As the first week of the legislative session ends, Democrats are experiencing an uphill battle against the Wyoming Freedom Caucus’ legislative objectives. Members of the minority party remain optimistic, saying they’ve defended Wyoming from similar bills in the past from a position of less power.
Plans of their own
“On behalf of your minority caucus, I know that we can craft solutions that reflect the values of this great state,” said Rep. Mike Yin (Jackson).
The representative spoke on the floor of the House Tuesday, the first day of the 68th Wyoming Legislative Session. His speech was shorter than that of his Republican colleagues. Whereas Speaker of the House Chip Neiman (R-Hulett) spoke about his family, Wyoming history and the legislative goals of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, Yin focused on a few key policy items, reaffirming Democrats’ commitment to an agenda mostly concerned with public services.
Democrats gathered after the first week of the legislative session. (Jordan Uplinger / WPR)
“We, your Wyoming Democrats, envision a Wyoming where every Wyomingite can find a good job where hard work pays off, start a family if they choose and raise children in a thriving school where every child receives an education that prepares them for the opportunity of tomorrow – and see their children grow up in Wyoming.”
The speech from Democrats in the Senate was equally short and to the point.
“We hear a lot today about change,” said Sen. Mike Gierau (D-Jackson)
, the minority floor leader of the Senate. “Things are happening, things are new, things are gonna be different. I’ve heard that before.”
The Senator warned the chamber that negative change could happen if the body stopped “arguing ideas” for the people of Wyoming.
“When we deviate from that, we have another result,” said Gierau.
Democrats held a press conference after the opening ceremonies. Led by Yin, he reaffirmed his floor speech as the priorities for the party, citing education, health and job security. Sen. Chris Rothfuss (D-Laramie), the party’s whip and also in attendance, reinvented a term he said began almost 10 years ago in the Senate, when an elected official was describing a “particularly bad bill”.
“[Sen. Bill Landen] named it ‘the coffee shop bill.’ It’s the kind of bill people sit around in a coffee shop and get angry. But it doesn’t do anything, it doesn’t help anyone,” said Rothfuss. “I think we’re in a coffee shop session.”
Working across the aisle
An unusually high number of bills have been put forth this session, with many presented by the Freedom Caucus, eyeing an opportunity with their current House majority. In the past, the Freedom Caucus has used minority power to block or slow bills.
Democrats like Rothfuss say they intend to continue a more material approach to legislation, focusing on any bill that can improve day-to-day life. He described the strategy as “ building solutions where those solutions can be advanced.”
To that end, Yin sponsored a bill to rebuild the LaPrell Dam despite the structure being outside his district. Rothfuss co-sponsored a bill for transparency in hospital prices and fees alongside Republican sponsors in the Senate. It was passed by committee and is scheduled to be heard on the House floor next week. Rep. Karlee Provenza (D-Laramie) co-signed a bill to bring about and fund a public Lab School, also alongside Republican legislators
Nonetheless, Democrats are well aware of their minority status. Opting for a less aggressive strategy than that of the Freedom Caucus in previous years, some Democrats are trying to maneuver bills into weaker or less impactful positions.
A Defense of Wording
Democrats generally described some of the Freedom Caucus bills as distracting from more prominent issues, but there are some bills that Democrats will take a more firm stand on. HB0032, the “What is a Woman Act,” saw an emotionally intense floor session, with Democrats demanding more accurate wording and enforcement mechanisms.
“You wanna do this? Fine,” said Provenza. “Let’s outline exactly what that looks like, because I think right now the Constitution would say this bill is too vague … What does this mean for the 200 plus statutes that refer to ‘men’ and ‘women?’”
Jordan Uplinger / WPR
“Can anyone tell me what laws they would apply to so I can go home and tell my constituents how they’re affected by this bill? Because I– I truly don’t know. I know how they’ll be affected by it ideologically,” said Yin.
Provenza said that even with the more controversial bills that Democrats don’t agree with, the party is still fighting for their constituents and to uphold the institution of the Wyoming Legislature.
“What you’ve seen a lot of this week is Democrats invested in, if you’re going to bring laws, make sure they’re written well,” she said. “There’s been a lot of effort on our end to fix bills, even if we don’t necessarily agree with them, because we believe in the institution of the Wyoming government.”
Holding Out Hope
Democrats still hold out hope that they’ll find common ground and cooperative solutions to Wyoming’s problems alongside the Freedom Caucus. Rothfuss expressed a similar sentiment after a Senate session, but described the Freedom Caucus as a party that’s misinterpreting a traditional “live and let live” mantra.
“ A lot of the policies they advocate for are not small government, limited government or anything about freedom, realistically,” said Rofthfuss. “ They’re more top-down than any Republicans that I’ve worked with over the years. I hope I’m wrong with that and maybe it won’t go that way.”
Provenza also expressed hopefulness that they can work together with their Freedom Caucus counterparts.
“We’ll see how things go. I will say this first week has been more difficult than previous sessions,” said Provenza. “It’s been like jumping into a freezing lake … Hopefully that’s not indicative of the rest of the session.”
This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.
