CHEYENNE - As in recent years, dollars will drive the 2009 legislative session - but the emphasis for a change will be on making do with less instead of how to spend a massive surplus, officials said.

"It's the financial reality," incoming House Speaker Colin Simpson, R-Cody, said. "The quicker people figure that out, the easier the session will be."

When the 40-day general session opens Tuesday, some of the major non-budget topics will feel familiar: wolf management, a public smoking ban, immigration and other social issues.

But supplemental spending is expected to eclipse even those controversial topics because of a recent dramatic downturn in revenue expectations.

State revenue forecasters who in October predicted a roughly $910 million surplus trimmed that estimate on Friday to about $260 million in the face of the national economic downturn and sagging energy prices.

The 70 percent decrease will likely reverberate throughout the session.

The downturn hardly means tough times, though, as lawmakers still have more than a quarter-billion dollars to spend. But they will have to work harder to justifying new programs and pet projects.

Some lawmakers are already bracing for a return to a "bust" mentality, where the answer to most big spending requests is simply "no."

"The question will be, do we spend it all and hope for better times next year, or do we put some aside in case the economy doesn't get better?" incoming Senate President John Hines, R-Gillette, said.

Gov. Dave Freudenthal on Friday released his revised supplemental budget request, cutting $216 million from his original figures.

If lawmakers follow the recommendations, they will have about $32.65 million to spend on their own projects, and on the judiciary - a substantial reduction from the $67 million in the original budget request.

'A very different process'

Freudenthal last week predicted that lawmakers will go through a kind of "grieving" process as they fully grasp the lack of money.

But he emphasized that the regular standard state budget is fully funded, and the revenue reductions really amount to less additional spending.

"States all around the country are cutting their standard budget," Freudenthal said. "We're talking about not having as large a supplemental budget. That's a very different process."

Simpson said the tighter revenue figures may actually feel more normal to veteran lawmakers than the massive surpluses of recent years.

Hines added that the cutbacks may be toughest on newer legislators, who have become accustomed to lots of extra cash to spend.

"I've been through the process before when we were short of money," said Hines, a 25-year veteran of the Legislature. "So I might have fewer concerns than other people."

The sudden revenue drop for the 2009-10 budget year is already creating logistical problems for lawmakers.

Usually by now the governor's budget recommendations have been reviewed and critiqued by the Legislature's Joint Appropriations Committee.

This year, because of the revenue drop, the committee declined to "mark up" the governor's suggestions when it met late last year. That work will have to be done in the first weeks of the session.

"This is a pretty unusual session, in that we don't have a settled budget going into the session," Simpson said. "That certainly sets the tone for a lot of things."

Wolves

When lawmakers aren't debating the budget, they may be howling about wolves.

The highly charged topic will return to the Legislature in a big way this year, with lawmakers deciding whether to stand behind their current wolf management plan, or to move toward a plan similar to those adopted by Montana and Idaho.

Legislative leaders have indicated some willingness to compromise on fairly minor points in the current plan, such as increasing the number of packs in Wyoming, and requirements to assure genetic diversity in the Rocky Mountain wolf population.

The real rub will be over a "predator" provision in the state's current plan that allows wolves to be killed on sight outside of northwestern Wyoming.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service earlier accepted Wyoming's plan and then rejected it after a Montana federal judge took issue with it. The agency now says it won't accept the plan with the predator provision intact.

Simpson pointed out that state Attorney General Bruce Salzburg believes that Wyoming's plan is "defensible" as is, and Simpson doesn't see much willingness among lawmakers to overhaul the core tenets of the management plan.

Similarly, Hines said he is still feeling the sting of the Fish and Wildlife Service's reversal on Wyoming's plan, and he's not sure he can trust the agency.

"I kind of feel like we will have another big debate on the issue," Hines added.

Reintroduced in 1995-96, wolves now number around 1,500 in the Rocky Mountain states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

Smoke-free

Another hot topic this session is the proposed ban on smoking in public buildings.

Similar efforts to snuff out second-hand smoke have failed in the last two sessions, but supporters this year have employed a gaggle of lobbyists, and insist they intend to settle for nothing short of a "comprehensive" bill that would ban smoking even in bars.

The bill benefits from a key endorsement by the Joint Labor, Health and Human Services Committee. Previous bills have suffered from sponsorship by fairly inexperienced lawmakers who struck out on their own.

Opponents of this year's bill, including the Wyoming State Liquor Association, are gearing up for a fight, or at least some exemptions in the bill for bars and other businesses.

Neither the House speaker nor the Senate president is a big supporter of the legislation. Hines said he has "never been in favor of that kind of legislation." Simpson said he "feels strongly that there are property rights involved."

But neither lawmaker would predict the outcome of the debate. They both noted the intense lobbying effort, and Simpson pointed out that the dozen freshman lawmakers this year will be a wild card on this issue.

"With 12 votes there, you never know," Simpson added.

Social issues and taxes

Social issues will also make a splash this session.

With less money to spend, topics including illegal immigration, gay marriage and abortion could take on a higher profile.

Among the bills already submitted, one would make it a felony to transport illegal immigrants, one would enhance the penalty for killing pregnant women, and another would make it easier for nonviolent felons to regain their voting rights.

"I suspect that because of the lack of funds, and because it's not a budget session, we will see more of those health, welfare and social issue bills," Simpson said.

Contact capital bureau reporter Jared Miller at (307) 632-1244 or at jared.miller@trib.com.

Other issues on the agenda

Veterans' benefits

* What's at stake: Expansion of the veterans' property tax exemption.

* Who's affected: Certain veterans who served between wars.

The Legislature will consider a bill this session to expand the veterans' property tax exemption to people who were honorably discharged during peacetime.

The bill affects veterans who served between January 1947 and June 26, 1950, and between Feb. 1, 1955, and Feb. 27, 1961.

Another bill eliminates the requirement that veterans file a sworn claim each year to receive the veterans' property tax exemption.

Instead, the veteran, after initially filing the sworn claim, could telephone or otherwise communicate with the county assessor's office by the fourth Monday in May to verify that he or she continues to qualify for the exemption.

Also to be introduced is a bill that would allow surviving spouses of veterans to keep National Guard and Purple Heart license plates.

Highway bills

* What's at stake: Money to build and repair Wyoming's highways.

* Who's affected: Anyone who drives the state's roads and highways.

The Joint Interim Committee on Transportation and Highways is sponsoring a bill to divert $158 million to $169 million a year in mineral severance taxes from the Budget Reserve Account to highways for seven years beginning July 1.

A total of $127 million would go to the highway fund and $31.6 million to the multilane highway fund.

Another committee bill would give the Department of Transportation the option of contracting or privatizing the commercial signs on highways. The department estimates annual revenue of $300,000 if it uses a bidding process.

Another committee bill is a resolution that calls on Congress to adequately fund Interstate 80.

Education

* What's at stake: Improvement in schools.

* Who's affected: Wyoming students, their parents and their future employers.

The Legislature will consider a bill to allow the State Board of Education to establish a phased-in process for charter school applications.

Another bill distributes $2.2 million a year in excess federal mineral royalties to the Higher Education Endowment Reserve Account.

The Joint Interim Education Committee is also sponsoring a bill to allocate $432,000 to the state Department of Education to administer the Hathaway Student Scholarship Program. Of the total, $100,000 would be spent to continue the work of a task force evaluation of sign language as fulfillment of the foreign language requirement.

The bill allocates $157,000 for the department to establish a transcript data center with a common course coding for secondary schools to enable statistical studies. A $100,000 allocation is for one week of eighth grade instruction on preparation for post-secondary school work as required by law.

A separate bill sets up a grants program to run innovative pilot programs targeted at high school students at risk of dropping out.

Sex crimes penalties

* What's at stake: Public safety.

* Who's affected: Any victim or potential victim of a sex crime.

The Legislature will decide whether to make it a crime for corrections staff to commit sexual offenses against people under their supervision at corrections facilities. The bill specifies that consent by the victim is not a defense.

People convicted of first-degree sexual assault of a minor would face a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison under another bill. Currently there is no minimum sentence in state law for that offense.

A bill on registration of sex offenders, sponsored by the Joint Interim Judiciary Committee, requires registration with the sheriff in the county where the offender lives or attends school. Offenders are required to register with the Division of Criminal Investigation.

Offenders are required to report annually, in person, to the sheriff for verification of the offender's address and for a new photograph.

Carbon sequestration

* What's at stake: The state's coal economy, according to supporters of the bills.

* Who's affected: Miners, state taxpayers.

The push for "green" energy is gaining momentum nationally, and Wyoming lawmakers are trying to keep the state's massive coal reserves viable by encouraging underground storage of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

One important step is to establish who is legally liable for the carbon once it's pumped underground. House Bill 58 stipulates that those who inject the carbon into the ground, not the owners of the underground storage space, or pore space, carry all of the liability.

This complicated bill is considered state-of-the art legislation as Wyoming continues to lead the nation in this area. The sponsor of HB 58 is the Joint Judiciary Interim Committee.

Illegal immigration

* What's at stake: Treatment of immigrants.

* Who's affected: Illegal immigrants, employers.

The controversial topic of illegal immigration could again receive considerable debate on the floor of the House and Senate.

Rep. Pete Illoway, R-Cheyenne, will sponsor House Bill 103, which would make it a felony to transport or harbor an illegal immigrant. Those found guilty would serve at last a year in jail.

The bill also places a number of restrictions and sanctions on those in the country illegally, including prohibitions on illegal immigrants receiving driver's licenses and government identification cards. A similar bill was defeated last year.

Homicide during pregnancy

* What's at stake: Criminal sentencing guidelines.

* Who's affected: Murderers, victims' families.

A bill that would enhance the penalties for killing pregnant women will return to the Legislature this year.

House Bill 123 would require judges to add at least 20 years to the sentence of anyone convicted of killing a pregnant woman, on grounds that the fetus also died in the homicide.

The Legislature passed a similar bill in 2007, but Gov. Dave Freudenthal vetoed the measure on grounds that it would plunge the state into the abortion debate.

Voter rights restoration

* What's at stake: The right to vote.

* Who's affected: Nonviolent felons.

Republican Cheyenne lawmaker Rep. Dan Zwonitzer is sponsoring a bill that would make it easier to restore voting rights to nonviolent felons.

Current state law requires eligible felons to wait five years after completion of their sentence before applying to the state parole board for restoration of their voting rights. Zwonitzer's bill, House Bill 18, would reduce that period to one year.

Other states vary greatly on this issue, with some allowing felons to apply for restored rights immediately after completing their sentences, and some prohibiting voting indefinitely.

Minimum wage

* What's at stake: Employee pay.

* Who's affected: Wage workers, employers.

Rep. George Bagby, D-Rawlins, will sponsor a bill to raise the minimum wage.

Bagby's bill would raise the state minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour, and the minimum wage for tipped employees from $2.13 per hour to $5. The bill has failed twice before.

Brand inspection

* What's at stake: $3,200 in fees.

* Who's affected: Some livestock owners, brand inspectors.

The Joint Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Interim Committee is sponsoring a bill that would eliminate the livestock classification for goats, llamas and alpacas.

Owners of those animals would no longer be required to pay state brand inspection fees.

Some brand inspectors and members of the agriculture community have long argued that brand inspections for goats, llamas and alpacas are expensive and unnecessary.

If the bill passes, the loss of fees from inspecting those animals would cost the state brand inspection fund about $3,200 per year.

Following the Legislature

* Legislative Web Site: The address is http://legisweb.state.wy.us. It can also be reached through the state's home page on the Web, http://www.state.wy.us. The site provides bill information, audio feeds from debates, information about contacting individual lawmakers and much more. The site is updated regularly, and is among the more reliable, easiest ways to get up-to-the-minute information about hundreds of bills.

* Star-Tribune Legislative Web Site: The address is www.trib.com/legislature. Beginning Tuesday, look for daily stories, blogs, bill information, interactive polls and more throughout the session.

* Voter hotline: During the legislative session, constituents are encouraged to use the Voter Hotline (Phone 1-866-996-VOTE) to call and recommend a vote for or against a particular piece of legislation. While it is not possible to speak directly with a legislator on the Voter Hotline, the message will be delivered more quickly than by calling any other number at the legislature.

* Bill status hotline: Toll-free in Wyoming, the bill hotline allows anyone to receive bill status on a maximum of five bills per telephone call. This is a limited service which allows the caller to determine the current status of a bill, but not information concerning the contents of the bill. The number is 1-800-342-9570 (out-of-state number 307-777-6185).

Source: Legislative Service Office

* Property tax proposals - A??

* Other issues on the agenda - A??

* Following the Legislature - A??

Coming Monday

* Bill targets DUI laws]]->

Veterans' benefits

* What's at stake: Expansion of the veterans' property tax exemption.

* Who's affected: Certain veterans who served between wars.

The Legislature will consider a bill this session to expand the veterans' property tax exemption to people who were honorably discharged during peacetime.

The bill affects veterans who served between January 1947 and June 26, 1950, and between Feb. 1, 1955, and Feb. 27, 1961.

Another bill eliminates the requirement that veterans file a sworn claim each year to receive the veterans' property tax exemption.

Instead, the veteran, after initially filing the sworn claim, could telephone or otherwise communicate with the county assessor's office by the fourth Monday in May to verify that he or she continues to qualify for the exemption.

Also to be introduced is a bill that would allow surviving spouses of veterans to keep National Guard and Purple Heart license plates.

Highway bills

* What's at stake: Money to build and repair Wyoming's highways.

* Who's affected: Anyone who drives the state's roads and highways.

The Joint Interim Committee on Transportation and Highways is sponsoring a bill to divert $158 million to $169 million a year in mineral severance taxes from the Budget Reserve Account to highways for seven years beginning July 1.

A total of $127 million would go to the highway fund and $31.6 million to the multilane highway fund.

Another committee bill would give the Department of Transportation the option of contracting or privatizing the commercial signs on highways. The department estimates annual revenue of $300,000 if it uses a bidding process.

Another committee bill is a resolution that calls on Congress to adequately fund Interstate 80.

Education

* What's at stake: Improvement in schools.

* Who's affected: Wyoming students, their parents and their future employers.

The Legislature will consider a bill to allow the State Board of Education to establish a phased-in process for charter school applications.

Another bill distributes $2.2 million a year in excess federal mineral royalties to the Higher Education Endowment Reserve Account.

The Joint Interim Education Committee is also sponsoring a bill to allocate $432,000 to the state Department of Education to administer the Hathaway Student Scholarship Program. Of the total, $100,000 would be spent to continue the work of a task force evaluation of sign language as fulfillment of the foreign language requirement.

The bill allocates $157,000 for the department to establish a transcript data center with a common course coding for secondary schools to enable statistical studies. A $100,000 allocation is for one week of eighth grade instruction on preparation for post-secondary school work as required by law.

A separate bill sets up a grants program to run innovative pilot programs targeted at high school students at risk of dropping out.

Sex crimes penalties

* What's at stake: Public safety.

* Who's affected: Any victim or potential victim of a sex crime.

The Legislature will decide whether to make it a crime for corrections staff to commit sexual offenses against people under their supervision at corrections facilities. The bill specifies that consent by the victim is not a defense.

People convicted of first-degree sexual assault of a minor would face a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison under another bill. Currently there is no minimum sentence in state law for that offense.

A bill on registration of sex offenders, sponsored by the Joint Interim Judiciary Committee, requires registration with the sheriff in the county where the offender lives or attends school. Offenders are required to register with the Division of Criminal Investigation.

Offenders are required to report annually, in person, to the sheriff for verification of the offender's address and for a new photograph.

Carbon sequestration

* What�s at stake: The state�s coal economy, according to supporters of the bills.

* Who�s affected: Miners, state taxpayers.

The push for "green" energy is gaining momentum nationally, and Wyoming lawmakers are trying to keep the state�s massive coal reserves viable by encouraging underground storage of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

One important step is to establish who is legally liable for the carbon once it's pumped underground. House Bill 58 stipulates that those who inject the carbon into the ground, not the owners of the underground storage space, or pore space, carry all of the liability.

This complicated bill is considered state-of-the art legislation as Wyoming continues to lead the nation in this area. The sponsor of HB 58 is the Joint Judiciary Interim Committee.

Illegal immigration

* What's at stake: Treatment of immigrants.

* Who's affected: Illegal immigrants, employers.

The controversial topic of illegal immigration could again receive considerable debate on the floor of the House and Senate.

Rep. Pete Illoway, R-Cheyenne, will sponsor House Bill 103, which would make it a felony to transport or harbor an illegal immigrant. Those found guilty would serve at last a year in jail.

The bill also places a number of restrictions and sanctions on those in the country illegally, including prohibitions on illegal immigrants receiving driver�s licenses and government identification cards. A similar bill was defeated last year.

Homicide during pregnancy

* What's at stake: Criminal sentencing guidelines.

* Who's affected: Murderers, victims' families.

A bill that would enhance the penalties for killing pregnant women will return to the Legislature this year.

House Bill 123 would require judges to add at least 20 years to the sentence of anyone convicted of killing a pregnant woman, on grounds that the fetus also died in the homicide.

The Legislature passed a similar bill in 2007, but Gov. Dave Freudenthal vetoed the measure on grounds that it would plunge the state into the abortion debate.

Voter rights restoration

* What's at stake: The right to vote.

* Who's affected: Nonviolent felons.

Republican Cheyenne lawmaker Rep. Dan Zwonitzer is sponsoring a bill that would make it easier to restore voting rights to nonviolent felons.

Current state law requires eligible felons to wait five years after completion of their sentence before applying to the state parole board for restoration of their voting rights. Zwonitzer�s bill, House Bill 18, would reduce that period to one year.

Other states vary greatly on this issue, with some allowing felons to apply for restored rights immediately after completing their sentences, and some prohibiting voting indefinitely.

Minimum wage

* What's at stake: Employee pay.

* Who's affected: Wage workers, employers.

Rep. George Bagby, D-Rawlins, will sponsor a bill to raise the minimum wage.

Bagby�s bill would raise the state minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour, and the minimum wage for tipped employees from $2.13 per hour to $5. The bill has failed twice before.

Brand inspection

* What�s at stake: $3,200 in fees.

* Who�s affected: Some livestock owners, brand inspectors.

The Joint Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Interim Committee is sponsoring a bill that would eliminate the livestock classification for goats, llamas and alpacas.

Owners of those animals would no longer be required to pay state brand inspection fees.

Some brand inspectors and members of the agriculture community have long argued that brand inspections for goats, llamas and alpacas are expensive and unnecessary.

If the bill passes, the loss of fees from inspecting those animals would cost the state brand inspection fund about $3,200 per year.]]->

* Legislative Web Site: The address is http://legisweb.state.wy.us. It can also be reached through the state's home page on the Web, http://www.state.wy.us. The site provides bill information, audio feeds from debates, information about contacting individual lawmakers and much more. The site is updated regularly, and is among the more reliable, easiest ways to get up-to-the-minute information about hundreds of bills.

* Voter hotline: During the legislative session, constituents are encouraged to use the Voter Hotline (Phone 1-866-996-VOTE) to call and recommend a vote for or against a particular piece of legislation. While it is not possible to speak directly with a legislator on the Voter Hotline, the message will be delivered more quickly than by calling any other number at the legislature.

* Bill status hotline: Toll-free in Wyoming, the bill hotline allows anyone to receive bill status on a maximum of five bills per telephone call. This is a limited service which allows the caller to determine the current status of a bill, but not information concerning the contents of the bill. The number is 1-800-342-9570 (out-of-state number 307-777-6185).

Source: Legislative Service Office]]->