By Joseph Beaudet
The Sheridan Press
Via- Wyoming News Exchange

SHERIDAN — As Wyoming reels from a historic 2024 fire season, lawmakers are advancing bills to help aid rehabilitation and recovery efforts.

According to the Wyoming State Forestry Division, 2,167 fires left more than 850,000 acres of Wyoming scorched.

Three bills aimed at fire rehabilitation and restoration that passed the Senate, their chamber of origin, are now under consideration in the House. 

 

Bridge loan program

Senate President Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester, is Senate File 195’s primary sponsor. He said earlier this session he was inspired to create the bill while serving as a volunteer firefighter working on the Elk Fire last year.

SF195, “Small business emergency bridge loan program,” would serve as immediate assistance for small businesses in Wyoming impacted by natural disasters, such as fires, floods, blizzards and tornadoes.

Nearly two weeks ago, the Senate passed the bill with a 29-1 vote and sent it to the House. The House approved the bill in Committee of the Whole, the first of three hurdles on the chamber floor, Friday afternoon.

The bill would create an emergency bridge loan program in Wyoming and allocate $25 million in funding for the loans, which could be worth up to $750,000 apiece. The state would partner with local banks and credit unions to help facilitate the process. Financial institutions would review and recommend applications in exchange for a 2% origination fee, half paid by the loan applicant and the other half paid by the state.

“It’s not free. This is not a handout,” cosponsor and Speaker of the House Rep. Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, said. “… This is an opportunity and it’s a hand up.”

Neiman added the state is made whole by requiring the loans to be repaid within three years while ensuring its business people receive immediate help when they need it most.

A House committee amendment to the bill would pull funds for the program as they’re needed from the Legislative Stabilization Reserve Account, rather than a specific account of general fund monies. 

Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, said the change would allow the state to continue investing the $25 million made available through the program.

If the bill is passed by the House, it will be sent to the Senate for its approval of the amendments added by the House. If the Senate votes against concurrence, a joint conference committee will be appointed to negotiate the differences.

 

Other Senate files

Senate File 152, “Wildfire management-task force and state forester,” would replenish the state’s wildfire recovery accounts, amend the duties of the state forester and create a task force. The Senate voted 24-6 in favor of the bill.

The House Appropriations Committee voted 7-0 Feb. 20 to send the bill to the House floor, where it awaits consideration in Committee of the Whole at the time of reporting. 

A committee amendment would lower the governor’s Legislative Stabilization Reserve Account borrowing authorization through the bill from $40 million to $30 million for emergency expenses otherwise uncovered by appropriated funds. 

The amendment would also shrink the size of the task force created by the bill. The nine-member task force would have the 2025 and 2026 interim sessions to complete its work studying wildfire impacts and identifying and evaluating wildland fire response practices.

SF152 includes just more than $42.25 million to replenish various recovery accounts.

Senate File 148, “Fire suppression and restoration funding,” includes $100 million for grants to restore grass and vegetation on private and public lands impacted by wildfires, $10 million for watershed health available to local governmental entities and $30 million for the Emergency Fire Suppression Account to be distributed by the Office of State Lands and Investments to aid firefighting efforts. 

The bill, similar to Gov. Mark Gordon’s original $130 million supplemental budget request for wildfire recovery, would also create a nine-member steering committee to oversee the grant application process.

SF148 had not been introduced in the House and referred to a committee at the time of reporting. Thursday is the last day for a bill to be reported out of a committee before it dies.

 

Budget differences

While the House and Senate agreed on the funding amount, the legislature’s two chambers differed on how to use wildfire rehabilitation and restoration funding in their supplemental budget positions.

A $100 million grant program for public and private lands impacted by wildfires was approved in the Senate. The House, meanwhile, approved a combination of a loan and grant program; the body backed $40 million for grants and $60 million for loans for those same public and private lands. 

The chambers’ differences will be negotiated when a Joint Conference Committee meets to finalize the supplemental budget bill.

Neiman announced his five budget JCC appointments on Feb. 11. The appointments largely excluded members of the House Appropriations Committee, with the exception of Bear.

Biteman will make his JCC  appointments after the House’s positions are presented on the Senate floor. 

Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Sen. Tim Salazar, R-Riverton, told reporters last week he planned to present the House’s supplemental budget bill positions at some point this week.