Articles written by Hannah Shields


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  • Gordon refuses to sign new voter registration rules

    Hannah Shields, Wyoming Tribune Eagle via the Wyoming News Exchange|Apr 18, 2024

    CHEYENNE — Gov. Mark Gordon has decided the new voter registration rules proposed by Secretary of State Chuck Gray exceed his statutory authority. Gordon sided with the Wyoming Legislature’s Management Council — made up of legislative leadership from both chambers — in its disapproval of the new rules, which would have required people to provide proof of residency, not just identity, when registering to vote. Gray has said on multiple occasions, including an op-ed submitted to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle this week that Wyoming elections needed...

  • $1B difference in two versions of '25-26 biennium budget

    Hannah Shields, via Wyoming News Exchange|Feb 29, 2024

    CHEYENNE — The two chambers of the Wyoming Legislature are miles apart when it comes to how the state should spend its money for the 2025-26 budget biennium. Senate Majority Leader Larry Hicks, R-Baggs, told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle on Friday there is a $900 million to $1 billion difference between the two budgets that were passed on Wednesday and Thursday. The House is adding money to the governor’s proposed budget, with a focus on spending more on programs and services. The Senate, however, is cutting up to $480 million from what the gov...

  • House, Senate vote to spend $2 million on border security

    Hannah Shields|Feb 22, 2024

    CHEYENNE — The Wyoming House of Representatives and Senate approved mirror budget amendments Monday that would allow the state to send $2 million to Texas or provide resources like personnel to secure the U.S.-Mexico border. If the amendments in both chambers are, in fact, identical, and no additional changes are made to this amendment on third reading of the budget bills, the allocation will be automatically adopted in the state’s 2025-26 biennium budget and would not be up for negotiation in a joint conference committee. On both sides of the...

  • Latest forecast: $13.3M less available for state spending

    Hannah Shields|Jan 18, 2024

    CHEYENNE — In advance of the upcoming budget session, the Wyoming Legislature’s wallet to appropriate funds for budget requests is expected to shrink by $13.3 million. An updated Consensus Revenue Estimating Group (CREG) report informed members of the Legislature’s Joint Appropriations Committee they had $37.3 million in discretionary funds to spend this year. The CREG report is a forecast of the state’s total revenue and assets. It includes estimates of Wyoming’s mineral prices and production, General Fund revenues, severance taxes, federal m...

  • Degenfelder: 'We must do better'

    Hannah Shields|Sep 14, 2023

    CHEYENNE — Proficiency rates among Wyoming students increased in all content areas during the 2022-23 school year, according to results from the state’s standardized tests, but still remained slightly below pre-pandemic levels. Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder called for action during a news conference Thursday morning, where she said proficiency scores were 1-2% below the 2018-19 results. “We must do better,” Degenfelder said. “While our state standards and assessment scores are set intentionally high, and we do...