By Hannah Shields
Wyoming Tribune Eagle
Via- Wyoming News Exchange

CHEYENNE — Committee leadership roles currently held by two of Cheyenne’s moderate Republican lawmakers will be passed to members of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, a group of hardline Republicans, for the new 68th Wyoming Legislature.

The structure of legislative committees wields significant influence in the function of the Legislature. One of the most influential committees is the Legislature’s Joint Appropriations Committee; it’s the only one that makes recommendations about the state’s budget to the two chambers.

Rep. Bob Nicholas, R-Cheyenne, chaired the House Appropriations Committee for eight of the 12 years he was on it. In the 68th Legislature, Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, chairman emeritus of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, will take over for Nicholas.

However, Nicholas was not only replaced as chair; he was removed from the committee completely. His new assignment in the 68th Legislature, according to the committee assignment list, is the House Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Committee.

“I didn’t expect to be put on (Appropriations),” Nicholas told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. “It’s a different branch of the Republican Party. They kind of made it pretty clear that, if they took over the majority, they would rearrange all the committees.”

Sen. Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne, was also removed from the Senate Appropriations Committee, after having served on it for two years. Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, found this to be no surprise.

Since Nethercott was recently nominated as the upper chamber’s majority floor leader, the number two position next to Senate president, Case told the WTE that serving in that role and on Appropriations “kind of clashes.”

“I think a person would be hard-pressed to do that job and be on Appropriations, too,” Case said. “Appropriations is a hard thing. It takes a lot of work and a lot of attention to detail.”

Nethercott was assigned to the Senate Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee, which Case described as a powerful committee, and he anticipates she’ll do “very well on it.” Overall, the senator said he found the new Senate committee assignments to be fair and well balanced.

“It’s not all stacked in one direction,” Case said. “All the committees have people from both sides. … I think it’s a good balance. I’m pretty impressed.”

Wyoming Freedom Caucus Chairwoman Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, R-Cody, will fill the position as chair of the House Labor, Health and Social Services Committee. The spot opened up after Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne, lost his reelection campaign in the August Republican primary.

Zwonitzer chaired the Labor Committee in 2023 and 2024. During his time, the Joint Labor Committee temporarily extended Medicaid coverage for qualified pregnant women 12 months postpartum, amended eligibility for requirements for a cancer prevention program and offered up to 24 hours of paid leave for state employees to volunteer as a firefighter.

In response to Rodriguez- Williams taking on the new role, Zwonitzer told the WTE in a text message, “I wish her success.”

House speaker nominee Rep. Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, said he structured the lower chamber’s committees to reflect the will of the voters. Following the Nov. 5 general election, the Wyoming Freedom Caucus gained majority control of the state’s House of Representatives.

 

‘Fair and balanced’

Freedom Caucus-aligned members, including Neiman, filled leadership positions in the lower chamber during the Republican caucus in Casper two weeks ago. Both the House speaker and Senate president are responsible for structuring the committees in their designated chambers.

Neiman told the WTE he worked to be “fair and balanced” as he structured the new committee assignments, while also reflecting the Freedom Caucus majority of the lower chamber. Some Republican lawmakers not obviously aligned with the hardline group still held on to committee leadership assignments.

Moderate lawmakers such as Reps. Art Washut, R-Casper, and Landon Brown, R-Cheyenne, will continue to chair the House Judiciary and Transportation committees, respectively. Neiman also kept Democratic lawmaker Rep. Trey Sherwood of Laramie as the sole Democratic voice on the House Appropriations Committee.

“I wanted to try to be as fair and as balanced as I could,” Neiman said. “And I know not everybody sees it that way.”

 

Dems kicked off education committee 

For the first time in more than 20 years, there will be no Democratic voices on the Legislature’s Joint Education Committee.

Democrats have long been the minority group in a deep-red state; in the 93-member Legislature, there are now just eight Democratic lawmakers: two in the Senate and six in the House. However, there were at least three Democrats on the Joint Education Committee until 2021, when that number was reduced to two. At one point, in 2009, there were as many as six Democratic voices on the committee.

But in the new 68th Legislature, both of Laramie’s Democratic lawmakers — Rep. Karlee Provenza, D-Laramie, who joined the House Education Committee in 2023, and Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, who’s served on the Senate Education Committee since 2011 — were removed from the committee’s roster.

In a Saturday news release, the Legislature’s Democratic Party members described this move as “a serious blow to Wyoming’s children and educators.”

“This move silences families and makes it easier to pass harmful policies without oversight,” Rothfuss said in the release. “Wyoming deserves better.”

Left-leaning lawmakers have prided themselves on their ability to work with their Republican colleagues to prevent “bad legislation and damage” from happening, Rothfuss said. During their Sunday caucus at the state Capitol two weeks ago, Provenza highlighted the party’s success in passing pay increases for public education teachers in the 2024 budget session.

“Our schools are the heart of Wyoming’s communities,” Provenza stated in the release. “Wyoming schools face challenges like teacher shortages, declining enrollment, increases in student mental health issues and rural school funding. Excluding Democrats means fewer voices advocating for transparency and honesty in education decisions.”

When asked about the removal, Neiman said he wasn’t aware that Senate president nominee Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester, had taken Rothfuss off the committee.

“There was no specific reason. I had a responsibility to fill so many spots based on the percent of them in the body,” Neiman said. “We’re going to be moving this legislation, and there’s going to be a lot of emphasis on school choice, and it’s just the way it happened.”

Minority floor leader Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson, said he had conversations with Neiman and current House Speaker Albert Sommers, R-Pinedale, about committee assignments, and was sure the Senate Democrats had those same conversations with leadership, as well.

“I think, ultimately, the question is, ‘What’s the reason for taking a Democrat off of the committee?’” Yin said.

He speculated it could have to do with charter schools and privatizing education, an issue “where Democrats are staunchly opposed and Republicans are kind of split on.” However, Yin said Democrats will continue to fight for education-related bills the party supports during the upcoming session.

 

Held up by the Senate

The Wyoming Freedom Caucus, once a minority group in the House of Representatives, gained control of the lower chamber following the Nov. 5 general election. Bear said the House committee assignments were largely influenced by the makeup of the Senate’s committees.

“The House was held up by the Senate,” Bear said. “We were prepared shortly after the general election, but we didn’t know what the Senate was going to look like, so we held off on making those permanent until we had a better idea.”

Neiman confirmed that the House already had a plan for its committees, but had to make some “last-minute” adjustments because of the upper chamber. He told the WTE that House leadership did what “was necessary” in order to ensure the House agenda, while remaining “ complementary to the Senate.”

“I want to try to work with our Senate counterparts,” Neiman said. “I don’t want this to be an antagonistic relationship.”

Things were off to a shaky start after Neiman accidentally sent the wrong committee assignment lists out early in the weekend. The presumed new House speaker took full responsibility for the mistake.

“It was an honest mistake,” Neiman said. “It was just me not getting that information to (Legislative Service Office staff) in all the wildness there that Friday afternoon. … I bear 100% of the responsibility for that, because I simply forgot.”

New legislative committee assignments for 2025 are now available on the Legislature’s website at wyoleg.gov.