Residents need to understand legislative process

Written by Max D’Onofrio

Wednesday, 25 February 2009 17:47

All citizens of Wyoming who vote for a state legislature should understand what their representative will be doingfor the state and how they will achieve their goals.

Wyoming remains one of the few states that has a true part-time citizen legislature. While this may keep Wyoming legislators in close touch with their constituents, it also means that they do not enjoy the same accommodations provided to full-time legislators.

Legislators in Wyoming do not have individual staff, but they receive staff services by a small permanent central staff agency, Legislative Service Office, and temporary session staff.

Office accommodations are similar. Except for a few officers of the House and Senate, members of the legislature are not provided offices in the Capitol. While in session, the “office” of a typical Wyoming legislator consists of the legislator’s desk on the floor of the House or Senate and one or two file cabinet drawers in a committee meeting room.

The Wyoming Legislature consists of two houses, the House of Representatives, made up of 60 members elected from single member districts for two-year terms, and the Senate, made up of 30 members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms.

The Legislature meets in general session in odd numbered years, beginning on the second Tuesday of January. The general session is limited to 40 legislative days.

The Legislature meets in budget session in even numbered years, beginning on the second Monday of February. A typical budget session lasts 20 legislative days, but special sessions may be called at any time by the governor.

There are 12 permanent parallel committees in the House and Senate. Much of the work of the Legislature is carried on by these “standing committees,” which generally contain nine members in the House and five members in the Senate. Most members serve on several committees.

Standing committees meet before and after the daily general session of the House and Senate, and sometimes during the noon recess, to review bills, hear testimony from interested citizens and recommend action back to the full body of the House or Senate.

When the Legislature is not in session, the respective standing committees of the House and Senate combine to function as “joint interim” committees, which are assigned to study major problems facing the state.

Many of the bills introduced in the legislative session result from the work of joint interim committees. All bills proposed by interim committees, as well as all bills sponsored by individual legislators, are drafted by the staff of the Legislative Service Office.

The process a bill follows in becoming law consists of four principal stages: committee action, floor action, conference committee action and action by the governor.

Following introduction and first reading, a bill is assigned to a standing committee of the House or Senate for discussion and consideration. The committee may hold public hearings on the bill and than the committee reports back its recommendation on the bill to the full House or Senate and the bill is placed on “General File” awaiting floor action.

In the general file, the bill will be subject to debate and amendment on the floor of the House or Senate by all the members during Committee of the Whole, and then again on second and third readings. A final vote on the bill is taken following third reading.

To become law, a bill must be passed in identical form by both houses of the Legislature. Upon passage by the first house, the bill is sent to the second house where it is again subject to committee and floor action and possible amendment in the second house.

If the bill passes the second house without amendment, it is immediately sent on to the governor for approval or veto.

Since a bill must be passed in identical form by both houses, a bill amended in the second house must be returned to the first house to determine if the house of origin will agree or “concur” in the amendments of the second house.

If the first house concurs, action on the bill is finished. If the house of origin does not concur in the second house, the bill is assigned to a conference committee to attempt to work out the differences. If both houses subsequently approve the report of the joint conference committee, the bill is deemed enacted.

Before any bill becomes law it must be presented to the governor.

If he approves the bill, he signs it. If he disapproves the bill, he returns it to the house of origin with his objections.

The House and Senate may override the governor’s veto by a vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each body.

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