Tax credit bill dies

by Cat Urbigkit

House District 22 Representative Monte Olsen said Tuesday that his draft bill proposing to amend Wyoming's public road law to address situations like the Erramouspe Road has been filed as House Bill 240, with Wyoming Speaker of the House Randal Luthi as a co-sponsor.

"The road bill has been read for the first time and I am waiting for the committee hearing," Olsen said. The bill has been assigned to the House Ag Committee, which was slated to consider the matter Thursday afternoon.

Unfortunately, Olsen's county option homeowners tax credit bill (HB50) died in Committee of the Whole.

Olsen said he wasn't surprised but was disappointed, since the rest of the state doesn't understand what it's like to have property taxes increase 15-20 percent annually.

"The rest of the state cannot see the plight we are in and want nothing to do with property tax reform, even if it is a temporary fix," Olsen said. He said the primary reason the bill was defeated was other legislators see an inequity between the haves and have-nots, as in the counties that can provide tax relief and counties that would be unable to.

Olsen predicted that eventually legislators from other areas of the state will realize residential taxation is a major concern.

HB182, Olsen's bill on maintaining confidentiality of identifying information at the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory, passed the Committee of the Whole on Monday.

House District 20 Representative Kathy Davison's HB203, requiring public notice of grizzly bear relocations to local government officials, has been placed on general file in the House.

Senator Pat Aullman, District 16, has sponsored several pieces of legislation as well. Senate File 125, the frivolous lawsuit bill, was introduced and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. This bill would penalize those undertaking frivolous conduct, meaning the conduct of a party to a civil action or of his counsel of record that satisfies either of the following:

"It obviously serves merely to harass or maliciously injure another party to the civil action; or It is not supported in fact or warranted under existing law and cannot be supported by a good faith argument for an extension, modification or reversal of existing law."

Aullman is also a sponsor of SF91, agricultural tax study and SF145, regarding credit card payments to state agencies.

The split estate bill is SF60. Aullman said: "This is a hard one. This bill did pass the Senate. I am still not sure of the complete need of it. It is to only serve just a few in the state. But if the need is there, then I hope this bill will solve those needs. I voted yes because we were told that all three groups came to somewhat of a agreement. Trying to make everyone happy on this is very difficult."