Seidel.

They're at the back of the room.

The university and our community colleges are ready to take the challenge.

Dean.

(audience applauding) Dean Crane, I think we wanna see more of you than hiding behind pillars.

(audience laughing) Well finally, there's been much said about and promise on the success of this year's elections.

The eyes of our citizens and the nation are upon us.

The responsibility of actually governing rests solely upon our shoulders.

There will always be some differences between the legislative and executive branch, that's natural.

That's our system of checks and balances.

Our founding fathers spoke eloquently of the temptation of one branch to usurp the other.

And their design or constitution relies on competition between those branches to keep each of them in their places.

We are heirs to their wisdom, but here in Wyoming, I know we can work together.

To you, the people of Wyoming, I pledge to continue to protect your rights, the core industries, our way of life, as well as the way the rights of our families and their security, both financial and physical.

And now, and for our children and grandchildren.

In the words of T.A.

Larson, eminent historian of Wyoming, "Almost no part of the country has the opportunity now facing Wyoming to demonstrate what America could have been."

Thank you.

God bless Wyoming and the United States of America, ride for the brand.

(audience applauding) Thank you.

(audience continue applauding) Thank you.

(audience continue applauding) - Governor Gordon, on behalf of the legislature, I wanna thank you for attending this joint session and thank you for the your service to our great state.

So thank you, sir.

- Thank you.

(audience applauding) - Members of the 68th legislature, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I now present the honorable Kate M. Fox, chief justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court, Justice Fox.

(audience applauding) - Thank you, thank you.

As we say at the Supreme Court, please be seated.

Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Governor and Madame First Lady, members of the 68th legislature, elected officials, members of the state and federal judiciary, guests and citizens of the great state of Wyoming.

It is an honor for me to speak with you today on behalf of the Wyoming Judicial Branch.

Thank you President Biteman and Speaker Neiman for the invitation to say a few words today.

I do give the governor a hard time about the fact he speaks a lot longer than I do, but it's not really fair.

I don't have failing dams collapsing highways, fires.

We do one thing in the judicial branch and that is we resolve the people's legal disputes in accordance with our constitutional mandate.

But you still owe me dinner.

(audience laughing) It has been a great pleasure to get to know so many of you over the recent months and weeks and years.

Thank you each and all for your devotion, your service, and your time to serve the people of Wyoming.

Wyoming's Courts likewise stand ready to faithfully and steadfastly serve the people of Wyoming.

We share with you this devotion.

And we are ever mindful of an essential fact.

We do not write the laws.

As legislators, that's what you do.

We did not write the constitution or the amendments to it.

As legislators, you and then the people of Wyoming, do that.

Our job is to apply Wyoming's laws to the cases Wyoming citizens bring to our courts.

And we have one immovable North Star that is our adherence to Wyoming's own unique laws.

This commitment to justice ensures that our courts continue to deliver fairness, integrity, and accountability to the people.

As you know, we are not an executive branch agency.

We're not the bureaucracy, we're not even the government.

The Wyoming judiciary serves a constitutional service to the people.

And in fact, the court's role is often to protect you from the government.

For example, when they wanna search your house without a warrant or take your property without just compensation.

It's important to keep in mind.

I keep saying it, I told you Monday and I'll tell you again what this branch does is provide constitutional access to courts for the people of Wyoming.

The Wyoming judiciary also delivers on the everyday work of solving people's legal disputes.

We ensure law and order to control crime and keep our community safe.

We make prosperity possible by protection of private property rights and certainty in business transactions.

We help people navigate the challenges of dissolving marriages and providing for children.

In short, the judiciary provides the just, speedy, and inexpensive resolution of people's disputes.

In fiscal year 2024, circuit courts had nearly 98,000 cases filed, 22,000 criminal, 56,000 traffic and the rest, civil, protection orders, small claims or evictions.

In district courts there were more than 13,000 cases filed, 2,600 criminal, more than 7,000 civil cases, more than 1,000 juvenile cases and 2,200 probate cases.

That is a lot of justice for less than 4% of the general fund.

It's a valued and efficient return on the people's investment for the service that our Wyoming constitution mandates.

We also have recognized that we must adapt to the changing demands of today's society, especially when it comes to technology enhancing access and efficiency.

This year we completed the rollout, or this past year we completed the rollout of e-filing in the district courts, and I know some of you know it's been a long time coming, but it is here.

(audience applauding) And in March, we're gonna start the rollout in circuit courts.

This provides an indispensable service to litigants.

We have started a court navigator program in Natrona County and have already expanded it to Uinta County.

That program trains non-lawyer volunteers to assist self-represented litigants to more effectively pursue their cases in our courts.

Also to assist self-represented litigants, we've been upgrading our court forms to be more user-friendly.

And I hope that we'll be able to have interactive forms in the near future.

We've piloted the Behavioral Health Diversion Project in Campbell County, which many of you have heard about, to treat the mental illness of people charged with nonviolent misdemeanors.

It alleviates the cost of incarceration and the burden on the Wyoming State Hospital.

That program is about to expand to Laramie County and Natrona County.

We took over the treatment court management last year and we're working on strengthening and expanding those courts throughout the state.

We have a governance structure, the Wyoming Judicial Council that gives all level of judges a voice in our judicial branch decision making.

Together, we continue to engage in strategic planning so that the judicial branch continues to deliver on its core mission to provide justice through timely, fair, and impartial resolution of disputes.

We have a solid support team of 280 employees who file and scan the pleadings.

They manage the e-filing, the clerks who help the self-represented litigants, database administrators, staff attorneys who help with legal research, our HR professionals and educators and trainers.

In short, those are the people who keep our operation running.

Our non-judge employees received raises in the last two years, which have been a huge help in retaining our good workers.

We are not asking for more raises this year, but as you know, what you give with one hand, inflation takes away with the other.

So we will be back because we are committed to fair compensation for our people.

As for judicial pay, that too is falling behind every year that inflation takes a bite.

Wyoming ranks 37th and 42nd in the nation for judicial pay.

We need to keep attracting the best lawyers to these positions.

And so while again I'm not asking for increased judicial pay this session, I am letting you know that it is quickly becoming a critical future need and we look forward to working with you on this issue.

Like to see those heads nodding.

(audience laughing) Also, we must provide a safe place for our people to come to work, for the public to come to obtain justice, and for jurors to come help dispense justice.

This is an issue we will keep coming back to you on because threats to judges nationally and here in Wyoming are only increasing.

Wyoming citizens must be able to come to their courthouses without fear, and judges must be able to open their front doors without risk of harm.

We are in the process of finalizing a security audit of 11 of our courts and when that is complete, we will most likely be asking for more resources to make sure that those courts are safe.

Overall, the Wyoming judiciary is efficient, strong, and lean.

I do have a few more faces to report to you in the judiciary since I last addressed you.

Justice Kautz, as you know, retired in March.

He has been replaced by Justice Jarosh, who unfortunately is ill today, but he's gotten up-to-speed and is a key member of the Wyoming Supreme Court.

Judge Bunting took over as circuit court judge in Sheridan and Buffalo when Judge Cundiff retired.

Judge Cooley took over as district judge in Laramie County when Judge Campbell retired.

Judge McGrady was sworn in as a new district court judge position authorized by the legislature based in Campbell County.

Judge Weisman took over as circuit court judge in Teton County replacing Judge Haws.

And in December, Judge Forwood took over a circuit court judge in Laramie County when Judge Lee retired Circuit court Judge Christensen in Natrona County will retire in March with his replacement to be selected later this month.

District Court Judge Sharpe in Laramie County.

Thank you for being here, Judge.

Will retire in May.

The judicial nominating commission is just starting to consider applications for that position.

I'm also very pleased to report that our new full-time chancery court judge, Ben Burningham, was sworn in just a couple of weeks ago.

As you know, the Chancery court was created by the 2019 legislature and it opened for business in December of 2020.

Filings have picked up gradually and with a full-time judge, we expect the Chancery court will serve more and more citizens in 2025.

We welcome these new judges and justices and we thank the retiring judges for their excellent service.

(audience applauding) All of our judges serve in and for their communities and all are selected and retained through the merit selection process that was voted into the constitution in 1972.

The merit selection process allows the voters to have their say.

Each judge or justice must stand for retention in the general election after one full year of his or her appointment and thereafter on a regular schedule.

Judicial selection in Wyoming is hard work, but our merit selection process selects judges on the basis of their qualifications for ethics, intelligence, temperament, courage, integrity, experience, education, ability to communicate, civic and professional responsibility, and the desire to continue learning.

It selects men and women who are committed to Wyoming law, the laws that you write.

This is my fourth opportunity to address you as chief justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court and head of the Judicial branch.

I like to think I've been an effective leader, but I have no doubt that the judicial branch will get along fine without me.

That's because we have 58 judges and justices that do the work of the Wyoming courts.

They're a team in which each has a specific role and service to the Wyoming people.

Article One, Section Eight of the Wyoming Constitution stipulates that all courts shall be open and every person for an injury done to person, reputation, or property shall have justice administered without sale, denial or delay, and that's what we do.

Our courts don't just decide cases they're accountable to Wyoming's laws, the Constitution, and the people of Wyoming.

That's why our court proceedings are open to the public except in some limited cases that the legislature has specified like juvenile cases.

By the way, we'll have one here tomorrow afternoon in the historic Supreme Court and I hope all of you can come.

Many of our cases are livestreamed for easier access.

Our decisions are based on the facts and the law.

Juries who are made up of citizens from the community are often the ones to decide the outcomes of cases.

And decisions from the trial courts can be appealed to a higher court for review.

Decisions are often delivered in written form so the parties can see the law that judge applied to their cases.

Proceedings are captured in a written or electronic records, so those records are publicly accessible.

Further, judges are subject to rigorous rules of ethical conduct and they can be removed from the bench if they violate those rules.

In Wyoming, we're subject to the Code of judicial conduct and the Commission on Judicial Conduct and Ethics.

We have only minor requests in our budget exception this year.

As I think many of you know, the judicial branch is a lean operation and it continues in that commitment.

We ask for what we need and nothing more.

I'm available to answer any questions you have about our budget, as is our court administrator, Elisa Butler.

We're right across the street and I also encourage each of you to reach out to your local judges.

They are right down the street in each of your communities.

So the mandatory retirement age of 70 is written into the Wyoming Constitution.

I knew that when I started at the court, but like most of us, I really never thought I would be that old.

And I actually didn't know that 70 doesn't seem that old anymore, but it turns out I will be turning 70 in May and so I will be retiring.

Justice Boomgaarden will be taking over as chief justice and I know she will do an excellent job of leading the branch along with the judicial council.

I have grandchildren so I'll have other things to do.

It has been such a great honor for me to serve, ugh, as the leader of the Wyoming Judicial Branch and the amazing people in our branch, and to work cooperatively with the members of the legislature, the executive branch, and to serve the state that I love dearly.

Thank you for your support.

I wish you well, godspeed and your important work as legislators.

Thank you again for the opportunity to speak with you.

(audience applauding) (audience continue applauding) - Chief Justice Fox, on behalf of the members of the legislature, I thank you for attending this joint session and we thank you from the bottom of our heart for all your years of dedication and service to the courts and to the state of Wyoming.

And enjoy your retirement, Chief Justice.

Well earned, thank you.

(audience applauding) Senator Salazar, Representatives Heiner and Yin, will you please escort the First Lady of Wyoming and the governor of Wyoming from the Chamber?

Senator Nethercott and Representatives Winter and Posey, will you please escort the Chief Justice from the chamber?

(audience applauding) (audience continue applauding) (lively music)